Can anyone recommend some Internet usage tracking software?

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Dec 03, 2001 10:30 pm

I have a client with a small office running off an NT Server. He'd like to know if his salesmen are working or browsing porn sites

The tracking software CAN'T be installed on the individual workstations - most of them are laptops owned by the individual salesmen, so it has to run on the server (server provides Internet access via ISDN and WinProxy) and track the usage of all the computers connected to the network (about 8 of them).

These guys mostly use AOL though a few use IE.

Any recommendations for tracking software? I've never looked into this before. The software I'm familiar with needs to run on the individual workstations.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 10:41 am

i remember seeing an article about this either in pc magazine or maybe zdnet - you coan try there or also information week

vwkess · Post by **vwkess** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 11:26 am

We used SurfWatch at the last place I worked at. We tried the free trial first and were pretty impressed. It just ran on our NT server and we could generate reports of usage and sites visted by individuals. Some pretty interesting (and disturbing) results!

RaT · Post by **RaT** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 6:13 pm

interesting.. not that i can help but is there a "free" home based solution i can install on individual computers for my home network? not really to track but mostly to block porn sites?

NascarFool · Post by **NascarFool** » Tue Dec 04, 2001 11:48 pm

Install Iopus Starr , it runs completely hidden but you have to be on the same comp to get the log report. It records EVERYTHING.

HERE

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Wed Dec 05, 2001 7:37 am

Can't do that Nascar - it HAS TO run on the server. The salesmen own their own laptops.

Kakarot · Post by **Kakarot** » Wed Dec 05, 2001 10:32 am

you can try this(never used it myself tho):

http://www.burstek.com/btifilter.htm

I use MS Proxy Server 2.0 here at work and it keeps logs of everything people do on the internet. You can just look at those... http://www.webtrends.com/ makes software that has reports built in to make the proxy logs all nice and pretty, easy to read kind of thing. I think the Professional Suite will do it. I tried their evaluation of it and it worked pretty good. To expensive for my tastes but he can always try the evaluation of it and get the info during the trial period(thats if you're using MS Proxy--it may or may not work with other proxy software, I am not sure).

I read that artical in PC Magazine that was mentioned above but can't find the magazine it was in at the moment. It listed two different products... one of which worked like a packet sniffing software on the network and didn't require anything be loaded on the workstation. The other did. One was called iFilter but I am not sure if that link I posted above is the same product or not. If I find the magazine I'll post the info for you.

NascarFool · Post by **NascarFool** » Wed Dec 05, 2001 7:23 pm

I think it will do what you want it to do.

"STARR PRO EDITION contains all the features of the HOME Edition plus the features you need in a professional environment: Flexible network functions allow you to send and receive reports via the Internet or the corporate LAN. It contains advanced setup and reporting functions and is prepared for remote deployment inside the local network. STARR PRO is employed frequently by small businesses, "Fortune 500" companies, schools, universities and the military alike. "