Why your digital legacy matters

Why your digital legacy matters more than you think

Many people have some form of inheritance plan for their home, savings, and possessions, even if it’s only the default provisions that come with marriage or by having children. By contrast, very few have a reliable plan for their digital portfolio, despite the fact photos, emails, social media, cloud storage, and online banking now fully woven into everyday life - both at home and at work. When someone dies or loses capacity, families and colleagues are often locked out of vital accounts at the worst possible time. 

At the final Yeovil Digital Hub of 2025, Mark One’s Managing Director, Jon Budzynski, unpacked why digital legacy planning can no longer be ignored… and how a few simple steps today can save a lot of stress tomorrow.

What is a digital legacy?

A digital legacy covers everything that remains online or on your devices after you’re gone, from treasured photos and social media profiles to email accounts and cloud-stored documents. These assets can hold immense sentimental value for family and loved ones, as well as being important for those who were once reliant on you. Without a plan, these accounts and devices may become permanently inaccessible or require complicated, time-consuming processes to recover. Furthermore, this can extend to businesses and organisations, especially if you are a senior person in such an organisation. If you don’t have the correct features in place, this can really impact your future operations.

The hidden risks of doing nothing

Without a plan, leaving your digital assets to chance can create all sorts of problems - some of which may not be immediately obvious. For instance, beyond items like emails, photos, and locked devices, most individuals have hundreds of online accounts, covering everything from banking and shopping sites to gaming platforms, streaming services, and health or government logins. From a business perspective, the number of accounts and systems required to operate is even greater. In both cases, doing nothing is simply not an option in this day and age.

Real-world data

Another reason this has become such a passionate topic of ours is the sheer number of people without a clear plan in place. A recent Which? report from 2024 found that over 75% of members had no arrangements for managing their digital assets after death - a staggering statistic when we first discovered it. You can read the full report here:

Tools that make digital legacy simple

The good news is that major providers now include built-in tools to help you plan your digital legacy in a secure and structured way.

• Apple Legacy Contact: Apple leads the way here and allow you to nominate one or more trusted people who can request access to the data in your Apple account after your death, once they provide proof and an access QR code. This feature also removes any Activation Locks on your devices.
  

• Google Inactive Account Manager: Google’s tool lets you decide what happens if your account becomes inactive for a set period, including sharing data with up to 10 trusted contacts or deleting the account entirely.

These tools sit alongside more traditional planning through wills and estate planning, where solicitors are increasingly encouraging clients to identify and document digital assets.

Practical steps you can take today

Jon’s core message was that digital legacy does not have to be complicated; it just needs a bit of intentional planning. A simple, practical approach could look like this:

• Make a list of your digital assets. Note key accounts such as email, cloud storage, social media, banking, subscriptions, and any systems you feel are critical. Also consider extending this list to the systems your business or organisation uses if you are a senior person in such an organisation.
  

• Decide who should have access. Think about trusted family members, executors, business partners, or directors, and what they should be able to see, manage, or close down. Try to consider more than one person where possible too.
  

• Use the built-in tools. Set up Apple Legacy Contact on your Apple device and configure Google’s Inactive Account Manager for your Google accounts. If you run a business, consider working with an IT managed service provider who have the tools and knowledge to look after key parts of your company’s digital portfolio, which could include delegated Microsoft 365 access as well as admin access to devices on your network.
  

• Use a password manager with emergency access. Password managers offer a very affordable and secure way of storing all your digital accounts, which can significantly help allow access to your accounts in the event of an emergency. Just make sure the password manager you use has this feature, which is often included in a ‘premium’ subscription.
  

• Ensure you update your devices and have good backups. As per standard best practices, always keep your devices and apps up to date, and make sure you maintain reliable, up-to-date backups. 

Don’t forget about keeping security front and centre! 

With all this in mind, always strike a sensible balance between making it easy for trusted people to access what they need, while maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture. Stay alert to current cyber risks, including phishing and social engineering attempts.
Also avoid taking a “do-it-yourself” approach to managing your digital legacy - such as sharing accounts or passwords in a notebook or by word of mouth. You never know what circumstances might change: relationships can sour, others might not follow good security practices, or you may need to update your passwords and forget to pass on the new details.

How Mark One can help

Mark One has strong experience in digital legacy planning, as it naturally overlaps with cybersecurity, access control, data protection, and digital offboarding processes of employees in an organisation. These are all areas where individuals and establishments often require expert guidance. Mark One already supports clients with secure account management, delegated access, hardware, and cloud services, while helping them prepare for modern cyber threats.

If you’d like to review how your business or organisation manages access to critical systems; both in day-to-day operations and in “what if the worst happens?” scenarios, the Mark One team is here to help. Please contact us today for more information.