How to monitor internet usage at work?

Question

I suspect that one of my employees is visiting "innapropriate" and/or questionable web sites during the work day. This individual is smart enough to delete browsing history in Internet Explorer.
Our server utilizes Microsoft Small Business server software. All internet access goes out through our server.

Can anyone suggest how I might monitor web usage by this person? Specifically, I would like to know web site visited, time, date, and duration of stay at the site.

I know there are some expensive software solutions available to perform this task, but I was hoping that someone reading this may have successfully dealt with a similar situation in the past without a large financial outlay for expensive software.

Thanks!

I absolutely agree with Trishay (below). I am fine with employees using the company internet for personal reasons (within reason.) The problem comes when a certain employee repeatedly has MASSIVE computer issues (trojans, viruses, etc). I have talked with this person on multiple occassions. Employee denies ever visiting anything inappropriate or potentially harmful. But the fact is, I have had to pay a computer tech to come in and fix this employee's pc on multiple occasions ($100/hr). At this point, I have spent more on fixing the pc than it is worth. AND every time I pay to have it fixed, the employee goes back and does the same thing. I even gave the employee an new PC in hopes that is was, in fact, a problem with the old PC. Guess what? Three days later . . . same problem. I just want to prove, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the employee is doing something that is causing the problem. Again, I am OK with internet use, as long as it doesn't cost me money . . .

Answer 1

I used to use this program called Etherpeek, it is a general network tool for network troubleshooting. But you could use it to view websites that users are on your network are connecting to.

With a little rewireing you can install this onto any windows computer, plug the windows computer and the main internet connection into a the same hub to see traffic.

It's hard to explain without a network diagram, but it is realitively inexpensive (compared to other products like it) and very easy to configure.

Answer 2

Do you only have a certain amount available per month or you just wanna know for the sake of knowing? If there's a limit I'd suggest finding a different ISP. To the poster that said the $10 a month thing that's just crazy. $10 here gets you the slowest dial up service there is full of ads. Who wants that? I pay $45 a month for 8 Meg per sec download speeds. I guess it depends on how important the Internet is and how much time you spend on it. Don't know any usage programs sorry.

Answer 3

Sorry, I don't know how to catch things like that. I am not a manager or boss, and I have never been one. I hope you don't take this the wrong way. But I want to mention that if it was my business I wouldnt want my employees visiting, say, porn sites at all on a work computer but if they wanted, for example, to buy things on ebay or read their yahoo email or play a yahoo game that would be fine---as long as it was done on their lunch break or their 10-15 minute breaks only and not on company time. My husband fired a salesperson at the car dealership he works at for visiting porn sites at work. I cant imagine anyone would be stupid enough to do that on a work computer. I mostly think if a website is clean and it isnt affecting an employee's ability to get their work done for the company it is okay.

Answer 4

Does this person get their work done? Why are you being so anal about it? Is the employee disruptive to others?

You should be more specific about the web sites. Just like a typical office boss, you sound passive aggressive. I can understand if you are talking about porn or gambling, but if it is anything else maybe you should just back off.

Also, maybe at the next meeting you could bring up the subject of web browsing and reinforce your office policies. Mention that you are aware of the possibility of employees breaking the rules, and from that point on...blah blah then inform them of your intentions or consequences of anyone caught. Maybe this could be a wake up call.

But I have worked in an office setting before, and ALL of my ex-coworkers and the friends/relatives that I know now that work in offices use the computers for personal email and the occasional browsing.

Also I would like to say that in the office I used to work in (before I changed career fields) I had a complete hard *** for a boss. She was constantly looking over everyone's shoulders and coming up to our cubicles saying, "What's going on? What are up to? How is everything coming along?" It made everyone feel uncomfortable. I had to drag myself out of bed in the morning...and we ended up having the largest turnover rate out of all the other departments in the building. It was not like this before she came along. Anyway, good luck and I hope some of my advice helps.

***I just read your additional details...and what state do you live in? Don't many states have that law where you are allowed to fire employees without any expanation as to why? He sounds like he is more of a problem that he is worth.....get rid of him; what are you waiting for?

Answer 5

You can view hidden Temporary Internet Files located on the user's computer, and see the date & time they were accessed. Match this up to when the user is logged in and you have pretty good proof. To do this, you'll want to be sitting at the user's PC, probably after hours. You'll also need to show hidden files. To do this:

Open My Computer. Click Tools > Folder Options. Click the View tab. Look for Hidden Files and Folders and select the "Show hidden files and folders" option button. Scroll down a few more lines and clear the "Hide protected operating system files" checkbox. Click OK.

Next, inside My Computer, double-click the C: drive, then Documents and Settings, then the user's name. Look for and double-click "Local Settings". Notice that this folder is a bit faded, duller than the other folders. This is because it is a hidden folder. Had you not performed the previous steps above to unhide files, this folder wouldn't appear.

Inside the Local Settings folder, double-click the Temporary Internet Files folder. You will see one of two things:

1) If you see a long list of files, you are looking at files that were downloaded while the user was browsing the internet. At the top of the window, click the Views button and click Thumbnails. This will let you see the pictures that are on the webpages visited by this user. If porn sites have been visited, um, you'll know it. Scroll through the list to find your evidence. If you do see porn pics here, make a note of the file name(s) for the offending pics. Then, click the Views button again at the top of the window and change the view to Details. Scroll back down to the file(s) in question, and look across the columns to the Date(s) columns--could be Date Modified, Date Accessed, whatever. This will show you when the files were downloaded/accessed. Hopefully, you'll find that the pics were downloaded after hours when your employee was gone and the cleaning crew was in. Probably not though...

2) If #1 above isn't true, you might see a folder called "Content.IE5". Double-click this folder and you should see several folders with random-looking names (01LK2W2Z, for example). Double-click the first folder, and you should see all the Internet files I mentioned above. Continue with changing the view to Thumbnails, look for porn, note the filename(s), change the view back to details, and note the date & time.

ALSO, if you don't find any evidence by performing either steps 1 or 2 above, also browse (using My Computer) the files and folders under C:\Documents and Settings\Fred(user's name)\Local Settings\Temp\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5. This should show you more randomly-named folders, each containing temporary internet files.

These are some long instructions, possibly confusing. So let me know if you get stuck anywhere or don't understand something. Also, each network is a bit different, so your user's files may be located in a slightly different location. I could help you out more if you were sitting in front of the user's workstation.

ALSO, if your employee is smart enough he/she may know how to clean out these folders I mentioned (using the build in Disk Cleanup tool inside Accessories folder won't clean these files). Evidence of him/her cleaning these files would be if you go into these folders and they're empty. If there's no files here, chances are the user has cleaned up his/her traces.

And LAST, but definitely NOT LEAST, if you don't want the employee to suspect that you were snooping around on his/her computer, you'll need to re-hide those files and folders. To do this, inside My Computer, click Tools > Folder Options. Click the View tab, scroll down to and click "Do not show hidden files and folders". Then scroll down a few more lines and place a check mark inside the box in front of "Hide protected operating system files".

Whew! Hopefully this gives you the info you need.

Answer 6

I'm not sure what you think is expensive, but SpectorPro is a software program that sells for about $60. It does all your asking, and more. Once you see what sites are being accessed, you can then block the inappropriate ones. When they were able to go there one day and it's blocked the next, they get the message. The software is undetectable on the computer.

Answer 7

I would also like you to advice that you can try some good business internet monitoring software like Net Orbit. This software is reasonable in price and provides best employee monitoring features to monitor PC activities at work. It can maintain records and screenshots of websites visited by the employees during working hours. With the help of it, employers can watch their employees’ PC screen in real time. Features like, IM monitoring, keystrokes monitoring, content filtering etc come with software. This software comes with 15 days trail period.

Answer 8

Look into if not using already, Group Polciy Management Console. http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Group-Policy-Management-Console.html

It's a great program that allows you to set and deny uses access to what they view/download from the internet.

You can also use Conten Advisor--Tools, internet options, Content Advisor, and with content adviser you can permit/deny the individual from going to certain sites based upon violence, weapons, and other things.

And also your server should keep a detailed history of web use at your business.

Answer 9

Hi,
I read your problem and i am writing a suggestion if you like it then convey me.
To catch him red handed while using internet you must keep watch on him or to tell your other employee to tell you while he doing so. Or keep watch on him by your server machine means keep records about his machine that what he is doing at what time.

That's it.

Answer 10

in windows platform is not have any ways to restrict the sites and all. but linux is having this facility to restrict sites and download limits and picture viewing and all.
i also having win 2k3 sbs. but this type of settings is not there.
u can try trusted sites to forward the client systems.
try it. and say anything else if u have found.

thanks