Software for monitoring staff internet use

[Weave]

Hi

Can anyone suggest software that can be used to track staff internet use? Preferably software you have tired and tested. I want to know how long staff spend on non work related websites each day.

I have searched online numerous times but can not find a straight forward solution. There does not seem to be a solution from any recognisable brands.

Staff will be made aware they are being monitored so it does not need to be stealth. The idea is to deter staff from shopping etc when they should be working.

I am happy to pay for the software as I believe it will save us money in the long run.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Davek0974]

try a search for "Browse control" i think thats what its called, we use it for complete access control to the 'net but i think they have a monitoring option too.


Here it is...

http://www.browsereporter.com/

 

[jaydeee]

I've used IP Sniffer long time ago and it pretty much to its job. I'm assuming they've evolved to a better software. try here: http://www.ip-sniffer.com/

 

[LicensedToTrade]

Have you thought your objectives through on this?

You say you want to monitor how much time they spend on non-work related browsing, but do you have an idea in mind of what is considered acceptable and what isn't?

If you do, have you clearly and concisely made your staff aware of what these expectations are?

Do you have a company policy on internet usage? Have all of your staff read and signed it? Does it clearly state what the consequences are if they fall short of these expectations?

What will you do if you find that someone is spending a fair amount of time browsing BBC news during the day? What if they are one of your better employees? What if the standard of work they do is outstanding?

 

[usmanz]

Microsoft's ISA Server and Threat Management Gateway may be the right tool for you but they are not easy to implement, you will have to hire someone for these tools.
Solarwinds makes a variety of easy to use tools for monitoring network traffic.

 

[usmanz]

IN addition to my above suggestions, you can also look at these sites providing tools for the same purpose:

websense.com

gfi.com/internet-monitoring-software/

I think GFI will be the best one for you.

 

[andygambles]

You could take a look at www.opendns.com for a free solution. But this will show you sites be visited from your network not individual users. Although this will highlight if you do actually have a problem.

 

[Roger Furness]

when you have staff and you can't watch them, now you can check out
JoyProof provides video records of your remote employee's computer screen
while they work, increasing productivity, and assuring you get ALL the hours you pay for.

 

[OpenSure]

The only real way is to use a proxy based service, examples include the aforementioned ISA server from MS but there are plenty of simpler versions for single location offices etc.

Echoing comments from earlier, first question to ask is Why? What is it that you are trying to achieve? Is it to stop them using your business network for porn or personal use or to reduce the time spent on-line? Greater understanding of your fears will help focus on the best solution.

Alternatively, you can always do what I found one company had done, install a small empty black box with network cables plugged in and told all staff that it will monitor their internet use and report sites visited and email traffic. Internet use fell off noticeably, most did not take any chances ;-)

Whichever you must inform in writing all staff of any new policy and its disciplinary consequences and obtain evidence they have each read and understood that it forms part of their employment contract.

 

[Posilan]

We've used SARG combined with a Squid proxy which works quite well. You can break down to a PC/users individual usage.

Sample report here

Steve

 

[Weave]

Hi All

Thanks for you recommendations and suggestions so far. I will have a look through and see if any are suitable. A few I have looked at require a minimum of 10 users. I am only looking to monitor 5 workstations so that rules a few options out.

To provide a bit more background - we operate a very simple network whereby one PC stores the shared files we need but each machine is a standalone PC in its own right with its own software e.t.c. The main goal of implementing this software is to find out if staff are spending too much time on personal browsing during hours when we they should be working. We have no problem with lunchtime browsing but I don’t want people shopping at 10:30 in the morning when there is a pile of work to do and the phones are ringing. We have recently taken on two new staff and I would like them to know what our expectations are from the outset so now seems a good time to implement the change before they get stuck in their ways!

Thanks for the input regarding Internet Usage Policy etc. All valid points that I will address before implementing any form of monitoring.

Any more suggestions will be gratefully received.

Thanks.

 

[yorkukhosting]

Endian Community Edition may be worth a check, it's free and can be installed on an old PC if you have a tight budget. It is possible to integrate it with Active Directory to restrict access/monitor who is accessing what.

http://www.endian.com/en/community/overview/

 

[fromscratch78]

timedoctor.com is a very tidy app for time management or working with remote staff.
It tracks time spent on tasks, pops up when the computer is idle, you can set it to take screenshots at intervals and the reports are pretty good too.

I use it on myself to see how many productive hours a day I get....its not as many as I thought it would be.

Im pretty sure they have a free version.

Mitch

 

[TurricanII]

There is a free system called IPCop that takes 10 mins to install on an old PC that will log all sites per user IP address. Further, you can install a website blocking module and block e.g. all online banking or social networking sites. It logs attempts to access blocked sites. You would probably need to pay an IT gimp for a couple of hours to set it up.

 

[dagaul101]

You could try SurveilStar Any Parental Control

 

[ServWise]

Have you considered simply restricting access during hours when they should be working? Routers like those by Draytek can block all but specific websites needed for work and schedule times (lunchtime for example) where access is granted to blocked sites (Facebook etc), much nicer than the nasty boss snooping on their Internet use including private & personal stuff they may be accessing in their lunch hour etc.

 

[Posilan]

Another option if you are looking for a robust solution is Censornet which is a very effective way of controlling internet browsing on a network.

http://www.posilan.com/services/censornet/

Steve

 

[Anelly]

Try Cyclope Series Employee Monitoring.

Is non invasive and will provide you comprehensive reports with employees' activity:
- websites visited and total time spend browsing
- reveals the chat ID of the persons the employee has discussed with, and the time spent with each of them
- attendance time, idle time etc
- application used, documents accessed
- provides the possibility to define an application as productive/unproductive
- remote access to the reports

 

[krispykreme]

I would strongly recommend Time Doctor software (http://www.timedoctor.com). We've been using it for a few months now with great success. Time Doctor silently records application and Internet usage for all users during work time and uses many methods to track the time you are spending on a task or project. Easy to add new tasks, view lists and even mark tasks as completed..

 

[KerryCovan]

[FONT=&quot]

Alternatively, you can always do what I found one company had done, install a small empty black box with network cables plugged in and told all staff that it will monitor their internet use and report sites visited and email traffic. Internet use fell off noticeably, most did not take any chances ;-)

This, my friend, is brilliant!!! I fell off the chair laughing! I will do this if I start working in an actual office again!
I think my online monitoring software that I use can do this monitoring, and it even has a stealth version that can be installed onto computers by the employer for serious spying, but I don't think that's ethical. You can google myteammonitor (the name of the software) and their website should be on top.[/FONT]

 

[WilliamsData]

Setup a couple of pcs in communal areas for accessing internet, and tell staff these are available for personal use during breaks etc, and discourage them from using other PCs for personal access.

 

[Dan_Kesher]

We've been recommending GFI Webmonitoring

http://www.gfi.com/internet-monitoring-software#overview

 

[Talay]

I think the comment on crystallising what the true objectives are is the most sensible thing mentioned in this thread. Who cares if someone is on the net 4 hours a day if they reach 100% of their objectives ? If you do, then I suggest you need to rethink the overall task allocation.

When I used to let people work remotely in one job, what I found was that they logged in far earlier than they would have arrived at work and they were online dealing with work until long after they would have left the office otherwise. Whether they did their work naked or spent all day with one browser stuck on Facebook did not matter to me at all as productivity was increased.

I would focus more on whether overall productivity was met and as you mention, telephones were answered in double quick time, irrespective of any internet usage. I think you are focussing on the internet when the real problem is perhaps a lack of house rules and under performance in general.

I bet you'll get more out of your staff if you give them careful direction but allow them to manage their own workload. You can always pull them up and then refer to the internet usage as one reason why they may be slacking.

 

[jamesanalyst]

Hello Weave,

It's a good question which you have come up with, because even I have the requirement to keep track of net usage in my office. Also thanks for all people who replied.

Regards,
James

 

[william04]

I am using Untangle ans its great .