Showing posts with label monitoring programs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monitoring programs. Show all posts

Monday, February 7, 2011

The Importance Of Software Monitoring And Why You Should Obtain It

Software monitoring programs are fast gaining popularity all over the world. The essence of these programs is to monitor web content and ensure that the PC owner is protected from illegal web activities. It can also be used to control the kind of web content that is accessed via a certain computer network or PC. The importance of this program to parents cannot be overstated.

One of the primary importance of the program is monitoring online content. This has particularly been helpful to bosses and parents as it has allowed them to access emails, chat rooms, websites, blog spots among other web material. The bosses have been able to control the web activity at the work place hence, restrain workers from engaging in idle and unproductive online activity during working hours. Some bosses have taken this to another level by blocking social networks and websites which promote idleness at work.

The parents who have minor children have probably benefited more from this program. Since it allows one to monitor incoming and outgoing messages, both in the email and chat rooms, parents have been able to protect their underage children from online predators and other questionable online activity. They have also been able to regulate the content accessible to their children. This has also helped institutions especially the public ones to regulate what users of their computer networks can access. Universities, colleges, libraries and cyber cafes are some of the main beneficiaries of these programs as they can control what the public accesses. They must be parents of a minor or prove that they own a computer or that they have consent of other users of their networks to install the program. Once you fulfill any of the three criteria then you can purchase licensed and legal software for your computer or network.

The advantage of using these programs is that they are very discreet so that those whose activities are monitored might not even be aware of the act and one can easily filter web content and block other sites without people ever knowing your identity. This program also alerts the owner of the computer whenever keywords with expletives, sexually explicit phrases or profane words are used. This way the owner can block chat rooms and emails or websites that promote this content.

For one to acquire the licensed and legal monitoring program, they must fulfill either of three conditions. They must prove that they own a computer and they must prove that other users of the computer network are aware and consent to the installation of the program or alternatively they must prove that they are parents of a minor. For parents with young children, this might not be a problem.

To acquire the software monitoring program one needs to certify that they are either parents to a minor, owner of a computer or they have the consent of other users of the network to install the program. Illegal installation of such, monitoring programs leads to spyware and this poses legal threat to the owner of the computer.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Observe Your Staffs With A Desktop Remote Monitoring Service

Countless studies have revealed that a majority of employees who have access to the internet during their workday spend a lot of time conducting non-work related web browsing at the expense of their employer. The result is hours upon hours of lost production and potential profits. But there is a way to effectively increase production and it comes in the form of a desktop remote monitoring service.

Chances are that you have already tried various tools and methods to encourage your employees to not use the internet for personal reasons. However, they did not help and you just ended up wasting your money. You might run a business where internet access is vital and cutting service is not an option. Furthermore, blocking websites with filtering software can have negative results when your employees are also blocked from sites they need to be able to access.

With a desktop remote monitoring service, you can have specialists monitor the productivity of your employees without restricting their internet accesses. You can ensure that their internet activities are work-related and not just for pleasure. Furthermore, employers can use these services to verify that employees are not accessing websites that can be harmful to their networks or make sure that confidential data is not being leaked.

There are many tools available to choose from. Some things that a business owner needs to consider are the cost of the services, what is monitored, and how the data that is being monitored is accessed. Monitoring internet usage can be a full time job for one or more people, so the employer also needs to think about the additional manpower and resources that will be needed.

As technology costs get lower, monitoring software and services also get cheaper. In fact, some basic software packages are free. Online services will provide the programs that you need without business owners having to invest in costly tools or worry about upgrades.

You will also have to consider how in depth you want the monitoring to be. Basic monitoring programs keep lists of what websites your employees viewed without much additional data. More advanced programs can capture detailed information about their internet activities, such as how much time was spent on each website or what was downloaded or uploaded to and from the website. Other programs even log employee keystrokes, capture emails, and can even record voice.

Desktop remote monitoring services work in two different ways. The more secure, costly method is to have the monitoring serviced connected directly to your network. This requires that you have specialists employed for the task, but it keeps all of the data on your local network where it cannot access the internet. Outsourcing to an online remote monitoring service, on the other hand, is much cheaper. However, there is a risk that the data could be intercepted by competitors to your business.

If you choose to utilize a remote monitoring service, you have a legal obligation to ensure that your employees are aware that their activities are being monitored. One of the easiest methods for this is to have them sign a document giving you their consent. Failing to inform your employees may be illegal and can result in lawsuits, fines, and even imprisonment.

A great way to increase productivity and profitability in a workplace that has internet access is through desktop monitoring services. They give business owners the ability to monitor internet usage without truly restricting access. And for some businesses, the increase in profits may even outweigh the costs of these services.