Here’s What Employee Password Management Looks Like from Onboarding and Beyond

Employee password management starts on the first day of onboarding and continues through career advancement and succession. When introducing a new employee to company software and applications, it helps to know their familiarity with using password managers to store and share password credentials.

To minimize critical cybersecurity risks and protect business data, many companies initiate the onboarding process with a password manager to grant employees access to necessary login credentials.

Some companies also use Single Sign On to streamline access to select enterprise-wide systems, but this coverage does not always extend to employee- or team-specific systems. Shared team password credentials might then be distributed through less secure methods such as sticky notes, email, or shared documents for speed and efficiency. A password manager fills this gap, especially when embraced by employees, as it enables them to safely share credentials.

How can a security-minded company successfully introduce a password manager during employee onboarding and ensure that good password hygiene remains throughout the entire employee lifecycle? It starts by understanding your employees and building an effective company password management program to span their tenure with the company.

Employees face pressure to be successful at work, and sometimes that means they need to quickly share passwords and other sensitive information to resolve an issue. Some might already be using a personal password manager, and others might just use pen and paper.

The four most common end-users you should plan for when introducing a password manager in your organization include:

1. The Novice

2. Password Management Aficionado

3. The Team Lead

4. Executive User