Quick question for anyone who can help

[Scottf66]

I work for an IT firm. One of my clients has requested that I find a program that will allow him to monitor online activity of a couple of his workers. He believes they may be Facebooking, or Youtubing for 4+ hours a day. I know this is a bit questionable behavior but he has the right since it's his company.

He asked for it to either be free, or cheap. I am not familliar with software such as this, but is there something that can be put on the few user pc's that will allow him to view their screen, or keep track of what he is doing, and provide notes for possible termination for cause?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ketchup]

What version of Windows? There is a built-in app for Windows 8 and up.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/monitor-child-pc-activity

 

[Fardringle]

ActivTrak is free and can give some pretty good basic monitoring information.

If the client needs more detailed information including the ability to capture screenshots of the users' screens, Interguard Sonar is a decent option but not cheap at $147 per year per for a single PC license.

One of the most thorough and easy to use is Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security. It not only monitors user activity but also prevents malware and can be used on mobile devices as well. It has a cloud based management system so the boss can monitor activity from anywhere and doesn't need a local server setup to run the system. It costs $128 to monitor two users (2 PCs and 2 mobile devices). Licensing is available for up to 100 users.

 

[Puffnstuff]

If they are on a managed connection I believe that I would implement rules preventing them from accessing forbidden sites on their connection.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I am always amazed at how ignorant (not a bad word, folks) some businesses are. Would the DNS admin be able to provide the detailed records of said client-side IP addresses against certain target domains? I assume that the clients garnet company network connectivity through some sort of corporate data connection and that DNS is done either in house or through their network provider.

No need to install client-side monitoring unless the employer suspects said activity is being done while not connected to the company network. BTW, I would provide the same advice to my own employer (has 250K employees), but the neanderthals running the ship instead paid big money to install idiot Desktop (ahem, iDesktop).

 

[Scottf66]

Windows server 2008 R2.

I am new to the field of working with servers. I have a more narrow scoped ccna background. The problem is most clients don't use Cisco. Yes I am sure a normal admin can make host files, and such, or block sites, however I don't know how to do it, and while i can look up how, he asked for a program. I assume the offending worker even if blocked from Facebook etc. likely would just find another location to go to instead of working.

He also may not want it blocked either. He just doesn't want someone taking advantage. However this may be an option.

Thank you for the options guys, I appreciate it.

 

[Spacehead]

NetWorx
I haven't used this in awhile & not exactly sure it's what you want but take a look & see if it might fit your needs. It's also free.

 

[sonitravel09]

If it's still actual, I can recommend WorkExaminer to monitor your workers' activities online.
http://www.workexaminer.com/

 

[Scottf66]

Thank you all for the options. This is no longer an issue, and we went with the networx for now.

 

[John Connor]

Change your DNS to OpenDNS and prevent the websites.