The common challenge for all of us is keeping track of all our passwords and system identities, says Jackson Shaw, Quest Software.

I think all of us would agree that we use more “identities” (that is, user ID / password, or smartcard / PIN used to log into an application or system) in our jobs than ever before. As enterprises have become more complex, distributed and diverse, there has been a corresponding rise in the identities associated with any one individual. Gone are the days when we could get by with one identity for an all-encompassing client-server app, and another one for your local PC.

The common challenge for all of us is keeping track of all our passwords and system identities. Password security requirements have gotten more stringent, with minimum requirements on length, alpha, numeric and mixed case, change intervals. IT managers are struggling to manage this cost-effectively. How can we reduce the help desk costs associated with forgotten passwords? How can we get staff to avoid writing down their passwords on post-it notes? How can we secure, control and audit the passwords associated with privileged accounts?