That Pesky Login

Password Fatigue is a real thing. It happens when you have too many passwords to remember for Facebook, Twitter, your PC at home, the one at work, your internet banking, the ATM pin code, your fancy new access system at work and the password to allow you access to your car's entertainment system.

IT people get frustrated when they have to reset passwords every second day, and the management decision to make the password as difficult as possible to guess, also means that it is difficult to remember. It is ok to sometimes forget it and require a reset, but can we ask you at least try before phoning?

There is a difference between a login and a password, the former is the combination of username and password, the latter is just that.

When you phone to say you have have forgotten your password and we ask what your username is, an answer like 'I don't know' is problematic at best and at worst we want to crawl in under the desk and recite the opening sequence of Star Wars.

It usually is your name, surname or combination thereof. If another person used your PC it will remember and display that on screen. If you blithely type in your password without checking which username you are using, we will get the call.

If you use your Windows login that you use to get into your PC to try logging into your accounting system, we will get the call.

If you try to log onto the remote server at work, when working from home, with your home PC login, we will get the call.

It is usually after half an hour or more of back and forth and countless rolled eyes and whispered asides to your spouse or our colleagues that we ask the question: With what username are you logging on?

Imagine a login is like a key, you use a different one for every room; from your kitchen, garage, your office, to your car. The same key will not open all of them.

You can maybe use the same password, but sometimes your username is different, remember this.

Strangely, few people forget the internet banking login.