In short: A business password manager stores staff passwords, passkeys and other secrets in encrypted vaults, generates strong unique passwords, and lets teams share credentials safely. Admins control policies, recover access and remove leavers. Business editions are licensed per user, usually monthly or annually, with optional add-ons for SSO, dark web monitoring and privileged access.
What is a business password manager?
Reused and weak passwords remain one of the easiest ways into a business. A password manager removes the need to remember them: it generates a long, unique password for every site, fills it in automatically, and stores it in an encrypted vault that only the user can open. Most now store passkeys too, the phishing-resistant replacement for passwords.
The NCSC recommends password managers as a practical way to use strong, unique passwords, and the Cyber Essentials user access control requirements expect good password practice. Business editions add what consumer products lack:
- Shared vaults and folders so teams can share the social media login or supplier portal password without email or spreadsheets
- Admin console with policies, reporting and user provisioning
- Account recovery without the vendor ever seeing your data
- Offboarding: revoke a leaver's access and see which shared passwords they could reach
- Integrations with Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, Okta and SCIM provisioning
Password managers: vendors and products we supply
- 1Password: Encrypted business password manager, billed monthly per user with no minimum.
- 1Password Business: Shared vaults, SSO unlock, provisioning and reporting, licensed per user.
- Exium IAM360: SSO, MFA, passwordless sign-in and a password manager, per user.
- Keeper Security: Zero-knowledge business password manager and KeeperPAM privileged access, licensed per user.
- Keeper Security Password Manager: Business Starter, Business and Enterprise vaults with BreachWatch, reporting and compliance add-ons.
- LastPass: Business password manager with shared folders, central policies and an MFA add-on.
- LastPass Business: Encrypted vaults, shared folders, 100+ policies and directory sync, per user.
- Nord Security: NordLayer network access, NordPass password management and NordStellar threat exposure monitoring.
- Nord Security NordPass: Encrypted business password manager with sharing, policies and breach alerts, licensed per user.
What to look for
- Zero-knowledge encryption, meaning the vendor cannot read your vaults
- Passkey support and secure storage of MFA codes where policy allows
- SSO and directory sync so users sign in with existing credentials and accounts are created and removed automatically
- Breach and dark web alerts for exposed credentials
- Privileged access options: some vendors, such as Keeper, add secrets management, remote connection management and endpoint privilege control
- Family or personal licences for staff, which some business plans include and which encourage good habits at home
- Emergency access: a controlled way for a nominated person to reach critical credentials if the usual owner is unavailable
- Reporting on weak, reused and exposed passwords across the organisation, so you can measure progress
How password managers are licensed
Business password managers are licensed per user, usually in two or three tiers. Entry tiers cover vaults, sharing and the admin console; higher tiers add SSO integration, advanced reporting, directory sync and more granular policies. Add-ons may include dark web monitoring, compliance reporting or privileged access management. Monthly and annual terms are both common. See per-user vs per-device licensing for counting shared and service accounts.
How to choose
- Decide whether you need SSO or directory sync now or later; it often determines the tier.
- Plan how you will import existing passwords from browsers and spreadsheets.
- Agree a sharing structure: which teams need which shared folders.
- Check browser and device support for everyone, including Mac and mobile users.
- Turn on MFA for the password manager itself, ideally phishing-resistant.
Common business options include 1Password, Keeper, LastPass and NordPass. For single sign-on and MFA across apps, see identity, MFA and privileged access.
How we help
We supply password manager licences on your Forever Systems account, help you choose the right tier and can set up directory sync, policies and shared folders so adoption is quick. Contact us for a quote.
Adoption is where most password manager projects succeed or fail. We can help you plan a short launch: a clear explanation for staff of why the change is happening, a browser extension pushed to every device, and shared folders set up in advance so the first experience is useful rather than empty.
How Forever Systems supplies your software licences
Forever Systems Ltd supplies business software subscriptions to UK organisations from one account, with one monthly invoice and a UK team who know the products.
- The right edition first time: we check what you need before you buy, so you are not paying for features you will never use
- Monthly or annual terms where the vendor offers them, and help timing renewals and commitments
- Licence changes handled for you: add or remove users, upgrade editions and true-up without starting a new contract
- Deployment and support from engineers who run these products every day, not just a reseller account
- Consolidated billing and renewal reminders so nothing lapses unexpectedly
We work with businesses, schools, charities and public sector organisations of all sizes.
Need a licence quote or a second opinion on your renewal?
Tell Forever Systems what you need and we will come back to you by email with options, not a hard sell.
Contact usFrequently asked questions
Are password managers safe for business use?
Reputable business password managers use zero-knowledge encryption, so the vendor cannot read your data, and they are recommended by the NCSC. Protect the vault with MFA and a strong master password or passkey.
What happens to a leaver's passwords?
Admins can disable the account immediately, transfer any business items, and see which shared folders the person could access so those passwords can be changed.
Is a browser's built-in password manager good enough?
Browser password managers are better than reusing passwords, but they lack central policies, safe sharing, reporting and controlled offboarding, which businesses need.