Let’s face it; every company relies heavily on the performance and reliability of its staff to succeed. This is why some organizations are now taking extra steps to track what their employees do while at the workplace.
This helps them identify their hardest working and focused team members while also ensuring that the company’s sensitive data doesn’t land in unsafe hands.
One of the best ways to track everything that happens in a company is through the use of a user activity monitoring (UAM) software tool. How this tool works is by monitoring every activity on a company computer including the websites an employee visits, the applications they use, and who they communicate with the most.
Ideally, activity monitoring tools are used together with other security systems to prevent both insider and outsider threats while deterring any potential data breach that might be catastrophic to the business.
What to look for when shopping around for a UAM tool
There are tens of user activity monitors in the market today, with each coming with unique features and capabilities. When looking for a tool to help you with employee monitoring, you need to first map out your monitoring goals.
For example, if your concern is on employee productivity, then your ideal software should be efficient in areas such as time tracking, attendance tracking, and any other related aspects.
On the other hand, if you are more concerned about data privacy and safety, then you need to prioritize systems that offer solid security features like keystroke logging, hidden webcams, and the ability to track websites visited.
Other useful features to look for in a UAM tool include:
Screenshot capturing
This process involves automatically taking screenshots of a computer screen, usually at specific intervals and without alerting the user.
Email monitoring
As with most company resources, work emails shouldn’t be used for personal reasons and employees are highly discouraged from this. If you are concerned that your employees could be going against this rule, monitoring emails is a good place to start. Ideally, your UAM tool can help filter and block all non-work emails.
Site blocking
As the name implies, this entails restricting employees from accessing potentially malicious websites and apps. Besides, you could use this function to block all unproductive sites that distract employees during working hours, including video streaming and social media sites.
Real-time monitoring
When it comes to real-time monitoring, a UAM tool captures in text or screenshot all actions an employee performs on their computer. This data is then stored in a log file and sent to the admin at stipulated time frames. The idea is to help the security team to deal with any potential threats immediately they appear.
Top three user activity monitoring tools to consider in 2022
As we said earlier, there are tens of UAMs in the market at the moment, and picking the best one that suits your company’s goals and needs may not be the easiest of tasks. Luckily, we reviewed quite a good number of them and narrowed them down to the following three software options.
- SoftActivity
- Time Doctor
- Teramind
SoftActivity – Best Overall
SoftActivity is one of the biggest names in the employee monitoring software space right now. The company which has been around for nearly 20 years serves more than 10,000 organizations in over 150 countries.
We like that this tool can help with both surveillance monitoring and productivity tracking. Use it to view what your employees are doing during working hours and also monitor to see if they are engaging in online activities that might expose your company to cyberloafing and other insider threats.
Time Doctor – Best For Time Tracking
Time Doctor is another powerful user activity monitor that specializes in time tracking, alongside offering other features like performance reports and screencasts. We especially like it for its simple and user-friendly time tracking app that allows you to start and stop tracking your employees as you deem appropriate.
Its performance reports are another of its strengths and allow you to track web and app usage, timelines and hours tracked.
Teramind – Best For Threat Detection
Teramind comes with advanced tracking functionalities to track multiple activities including emails, keystrokes, and live views of employee PCs. The tool specializes in helping businesses catch insider threats while protecting them from data theft and related issues. This makes it more suited for larger organizations with more stringent security and data compliance needs and who can afford Teramind’s steep pricing.
Take The Leap. Start Monitoring Today!
Monitoring user activity is becoming more important by the day especially with more employees now working from home and threats growing. Having a UAM tool in place is crucial if your company is to record higher productivity levels and stay secure.