The trouble with shared logins

Why they are a problem

• Nobody owns them. Multi-factor authentication usually goes to one phone, so it either gets turned off or ends up on one person’s device.
• They never change. Changing a shared password means telling everyone, so it rarely happens, even after someone leaves.
• There is no record. When something goes wrong, you cannot tell who did it.
• They spread. Shared passwords end up on sticky notes, in group chats and in old emails.

Better options

• Give each person their own account wherever the system allows it. It costs a little more, and solves every problem above.
• Use shared mailboxes for info@ style addresses. (Read more.)
• Store unavoidable shared passwords in a password manager’s shared folder, so access can be granted and removed per person, and the password changed in one place.
• Change shared passwords when anyone with access leaves.

Shared computers

Front desks and shop floors often have one computer used by many people. Each person can still sign in to their own account on it, and fast user switching makes that quick.