Web hosting company opts for open source password management approach

After weighing the options, Namecheap enthusiastically elected to go with Bitwarden. Said Smirnov, “A key factor in our decision to choose Bitwarden was its open source nature. Open source technology invites broad rotation and continuous improvement from a global community of experts. We see this investment validated year after year, in the way Bitwarden and the open source community interact and how vulnerabilities are identified and addressed promptly.”

Namecheap believes the open source approach not only enhances security tools, but ensures technology evolves in response to the real-world needs of its users. In the company’s view, this contrasts sharply with closed source projects where potential vulnerabilities might remain hidden. In such environments, the lack of external review can create security blind spots that manifest in the form of breaches and supply chain weaknesses.

“Our decision to integrate Bitwarden is deeply rooted in our belief in the power and potential of open source software,” said Smirnov. “Open source represents more than just the technology choice. It's a forward-thinking approach that embodies innovation, collaboration, and transparency. We see open source software as the future of technological development.”

Namecheap opted to strategically deploy Bitwarden in stages. The company started with a test group to eliminate operational issues early on. Utilizing the Bitwarden API, the Namecheap technical team crafted custom scripts to automate the onboarding process. This helped enable self-paced implementation, allowing employees across the world to set up Bitwarden at their own pace. 

Following the initial small-scale rollout, Namecheap transitioned to deploying Bitwarden across business units. While processed in stages, within two months the team had successfully onboarded all employees.

Said Smirnov, “Our switch to Bitwarden as our password manager, covering nearly 3,000 employees, was remarkably smooth. Many had been anticipating this upgrade and the satisfaction with the functionality, convenience, and security features that Bitwarden offers is a testament to the product’s overall strength.”

In contrast to its former piecemeal and random approach to password security, Namecheap now has control over where and how passwords are stored and protected. The company has also capitalized on Bitwarden tools that allow it to assess password strength and quality and enabled two-factor authentication across the organization, a move that further strengthens the Namecheap security framework.

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