Executive Summary
Three years ago, we wrote about why businesses should still be using a password manager. Since then, a lot has changed.
Passkeys are becoming more common, cyber criminals are using increasingly sophisticated phishing techniques, and businesses are managing more online accounts than ever before. Yet despite these changes, one thing remains true: every business still needs a secure way to manage passwords, passkeys and other sensitive information.
At Get Support, we continue to recommend 1Password because it offers far more than just password storage. It helps businesses improve security, simplify access for employees and reduce the risks that come with poor password habits.
Introduction
One question we hear quite often is:
“If passkeys are replacing passwords, do I still need a password manager?”
The short answer is yes.
Although more websites and services now support passkeys, passwords haven’t disappeared. Most businesses still rely on hundreds of online accounts, many of which continue to use traditional passwords. Add in two-factor authentication codes, secure notes, API keys and shared company logins, and it’s clear that managing access securely is more important than ever.
A modern password manager has become an essential business tool rather than simply a convenient place to store passwords.
Password managers have evolved
When password managers first became popular, their main purpose was fairly simple:
- Generate strong passwords
- Remember them for you
- Autofill them when needed
Today’s password managers do much more.
Modern platforms securely store:
- Passwords
- Passkeys
- Two-factor authentication codes
- Secure notes
- Credit card details
- Software licence keys
- Important business documents
- Shared team credentials
Instead of employees keeping important information in spreadsheets, notebooks or browser password stores, everything is securely encrypted and centrally managed.
Why businesses still need one
Businesses are using more cloud services than ever before.
Microsoft 365, Xero, Adobe, CRM systems, supplier portals, banking platforms, marketing tools and countless other online services all require secure logins.
Without a password manager, it’s common to see people:
- Reusing passwords across multiple systems
- Sharing passwords by email or Teams
- Saving passwords in browsers
- Keeping spreadsheets of company logins
- Writing passwords on sticky notes
These habits increase the chances of compromised accounts and make it much harder to manage access when employees join or leave the business.
A password manager removes much of this risk while making life easier for everyone.
What about passkeys?
Passkeys are one of the biggest developments in online security over the last few years.
Rather than relying on a password, a passkey uses cryptographic technology stored securely on your device, making it significantly more resistant to phishing and credential theft. Organisations including the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) now recommend adopting passkeys where they’re available.
However, passkeys haven’t completely replaced passwords.
Many business systems still require passwords, while others support both methods. For the foreseeable future, businesses will be managing a mixture of passwords and passkeys.
That’s another reason why a password manager remains valuable. It gives users one secure place to manage both.
If you would like to understand this topic in more detail, we have also written a separate guide:
The Plain English Guide to: Passkeys with Microsoft 365
Where single sign-on fits in
Where possible, we still recommend using single sign-on (SSO) as part of a modern access strategy. SSO allows users to sign in once and access multiple approved systems, which can make working life easier, simpler and more secure overall.
However, SSO does not remove the need for password management entirely. Not every application supports SSO, and some services will still require separate passwords, passkeys or shared credentials. For those systems, a business password manager remains essential.
If you would like to understand this topic in more detail, we have also written a separate guide: The Plain English Guide to Single Sign-On (SSO).
Why we recommend 1Password
There are plenty of good password managers available, but 1Password continues to be our preferred choice for most businesses.
We’ve used it ourselves for years and recommend it because it strikes an excellent balance between strong security, ease of use and business-friendly administration.
Some of the features we particularly value include:
Secure password and passkey management
1Password securely stores both traditional passwords and modern passkeys, making it well suited as organisations gradually move towards passwordless authentication.
Secret Key protection
1Password also uses a unique Secret Key in addition to the account password. The Secret Key is combined with the user’s account password to protect their encrypted data, which means security does not rely on the password alone. This provides an additional layer of protection, particularly against attacks where someone tries to guess or crack a user’s account password.
Built-in MFA code management
1Password can also store and generate one-time multi-factor authentication codes for supported services. This is a major usability benefit for people who have dozens of accounts protected by MFA. Instead of opening a separate authenticator app, searching through a long list of codes and manually typing the right one before it expires, users can keep the login and the relevant MFA code together and sign in much more smoothly.
Secure sharing
We recognise that sharing passwords is not best practice and should be avoided wherever proper individual user accounts or single sign-on are available. In reality, however, some platforms still do not support multiple users, and teams sometimes need shared access to important credentials or secure information. 1Password provides a controlled, encrypted way to do this without resorting to email, Teams messages, spreadsheets or informal notes.
Shared vaults also make onboarding and offboarding staff much simpler.
Watchtower security monitoring
1Password continuously checks stored credentials for weak, reused or compromised passwords and highlights accounts that should be updated.
Rather than waiting for a problem to occur, it helps businesses stay ahead of potential risks.
Simple administration
IT administrators can:
- Control who has access to what
- Recover employee accounts if needed
- Remove access immediately when someone leaves
- Apply security policies across the business
This provides much greater control than relying on browser password managers.
Excellent user experience
Perhaps most importantly, people actually use it.
Security tools only work if employees are happy to use them every day. 1Password is available across Windows, macOS, iPhone, Android and all major web browsers, making secure working straightforward wherever staff are based.
Browser password managers aren’t enough
Modern browsers have improved considerably, and for personal use they may be sufficient for some people.
For businesses, however, they lack many of the management features organisations need.
A dedicated business password manager provides:
- Central administration
- Secure password sharing
- Employee access management
- Auditing
- Recovery options
- Better control over company credentials
These become increasingly important as businesses grow.
Final thoughts
The technology around authentication is changing, but the need to protect business accounts hasn’t gone away.
In reality, today’s password managers are becoming identity managers. They securely store passwords, passkeys and other sensitive information while helping businesses maintain control over who can access what.
For most organisations, using a dedicated password manager remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve security without making life more difficult for employees.
At Get Support, 1Password continues to be our preferred recommendation because it combines strong security with an excellent user experience and the management features businesses need.
How Get Support can help
If you’re looking to improve how your business manages passwords, passkeys and secure access, Get Support can help.
We can advise whether 1Password is the right fit for your organisation, assist with deployment, migrate existing passwords securely, configure shared vaults and user permissions, and provide ongoing support to ensure your team gets the most from the platform.
Whether you’re introducing a password manager for the first time or replacing an existing solution, we’ll help make the process straightforward and secure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. While passkeys are becoming more common, most businesses still use many services that rely on passwords. Password managers now securely manage both passwords and passkeys.
It is fair to say that a password manager puts many of your digital keys in one basket, so it must be chosen carefully and protected properly. Our view is that a well-secured business password manager is still far safer than the alternatives, such as reusing passwords, relying on memory, storing them in browsers, or keeping them in documents and spreadsheets. 1Password helps reduce this risk through strong end-to-end encryption, its Secret Key, and a security model designed so that even 1Password cannot read your stored data.
Yes. Business password managers allow credentials to be shared securely without exposing the actual password, making collaboration much safer.
We’ve found 1Password to offer an excellent combination of security, ease of use and business management features. It supports passwords, passkeys, secure sharing and administration, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Yes. We can help you plan, configure and roll out 1Password across your business, migrate existing credentials, set up secure sharing and provide ongoing support.
Sources
This article is based on guidance and information from the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), 1Password and recent industry reporting on password management and passkey adoption.