If you're a business owner or manager looking to monitor the internet activity of your employees or to limit internet access altogether for enhanced productivity – or even if you want to ensure that your company's secrets remain secret – then you're in need of internet management software. Let's face it; there are times when a little regulation goes a long way in the workforce. That's why we've ranked internet management software to help you decide which product best suits your company's needs. You may want to look at our top three picks: Interguard, Pearl Echo and CurrentWare. You can learn more about the subject by reading our learning center articles on internet management.
Internet Management Software: What to Look For
We evaluated 24 features and options that the best internet management software includes, giving the highest weight to available features. We also tested the software to determine its usability. The criteria are industry-recognized standards, and our rankings are designed to help you choose the best software for your office or company.
Features
A key criterion when evaluating internet management software is whether the product reduces security threats to your business, both internal and external. Also important are real-time monitoring, whether the software performs self-maintenance, a screen-capture feature and alerts if inappropriate activity takes place. Remote access from other computers is a plus, as is mobile access, free trials and the ability to download updates to the software.
Analysis
Where and how data is kept is vital in deciding which software to choose, particularly when some software provides a web-hosting administration panel for easy access to your data. Log files and proxy-server logs will perform analyses of monitored data. In addition, monitoring the numbers of hours your employees spend on chat or IM applications can help you determine the overall productivity of your business.
Report Formats
Reports are ultimately the objective of such applications. They sometimes can be used for legal purposes, which is why you need to take them seriously. It is important to see if the chosen application provides a visual chart builder and schedule reports that can be sent directly to an administrator. Specifying the target report and report format settings is essential in choosing information you need to be monitored and included in the reports, and which information can be left out.
Help & Support
Some of these applications can require a little more than basic networking knowledge, which is why it's essential to measure how much help each company provides to users and administrators. You need to know if it is easy to find a solution to your questions and whether technical assistance is available via chat, telephone and email. You should know how long it will take the development company to respond to your email or phone call and whether its support team will be able to answer your questions.
Companies of three or more employees looking to increase productivity, safeguard company information and data, or to keep records of electronic communications for legal or other purposes should invest in internet management software. Doing so can protect your business and ensure a healthy workplace free of internet abuse, malware , data theft and inefficiency.