In the last year, we saw our homes transform into office spaces, classrooms, family game and movie night central, even gyms and dance studios. Technology became an even more essential tool for us to stay connected with family members, teachers, friends and co-workers.
Moving into 2021, many offices and schools announced their plans to stay remote. As a mom, I knew I needed to ensure my kids, our home, and personal information remain safe while we continue to rely on technology to keep us connected during our day-to-day activities.
As we look to a new year, but not necessarily a new at-home routine, here are a few tips to keep your home office, home classroom, home gym, home-everything protected this year.
Out With the Old
A new year is a great time to do a digital clean out. Unsubscribe from emails you don’t need. Clean off the desktop on your laptop. Uninstall apps on your phone that you’re not using. Get rid of clutter and any program that might be tracking your online behavior.
High-Speed Internet
With many internet providers available in our area, it’s important to remember that broadband strength and high-speed internet play a critical role in keeping our video screens running. With fiber broadband, we can connect virtually on multiple devices without fear of buffering or being disconnected.
Security Beyond Physical Walls
It is crucial we have a secure connection in our homes from connecting phones, computers and tablets to TVs. Nobody wants an uninvited guest to crash a video meeting or classroom lesson. If someone can break through to virtual meeting spaces, they are probably also gathering your personal information. My family has found that we really like products like Kinetic Secure that help monitor and protect all of our connected devices.
Protecting Your Devices
Two-factor authentication and other safety measure are critical to protecting all your internet connected devices – from desktop computers and phones, to smart TVs and gaming consoles. I mentioned we use Kinetic Secure, which also blocks tracking companies from profiling our online behavior. This helps put me at ease knowing that no matter where we are connected in the house, we are safe.
When every day seems almost the same, don’t let the routine lure you into bad habits. Use the change in calendar to get a fresh digital start to the New Year.
What would you add to this list?
Debbie Gallagher is a mother of two young adults, a daughter who is 21 and enrolled at FSU, and a 18 year old son who is senior in high school.
