The Best Nest Blog turned 11 years old in October (that’s pretty much a century in blogger years lol) and, I must give credit where credit’s due. By very definition, my blog wouldn’t be beaming its way around the world without the web, which I wouldn’t be able to access without the internet. So, thank you mystical online world, existing in the ether, of which I have zero understanding outside of my own domain name!
Much has changed in our family over the past decade, Dave transitioned from a Marine Engineer working with his hands, on boats every day, to an IT Project Manager working from home, Ethan grew
Fast forward to 2018 and Dave and I are happily co-working from home, sharing one, long desk and at last
“With great internet access comes great responsibility”.
Our job as the parents in this online family environment is to facilitate a level of suitable internet accessibility for the boys – and their friends as is often the case. But whilst doing so, there’s an inherent obligation to maintain their online safety, the security of our own digital assets, those of Dave’s employer and the integrity of my own online business.
What Does Online Safety and Security Mean in 2018?
So, SO much is the short answer, but if we dive a bit deeper we should be covering the following bases across all devices; PCs, Macs, laptops, Chromebooks, tablets and our beloved smartphones;
- Virus protection
- Protection from hackers
- Safe, secure cloud backup to protect precious photos
- Financial protection from in-app purchasing – thanks kids!
- Moderation of screen time
- Age-appropriate content
- Real-time protection while using unsecured, public WiFi
The NEW Travel Essential
We just returned from a family trip to the Sunshine Coast. As Dave and I always work during our family travel breaks, being without internet connectivity is simply NOT an option. As such we relied on public WiFi whenever we were away from the Airbnb. On our final day when Dave had Skype meetings after check-out, he had to sit in our rental car outside the library, so he could share his laptop screen, take his meeting and keep working. Not a big deal but, when you rely on internet access so much, even when on ‘holiday’ it would have felt great to know that the network being used was secure. Norton’s got a product to tackle this exact issue that is our new, never-leave-home-without-it tech fave. Meet Norton Secure VPN, designed to keep personal and financial info safe when using public WiFi. One of my late father’s most infamous quotes refers to the fact that he didn’t ‘spend all day in internet cafes waiting for someone to download all of his money’. He was talking to his bank, frustrated at his password reset process lol. However inconceivable this comment may seem, it could potentially happen without protection on a public network.
Dave and I have installed Norton Secure VPN on both of our phones (and Ethan’s) and laptops. What this means is that all data sent and received using public WiFi is encrypted. The creation of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) secures our logins, credit card info etc. and makes our extensive use of public networks just as safe as being at home. That’s one less thing to worry about when we are far from home!
Online Security at Home…..and Everywhere Else
Ok, real talk – virus protection software is nothing new, so, choosing a product that offers comprehensive, family-friendly benefits is what’s going to impress me.
Norton Security Premium takes the cake here. One subscription protects 5 devices from viruses and hackers, that’s really the minimum requirement
- 25gb secure online storage – LOVE this. Cloud storage is expensive guys, and I’m constantly needing more. Why is this important? Precious family pics are often targeted by ransomware, eek.
- Norton Family – a comprehensive toolkit that can work cooperatively between parents and kids to both keep little ones (and not-so-little ones) safe online AND teach them healthy habits around their device usage. The days of not knowing what your kids are actually doing online are over thanks to reports sent straight to your inbox, giving you an easy, automated way to get back in the loop and regain control over the content your kids are consuming when they’re online.
These two fabulous tools from Norton are an easy way for us as parents to take back control of the online activity happening within our families. This isn’t about policing the internet, but, there is no way children have enough impulse control or common sense to make their own uncensored decisions about the content they access online.
I’m a parent and I take that job very seriously. As someone who has dedicated over a decade to creating a viable business online via my own website and through the use of social media, I know just how brutal and often dangerous the internet can be. On the other hand, it’s also bloody incredible, and it’s that facet of online user-experience that I want my boys to access as children
For more info on Norton Security Premium and Norton Secure VPN, visit their website here, there is a wealth of resources on their site around keeping safe online. Thanks to Norton for sponsoring this post.
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