Passwords are always a major pain point for businesses, but in some industries, their importance is emphasized more than others. In particular, government-based organizations need to be prepared to keep more secure passwords. While we understand that not all organizations are government-based, there’s something to be said about proper password practices that we can all learn something from.

The United States’ National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued new password recommendations and standards for government officials, and everyone can stand to benefit from at least considering the recommendations--even in the business sector. Some of these might seem a bit odd compared to what professionals typically say about passwords but bear with us. Keep in mind, these recommended practices are new and not supported on all sites and login accounts. Here are just a few of them:

As for some of the things to avoid using, here are some to consider:

Overall, NIST wants to try and help make passwords less of a pain for users while still maintaining a similar level of security. What are your thoughts on some of these new standards? Let us know in the comments.