September 4, 2013
ESET: Protecting Families Online #ESETProtects
My family and their safety is so important. Their security means the world to me. As parents we are constantly striving to protect our children while giving them opportunities to learn and grow.
Every September we send our children off to school and they in turn return with homework, research and projects. There is no denying that we now live in a technological age where most of our work is centred around our computer and the Internet. The computer is the hub of our house! It stores memories, allows us to connect with family overseas as well as research topics and explore. That being said the Internet also brings with it dangers for our children (and ourselves if we are not careful!).
As a parent, I want my children to learn lessons in life for themselves and I want them to know that I trust the decisions that they make. We give them the tools and knowledge that they need to use the Internet safely but sometimes we all still need that extra bit of security and peace of mind! I am very excited to be working with ESET and PTPA over the next two months to bring to you the knowledge of online protection with ESET Smart Security 6.
ESET Smart Security 6 is an award winning antivirus software that works to proactively protect your family online. ESET has over twenty years of experience engineering antivirus software that is highlighted in three main areas: proactive protection, peak performance and usability. They also rank number one with the most virus bulletin awards and advanced awards. As part of this program I was given access to the software to download on our home computer. Downloading the system was easy and painless (something that I was so grateful for!). The software also came with essential information and tools to safeguard my family while using the internet.
Do you know how to keep your children safe online? Or are you like me and know the basics but not quite sure where to start? The online and social media world can be very overwhelming sometimes and a guide is excellent as we face new parenting challenges with technology as it stands today. What I loved when reading through the information on their site was how ESET strives to share important information on how to protect our children online. ESET outlines five main areas to help protect our children online that are so important and sometimes overlooked in our busy days. You can find their detailed tips here.
- Educate your children! This is very important and should be done before allowing your child access to computers, iPads and mobile phones. Our children should be educated in how to identify scams, malware and how to be aware of predators. You should spend time talking with your child and getting to know their patterns online. Let them know that they can come to you when something happens online that they feel uncomfortable with.
- Educate ourselves. I’m not even going to pretend like my eldest son isn’t insanely smarter then me when it comes to computers! He is a little genius! I find myself now re-learning everything I can about social media and it’s platforms and the preferred websites for pre-teens and teens. ESET even has Cyber Security Education as part of their product.
- Set those parental controls! They are there for a reason -use them! It is one further step we can take to ensure the safety of our children.
- Block an entire category of website if you feel strongly against. It will save you a lot of time worrying whether or not your child has listened to you.
- Set parental controls on your network. Go right to the source and block it from there.
Setting up parental controls has always made me nervous. There are so many topics and sites that you can and probably should control but when forced to think about them my mind draws a blank. ESET Smart Security 6 was incredible! Not only was the program easy to install but setting up parental controls was done in seconds. For each user on our desktop you typed in their age and the program broke down each age group and recommended content to control and block! You could pick and choose from these lists.
Pretty incredible right? And this is just touching the surface! Not only is the program an antivirus system but it also functions to:
- Theft protection and location tracking – you can even block files and turn on the webcam remotely if your laptop is stolen
- Powerful firewall to prevent hackers from accessing your computer.
- Anti-phising to protect you from accessing fake websites.
- Customizable settings and parental controls.
- You can even extend your protection to Facebook!
I am very impressed with my new ESET Smart Security 6 software and all the extra protection it extends to my family and I. Even more exciting is that not only has the program received many awards in the past it also has won the PTPA seal!
I am looking forward to sharing more information with you over the next two months as we dive into the world of online security – make sure to follow #ESETProtects for all the latest information!
Don’t forget you can also follow ESET on Twitter and Facebook. Make sure you check out their products for yourself online!
ESET is extending a 15% coupon for their Security Software for the next two months to all of you! Follow this link to take advantage of this great offer!
Disclosure: I received the product to review for this post but as always the opinions expressed are my own.
Looks like a great product for families and anyone concerned about Internet security!
It really is a fantastic program – user friendly and perfect to set those controls in place for the kids 🙂
I need to show this to my niece her girls are online often.
Its a fantastic program – so easy to use and navigate. Setting controls was simple when they broke it down by type of sites – takes the work out of it!
Great products for families but especially families with small children.
It's perfect for families with small children. We trust them but they also need to be protected too! Thanks for stopping by!
I love Eset! I've been using it for quite some time now. =)
That is awesome Kim! This was my first time hearing about them (had been using Norton in the past) and I loved the install and software
Definately something I will be reading more into, we have small kids and its amazing what comes up even with the most simple of tasks
So true Karen! We can teach them so much but the sites will still pop up and it is so easy to open one accidentally!
sounds like a great product and I love that it's EZ to set up
The easy set up is perfect and all the extra features that are included are fantastic!
Sounds like something I would try. It's so important to keep children safe while they use the internet.
It is isn't it?! So easy for them to accidentally click on an inappropriate site or accept something they shouldn't. They need independance but guidance too.
Sounds like a great program…I really need this.
I have really enjoyed the security it has brought our family!
If there is one thing I always worry about with my daughter, it's the internet. She is only approaching 5 now but I still worry about the future when she is interested in social media and surfing the web. It's good to know there is software available to protect her, our information, and block the bad sites!
It came so fast with our eldest – he wants his own email, accounts, using computer for homework, etc…and this started in Grade Two!!