While this evolution was welcomed by employees, it was not always appreciated by their employers. As employees spend more time "surfing" the Web, they spend less time using their computers for productive, work-related purposes. To combat the perceived loafing, many employers are utilizing Internet filtering and monitoring software to limit employees' Web travels.
Is There Cause for Concern?
According to an article published in the New York Times last September, an IDC Corp. study found that nearly two-thirds of employees at large and medium-sized companies had access to the Internet in 1997, compared with just 15 percent in 1995. And as the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Internet monitors, filters and blockers were created because some employees were taking advantage of their ability to surf at work.
Consider these examples:
- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Chevron Corp. in San Francisco monitored their employees visits to Cyberspace and found that, respectively, 65 and 46 percent of downloaded content was irrelevant to the job. (Nua Internet Surveys)
- According to a study by Nielsen Media Research, employees at IBM Corp., Apple Computer Inc. and AT&T, collectively spent 350 eight-hour work days visiting the Penthouse Web site in one month. (Nua Internet Surveys)
- Workers with Web access typically spend five to 10 hours a week to send personal email, or search for information not specifically related to their jobs, according to employer estimates. (New York Times)
What is Monitoring Software?
Monitoring software tracks and records network and Internet traffic. Half of the 125 corporations surveyed by CIO, a technology trade magazine, said they used monitoring software to track employees on the Web. Of those with more than 5,000 employees, three-quarters used these types of programs.
Some monitoring and filtering programs are equipped with colored bar graphs to show how much time an employee spends downloading a file, as well as what was contained in the file. Others feature pie charts that illustrate to employers which employees are using the most bandwidth. There are also products that notify a supervisor if employers are playing games, and which games they are playing. Some programs will even delete the offending game.
AntiGame Plus
AntiGame Plus, from DVD Software, can search, log-even clean-games and other user-defined applications from a network's server disk and individual PC hard drives. The program searches through the files in the specified search path for unique "signatures" in the AntiGame Plus database. The database includes thousands of today's most popular games. Because the signatures are not based on file names, a game can be detected even if it is renamed. AntiGame Plus can either report the games in a log, or remove them. For more information on AntiGame Plus, visit DVD Software's Web site at www.antigame.com.
WizGuard 1.251
WizGuard 1.251 is an Internet filtering software that runs on an individual user's Windows 95 or 98 PC. The software uses a content sensitive technology to detect and block sexually explicit and pornographic Web sites. According to WizGuard, the software works with both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, as well as all proxy servers. The software is password-controlled and contains features such as customizable blocking, Web access logs and time management. WizGuard costs $59.99 per single end-user license. A free trial download is available at www.wizguard.com.
Little Brother 3.0
Designed by Kansmen Corp., Little Brother 3.0 helps employers prevent Internet misuse by employees. The software displays who uses the Internet, the sites visited, when the Internet is accessed, how long the user surfs, and who plays games or enters chat rooms. Little Brother is priced between $295 for a 10-user version to $10.50 per user for a 1,000-license agreement. Site licenses are also available for larger networks. For more information about Little Brother, visit the Kansmen Corp. Web site at www.kansmen.com.
WinGuardian
WinGuardian, by Webroot Software, Inc., is another monitoring utility and filtering alternative. The program monitors most everything a user does and even keeps track of what programs they use. It can log all the text that a user enters into a program, and tracks which Web sites are visited. WinGuardian also allows employers to "lock down" the Windows 95/98 environment so that users can only run programs they are authorized to use. The lock-down even prevents users from modifying system settings (including their wallpaper) or running unauthorized software. The program is free for 30 days, after which a user must either purchase WinGuardian or discontinue use. The program sells for $29.95. For more information, visit the Webroot Web site at www.webroot.com.
Electronic monitoring of employees' computer activity is becoming increasingly common. And while privacy advocates argue that monitoring without employees' knowledge raises disturbing questions, the trend shows no sign of slowing. More and more employers agree with Jim Kinney, chief information officer for Kraft Foods, who told the New York Times, "We're here for business purposes, not for individual entertainment."
