Search any website or information hub about spying software and it will always tell you the same thing: computer monitoring software programs are designed to be an observing sentry for changes done automatically or manually in a computer unit. In a business establishment, this means monitoring the activity levels of each computer user.
But if we are to start observing things using the software, what exactly are we supposed to look for? What are the elements that we should know in order to configure a computer monitoring software properly? To provide the answers to those questions, we are presenting the different data categories that you might need to know in employee monitoring software.
System Usage
Changes in the system are some of the most basic information that is collected in almost any computer. This includes processor activity, memory usage, graphics card load, and other variables that variable changes depending on how the unit is used. For computer monitoring software, it is important that these types of data are constantly collected in order for the supervisor to know if there are a few odd activity spikes that should not have been there.
By the way, the system usage data category could also include file usage, data transfer can be considered as another way of changing data within the computer’s hard drive. So the tracking procedure might also include seeing if the files opened or transferred were somehow related to what the employee should be doing.
Software Usage
But changes in the computer aren’t just caused by data transfers or tweaked settings. How the software used, and how the software got there in the first place also occupy a considerable proportion within a computer’s data usage ratio. Software usage is perhaps a lot more important than system usage because it actually tells us how the computer was used. It gives is a direct indication on whether the employee used the computer for productive purposes or not (unlike files which only give us a vague idea on the computer’s activities).
System Load and Task Management
The system load and task management data category can be considered as essentially similar to software usage, because it focuses on the programs and applications used in the computer. However, it is fundamentally different because it tends to observe at a farther view point, monitoring all of the changes that are happening within each active program simultaneously.
Its greatest use in a computer monitoring software system is when it is used in tandem with software usage. First, it oversees all of the active programs, and if there’s something worth investigating in a single program, the software usage data category could then be released for further analysis.
Internet Usage
This is perhaps one of the most interesting data categories that we can observe using computer monitoring software. As the name implies, it is how the user explored the web using that specific unit. The sub-categories that are commonly used in collecting information for this data category include visited web pages and downloaded data. Since the internet can be a source of unexpected distraction, many computer monitoring software are installed with many features that are exclusively used in manipulating web access
Configuring your computer monitoring software requires us to learn and understand the importance of its data categories. It helps to gain a firm grasp on what we should actually be observing within the computer network.
Natalia David, an author significantly contributes towards Cell phone tracking, Cell phone and PC security Software and spy software for blackberry. If you want to know more about Natalia you can follow her on twitter @NataliaDavid4
We should also be mindful of legal issues. There are certain cases where you need to clearly tell the employees that their activities are being monitored. Internet usage is the most risky category for monitoring of employees.
I agree with you that one should clearly mention to the employees about it, otherwise the Company may be sued in court later on. So in order to avoid such penalty its better to explain your regulations clearly to your employees.
I agree with you that one should clearly mention to the employees about it.