From The Desk of:  Idriys "Luke" Muhammad, MHS, CEO, ILM Marketing Location:  Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania Product Review:  Employee Monitoring Software

When you work as an independent contractor, you get to meet a variety of people and you get to have your skills tested across a wide variety of situations and conditions.  One such situation follows.

It was a few weeks after I had completed a special security project for one of the residential community release programs (residential program for offenders returing to their communities), when a call came in for my next assignment.

The call came from a privately owned and funded foster care and adoption agency in New York City.  The agency had a staff of 80 casemanagers, directors, and administrative support personnel.  Management's perceived problem was:  staff at all levels were using the agency's computers for personal surfing instead of using the resources exclusively for agency business.

RISKS OF EMPLOYEE INTERNET ACCESS
There are many risks associated with providing employees with Internet access.  In fact, there are too many to delineate in the article.  However, two of the main risks are:  1)  loss in productivity, 2) reduction of available bandwith, and 3) increase in potential legal liabilities.

PRODUCTIVITY LOSS
Employees often engage in listening to music, online gaming, web dating services, chat rooms, seeking other employment, updating their blogs and son on while at work.  There are instance where employees have even shared confidentiol files with unauthorized individuals and groups - even sharing data with your competition.  It was found that, even when a system is established that monitors employees computer and Internet usage, the forward-thinking employee would do well to estqablish and Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) that delineates how the computer, Internet and email must be used.

LOSS OF BANDWITH
Imagine having 60 of your 80 employees being online at the same time, not completing their daily assigned duties, but rather, surfing the 'Net, downloading files (viruses), sending unauthorized emails, etc.  Clearly, your allotted bandwith will become so depleted that you may not be able to transact the day-to-day business that you are required to transact.

LEGAL LIABILITIES
Unauthorized, non-business related surfing can lead the company/agency to lawsuits.  Especially when e ployees are onling engaging in illegal activities.  The gravity of this goes beyond the use of surfing blocks installed on the network.  You really need to see who is doing what and when while on the computer.  Let's not forget the attraction of Instant messaging, spyware/malware that cen be introduced to your systems via an employees unauthorized Internet activity.

The task at hand, then, was to develop or loacte and implement a system whereby management could have the ability to view what each employee was doing on their computers.

Having completed an exhaustive analysis of the situation, it was time to begin research into what would be and would not be feasible as a solution.

Indeed, there was a plethora of key informant data, as well as data derived from the subject literature.  The greater task at hand, of course, was to distill all the information I'd gathered in a single, workable, cost-efficient, easy to implement solution.

If you're content with your current system of monitoring your employees Internet activity - good - read no further.  However, if you're ready to regain or establish control over your organization's out of control Internet usage read on.

After completing my research and testing of eight different options, I've found one that covers all bases in the most cost and time effective manner.

EMPLOYEE MONITOR
Employee Monitor is a state of the art solution that gives you a single view of what all of your employees or network users are doing on their computers. It provides you with the LIVE read only desktop view of the client computer. This software has been kept as simple as possible. There is not a single configuration that you have to do in order to make it up and running. So now if you are a Boss/Manager/CEO you can always have a deep insight about what your employees are doing throughout the day.

So now there is no need to block chat and web access, now they all are used in your benefit because psychologically, if an employee knows that he can be watched at any time, he will never misuse the resource. This software will help you creating a disciplined environment where employee is be cognizent of the proper work ethic:  to give a full day's work for a full day's pay (and to do personal surfing at home).

The solution is quite different from existing solutions that are too complex to understand and hard to analyze. Employee Monitor provides you with a real picture of what your people are doing.

There, I've done the legwork for you, thereby saving you time and more precious resources.

Isn't it time you gained/regained control over one of your most precious business resources?

Take the appropriate action today - Buy Employee Monitor Now - Don't wait until you're facing a lawsuit.