SourceForge sat down with the CTO and Founder of Passwork, a next-generation password manager for businesses, to discuss how the platform can assist companies from all over the world, working in any vertical market and of any size, in effectively storing, managing and sharing their passwords in a post-Covid corporate environment.
Tell us about Passwork, what problems does it solve?
In business since 2014, we’re a Finnish company offering a platform that allows businesses across the globe to increase their security and productivity by reducing manual routine and the risks associated with data breaches. We offer our solution in two varieties: a cloud-based version and a self-hosted version that can be installed directly onto a company server. The dedicated administrator is able to manage aspects such as user rights while tracking a history of actions and changes when it comes to passwords.
This is especially useful for companies in the post-Covid world, where many employees are now working remotely, and there are pains associated with password security on personal computers and devices. Data breaches are on the rise, and we’re the force to combat that. We’re also solving problems related to company inefficiencies by streamlining work with Passwords, increasing employee productivity thereby increasing company profits.
What kinds of companies do you work with?
We’re used by more than a thousand companies worldwide, including a variety of banks, government agencies, universities, startups, game developers, and a dozen other IT-related verticials. Over almost a decade in business, we’ve been able to tailor our solution to practically any use case, and as a result, Passwork can be applicable to any company whose employees are using electronic services as part of their working rhythm.
You mentioned that Passwork suits businesses of any size, can you go into more detail about that?
Sure. Passwork can be utilized by companies of a few people, to large corporations with thousands of employees working under their umbrella. We initially developed the product for small IT departments, but since we’ve provided support for LDAP / AD and SSO, we noticed that much larger companies began to take an interest. Currently, we’re optimizing our product to be used by tens of thousands of employees all over the world by finalizing existing integrations.
What about your product’s safety?
Ultimately, safety is what we provide our customers with, so it would be laughable to suggest that we offer a product that isn’t representative of the pinnacle of information security. Importantly, Passwork is installed on the company’s server and is designed in a way that it can work completely in isolation. In this sense, we don’t have access to our customers’ data. Moreover, all data is encrypted using the AES-256 algorithm, allowing one to securely delimit data access rights throughout a company. Also, it’s important to note that we’re constantly updating our product to fit the very latest security requirements. Passwork isn’t really a static system that can be bought in the same way that Microsoft office can be purchased and installed. This is why we offer subscriptions to technical support and updates because we understand that the world of security is in flux.
Why is it so important to store passwords in one place?
As we spoke about briefly before, storing passwords in one place tackles a number of different pain points. The main benefit of Passwork is that it increases employee efficiency. This is because: there’s a significant reduction in the time it takes for employees to find the right password; logins are automated on all resources to which a particular employee has access, thanks to the autocomplete function in the browser extension; the time it takes to issue rights to new employees is cut significantly; it’s easier than ever to revoke password access rights to employees who have recently left the company; automatic security audits of all passwords can be carried out, which help to identify old, weak and compromised passwords; an entire history of password changes can be accessed in a simple click; and lastly, there’s clear differentiation when it comes to access rights between employees – it’s quick and easy to understand which services an employee has access to.
The second slice of this cake relates to security; through the use of our system and the storage of passwords all in one place, a company is able to reduce the risk of a data breach significantly, to almost a negligible integer. This is incredibly important when we consider the reputation of the company, and also the fines and legal penalties at stake.
Passwork isn’t the only password management solution on the market, so how does it shine out from the crowd?
First of all, we focus on technical support, which is an integral part of our product. We’re constantly monitoring factors such as the quality and responsiveness of our specialists. Indeed, we conducted a study where we found that our technical support specialists respond ten times faster than those of our competitors. Moreover, you’ll find sincerity and care in every response.
Secondly, unlike most of our competitors who only offer cloud-based solutions, our self-hosted version immediately solves a lot of security and stability issues. Our clients are able to work in a closed loop, where their work is not dependent on the stability of our servers and data is not shared with us in any way.
Moreover, we’ve put a lot of effort into making our interface and the user experience as seamless as possible. For someone who has never dealt with a password manager before, the learning curve is very comfortable; our display is intuitive and easy to navigate. For someone who is migrating from an existing system, many of the pain points will immediately be relieved; Passwork will feel like a breath of fresh air.
How does your product’s licensing work?
Our platform can be integrated in two licenses, depending on the required features. The standard license provides basic features and functionalities that are sufficient for most users, whereas the extended license provides SAML SSO authorization, replication and failover configuration. Indeed, Passwork offers the mapping of LDAP groups with roles and there are plenty of added benefits.
There is an initial integration fee for the product, where the client receives a license for a certain number of users. The price includes a one-year subscription to technical support and updates, after which a set price will activate for the renewal. We offer many different payment options depending on the number of users that the client needs, and discounts may be obtained for purchasing a number of years upfront.
How can a company get involved with Passwork’s system?
First of all, we’d recommend contacting us via our website to receive a free demo. This will give us a chance to understand your use case, while you can ask any questions that you might have. We’ll then send you installation instructions and our technical support team will be on hand to assist in case you encounter any difficulties along the way. As soon as the testing period is complete, you’ll be sent a license key for a set number of users. The key can be input into the demo version, and you’ll be immediately able to configure all of the necessary features to get Passwork up and running on your company’s system.
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