RoboForm

The rise of the interactive Internet means that we can increasingly conduct transactions and even work without leaving the comfort of the sofa. But to do so securely requires a plethora of passwords, and filling in online forms can take aeons. Plus, it's easy to make mistakes with credit card numbers and the like, further detracting from the convenience of the Web.

Siber Systems RoboForm is one solution. It's a great tool for storing usernames, passwords and other data you regularly need to submit to e-commerce or members-only Web sites.

You provide RoboForm with every conceivable piece of data you might ever need to complete a Web site form — from basics such as your name and address, to more complex fields such as phone numbers and credit card details.

When next you're faced with an online form, you simply click RoboForm's Fill Forms button, and the program does exactly that.

RoboForm is a cinch to use. With your permission it installs on to your Web browser's toolbar, and organically hoovers up usernames and passwords as you go about your browsing business. RoboForm also creates 'Passcards', remembering log-in details for specific sites and services. These are stored on RoboForm's Passcard page and in a drop-down on your Web browser.

So you click a Web site's name from the RoboForm Passcard drop-down, and RoboForm transports your Web browser to the site, logging you in as it does so. Click 'Google', for instance, and you'll be transported to your iGoogle home page, with immediate access to Gmail, Google Docs and the rest.

Of course, inherent with password-management software is the risk that by cracking just the one password, a nefarious type could gain immediate access to all of your details. Fortunately, RoboForm is itself password-protected. But you're advised to show a little discipline and regularly change your master password.

Other security worries are taken care of — RoboForm can generate industrial-strength passwords, and with this program installed, you don't have to worry about remembering them.