Monday, February 7, 2011
The Importance Of Software Monitoring And Why You Should Acquire It
These programs allow the owner of a computer network or a PC to control the online content and activity that is being accessed via his/her computer networks or PC. In today's life, almost everyone has a computer and the PC and networks are the only shared technology. With different users, these networks remain vulnerable to abuse and illegal downloads. There is therefore need to control the content and activity on the internet. Parents and employers among other people have been able to successfully curb any abuse of their PC and shared networks through the monitoring programs. For parents it has been about protecting their children from negatively impacting content and sites while employees have been keen to reduce the wastage of time and resources on unproductive online activities during working hours.
Since there are many programs in the market to help one gain control over the internet, there are factors to consider when purchasing the monitoring programs. Top on the list is the eligibility of the buyer. In order for one to buy the programs they must fulfill one of three criteria used. The emergence of social networks, has brought social risks and vulnerabilities upon every user especially children. Apart from predators who prey on minors, there are other aspects such as internet bullies and addiction which put your child at risk. This calls for monitoring and controlling such sites to ensure that your child's developmental process is not interfered with.
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 Employee Activities 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.
If your employees require access to the internet, you probably have already tried some different tools and methods to decrease the personal usage of the internet by employees. Unfortunately, many filtering programs are ineffective or are just a waste of money. Even if a filtering program works, oftentimes it not only blocks bad websites, but blocks websites that your employees need access to as well. And cutting internet services altogether is probably not an option either.
For these reasons, you may be considering a desktop remote monitoring service. These services provide professional internet monitoring and keep tabs on how much time your employees devote to productivity and how much time they spend playing at your expensive. Furthermore, these services can also be used to ensure that your employees are not accessing websites that can be harmful to your network or that they are not leaking confidential data, either unintentionally or not.
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.
Cost is an important factor in the quality and services offered by monitoring programs. Nevertheless, do not let this deter you because as technology has become cheaper, these programs are a lot more affordable. In fact, basic monitoring programs can be found free of charge online. Other, more advanced programs can be fairly costly. Choosing an online remote monitoring service gives you the flexibility to have top of the line software support without having to pay for costly licenses or worry about upgrades.
Next, you will need to determine the level of monitoring that you need. Basic programs simply keep lists of the websites that your employees accessed without providing much amplifying data. Advanced programs provide greater detail and usually include in-depth activity logs. Some programs even offer keystroke loggers and can capture emails for additional security.
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.