I have more than 300 accounts on online services. Some I use frequently, such as my hosting service provider account or Gmail, while many more I use rarely, if at all. The problem is where to keep all of this critical private information much of which I'm likely to forget. Many years ago I discovered what I think is one of the best and most useful utilities for managing passwords: Siber Systems' RoboForm. 

RoboForm is a Windows-compatible utility that integrates with Internet Explorer, Firefox, and a few other browsers (AOL/MSN) to provide an intelligent password management service.

Once installed you can select a Passcard from the Roboform toolbar, go directly to the Web site and be automatically logged in. You can also go to a Web site and if you are on a page where you have a login Roboform will dynamically update its menu bar to provide a one-click login.

When you login to a Web page that RoboForm doesn’t know or one that it does but where you’re using a different password than that RoboForm doesn’t know, it will offer to save a new Passcard or overwrite an existing one. You can even have RoboForm save arbitrary data on a Web page as what the company calls a “Safenote.”

RoboForm also optionally uses encryption (you can choose AES, Blowfish, RC6, 3-DES or 1-DES), supports profiles for saving and filling out forms on Web sites to and from multiple identities, provides back and restore of Passcards, can generate “strong” passwords automatically, as well as copying, saving, and loading browser bookmarks.

There’s even a portable version of RoboForm called RoboForm2Go that can be installed on a USB or U3 drive and when launched dynamically installs as a browser toolbar. There’s even support for Windows Mobile, Palm, BlackBerry, and Symbian devices.

At $29.95 for RoboForm and $19.95 for RoboForm2Go this is one of the most cost-effective and valuable tools I own. Definitely a “must-have.”

Mark Gibbs is a consultant, author, journalist, columnist and blogger.