SoftActivity

Activity Monitor 8.8 released

October 8th, 2014
  • fix: Internet history and Outlook email could stop recording on some computers after a random interval of time
  • added support of recent versions of Internet browsers and Skype
  • fixed possible Heartbleed vulnerability by switching to the latest version of OpenSSL
  • minor fixes and improvements

SoftActivity TS Monitor 3.6 released

October 8th, 2014
  • fix: Internet history and Outlook email could stop recording on some computers after a random interval of time
  • added support of recent versions of Internet browsers and Skype
  • fix: some user sessions were not recorded on rare occasions
  • minor fixes and improvements

Employee Rights vs. Business Rights

May 26th, 2014
Workers who suspect they're being monitored at work probably are - at least a little. While Bill Gates himself might not be doing the watching, studies suggest that nearly three-fourths of employers engage in some degree of employee monitoring

Workers who suspect they’re being monitored at work probably are – at least a little. While Bill Gates himself might not be doing the watching, studies suggest that nearly three-fourths of employers engage in some degree of employee monitoring

As I’ve mentioned in recent entries here, when it comes to employees’ rights to privacy, the deck is heavily stacked in favor of the employer. Businesses have broad and sweeping rights to monitor employee messaging, Internet, and email usage, to eavesdrop on phone calls, and to videotape them, provided they can demonstrate a legitimate need to do so. Businesses with employees who drive company-owned vehicles are even allowed to using GPS satellite technology to track those employees. The key to exercising all of this power is for employers to write clearly stated policies that make it crystal-clear what will be monitored and how. Such policies should also include statements informing employees that they have virtually no expectation of privacy when using company email accounts and/or computer equipment.

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Activity Monitor 8.7 released

May 23rd, 2014

Changes in version 8.7

  • new: if Activity Monitor password is set, it is used for connection to Agents by default. Set the same password in Activity Monitor Options – General tab and for Agents to avoid entering passwords multiple times
  • improved: if Agent password is not set, Activity Monitor will not ask you for a password. Warning! It’s highly not recommended to install Agent without a password
  • improved: now can record multiple events on Programs tabs at the same second, as time resolution increased from seconds to milliseconds
  • fix: when updating Activity Monitor from version 6.5 or earlier, Agent password was lost

7 Things Your Boss Wants to Know About Your Computer

May 12th, 2014
Unfortunately, virus and malware infections on work-owned computers aren't always as obvious as this. That's one reason companies have a legitimate need to keep tabs on what's being shared and downloaded on their computers

Unfortunately, virus and malware infections on work-owned computers aren’t always as obvious as this. That’s one reason companies have a legitimate need to keep tabs on what’s being shared and downloaded on their computers

Depending on how productive you’ve been at work lately, you might or might not feel as if your employer is doing a little electronic “peeking” over your digital shoulder. Maybe you feel as if you’re being watched A LOT or maybe none at all. Allow me to quash your doubts: you can rest assured, no matter how paranoid you might or might not be feeling; no matter how productive you have or haven’t been lately, your employer is probably watching – at least a little, but maybe a lot. That’s right. According to a study conducted by the American Management Association, three-fourths of the largest employers in the United States conduct regular, routine – and legal, it must be added – employee computer monitoring, keeping tabs on employee email, Internet usage and computer files being uploaded from or downloaded to company machines. While such digital eavesdropping may seem unfair or immoral, employers DO have legitimate reasons to monitor employee computers and mobile devices. Below are 7 things your boss wants to know about your computer; 7 reasons why your employer might be using keylogger software, spyware or other means to spy on employees’ computer usage.

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Human Resources and Employee Monitoring Explained

May 5th, 2014
Keylogger software, one of many options businesses can employ in monitoring employees, records every keystroke a user makes on a company-owned computer

Keylogger software, one of many options businesses can employ in monitoring employees, records every keystroke a user makes on a company-owned computer

Time is money – or so goes the long-established credo of the business world. In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving, high-tech society, this philosophy is more relevant than ever. Interestingly, all our hi-tech advances have given rise to cutting-edge tools companies can use to monitor basically every aspect of the work environment. It’s not difficult to see why businesses might want to use such tools; modern employees face more non-work-related distractions than ever. From smartphones to social networking to the internet in general, a workday distraction – something that pulls the employee away from the on-the-clock task-at-hand – is always just a click, swipe or even a voice command away. Complicating matters, however, is the fact that the line between personal task and professional can often be blurred by the fact both are routinely performed on the same equipment. Keep in mind, too, that employees don’t lose ALL their privacy rights simply because they’re on company time and equipment. They DO lose a great many of those rights, but Human Resource (HR) Departments are nonetheless best advised to take a thoughtful, disciplined, common-sense approach to employee monitoring, taking into account factors such as the work environment, the industry involved and the employee/employer relationships necessary to succeed in the given business sector. Employer and employee alike should also be aware of what of what’s acceptable and legal in terms of employee monitoring and what’s not.

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The Top Misconceptions about Privacy at Work

April 29th, 2014

Bloggers and social network users alike are well-advised to be mindful about what they post to the Internet regarding their jobs, companies, or co-workers.

Most of us go about our day-to-day business probably not thinking much about the right to privacy at work. We understand, on some level, that employers are legally entitled to monitor our communications on work-owned equipment. Generally speaking, though, that fact doesn’t have a huge impact on us until some serious, work-related incident arises wherein an employer demonstrates how much latitude they’re legally granted to monitor what employees do at work. This post is designed to help you avoid such incidents – and such unwelcome surprises – by helping you understand your privacy rights at work and exactly how far employers can go in monitoring your activities on the job. What might surprise you most is that in some states, employers can go beyond the monitoring of work-related activities and intrude into the personal lives of workers as well.

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