Account – the user account
It is a user account that is used to manage access rights in IT systems and on the Internet. An account is used to protect data, whether it is confidential company information or an user’s personal data.
Account protection
By default, a user account is protected by a user name assigned by the administrator or by the user himself, as well as by a unique password. By entering this data when logging in, the user can prove that he has the right to access. To maintain this protection, passwords should be as strong as possible. A secure password should contain at least upper and lower case letters and numbers, and the use of special characters makes it even more secure. Ideally, passwords should not contain whole words such as names or month names. Otherwise, an account can be hacked using some techniques, which can result in unauthorized access by third parties to valuable data.
User rights for accounts
An account can be used to assign certain rights to each user in the IT system. The user account with the most rights is the administrator, who usually has full access to all data. A distinction is also made between execution of software and the reading, writing and altering of data. For each account, the administrator determines individually which rights they can exercise.
Account usage in ecommerce
In e-commerce, the account is particularly important for protecting the personal data of customers in online stores. When a customer places an order, he has the option of creating a personal user account, which is usually protected by a freely chosen username and password. When the customer logs into his account, he can view information about his customer account with the company in question. Among other things, they can call up data about billing and delivery address, orders already placed, and the delivery status of current orders. It is also possible, for example, to participate in bonus programs and manage newsletters.
Other uses for the account
In addition to shopping in online stores, an account is of course also used for other IT systems. Analogous to the conventional online store, the user account is used for auction platforms, download providers and service providers. Within companies, accounts are used to control access to company data or servers. The use of software products can also be limited in this way. An account is also required for sending emails. An e-mail account is either assigned by the provider or created by the administrator at the company mail server. This protects the e-mails received and sent from unauthorized access. Accounts are also used in forums, communities and social networks to maintain individual privacy.
