User activity monitoring is a framework that helps you keep track of how people are using your websites, apps and digital products. The term “user” may refer to a customer, visitor or even a company employee.
User activities may seem simple – until you start to explore its many applications. It involves monitoring and tracking the behaviour of end users on various devices, networks and other IT resources owned by a company.
This also helps in the identification of internal threats within a network. However, if not implemented by an effective network monitoring solution, this continuous UAM can become Clunky.
The purpose of employee activity monitoring is to collect and analyze data about user behaviour on a website, an application, or any other digital product.
Whether you’re a business owner looking for a streamlined workflow or a manager looking for a better way to manage user activities monitoring, this blog will explain how user it works and share 5 reasons why you should implement UAM in your business.
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How Does User Activities Monitoring Work?
User Activities monitoring helps you track what your employees are doing on their computers. It keeps track of what they’re doing on the screen and keeps a log of it.
Managers can use this info to make sure their employees and doing their jobs correctly and that their data is safe. It also helps them get a better understanding of their workforce.
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Monitoring activity in real-time
Real-time Activity Monitoring provides real-time monitoring of employee activities on a computer, allowing for the monitoring and analysis of all data.
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Malicious Website Blocking
This allows you to block websites that are distracting to your employees during working hours. Typically, companies block social media sites, online gaming sites, entertainment sites, and streaming sites like Netflix. But you can customize it based on your team’s or organization’s needs.
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Tracking Productivity
This user activities monitoring feature facilitates the tracking of any employee’s performance in terms of productivity.
Through employee productivity tracking, your employees can be encouraged to step up their game in areas where they are feeling challenged, resulting in a decrease in burnout, an increase in engagement, and a positive transformation of the organization.
However, tracking all these from different dashboards can be a hectic job for employers. But what if we say that you can do it all at once with EmpMonitor?
Of course, you can! Let’s know more about it!
User Activities Monitoring With Empmonitor
EmpMonitor is a cutting-edge user activity monitoring software that offers comprehensive insights into employee productivity and behaviour. It empowers businesses to enhance efficiency, detect inefficiencies, and ensure data security.
Its intuitive interface, robust features, and customizable alerts make it an indispensable tool for optimizing workflows, preventing insider threats, and promoting focused work.
From remote teams to office environments, EmpMonitor provides a holistic solution to monitor, manage, and maximize the potential of your workforce, ultimately driving productivity to new heights.
With EmpMonitor’s cutting-edge solutions, here are some features to answer why integrating user activity monitoring is a strategic imperative:
Real-time Monitoring: EmpMonitor provides real-time insights into user activities on endpoints. This allows you to promptly detect any unusual or unauthorized actions, such as file transfers or unauthorized access attempts.
Screen Recording: EmpMonitor captures screen recordings and session playback. In case of a security incident, you can review the recorded sessions to understand the sequence of actions leading to the incident.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Set up DLP policies to prevent sensitive data from being shared or transferred outside the organization. EmpMonitor can alert administrators if it detects attempts to copy or share sensitive files.
Application Usage Monitoring: Monitor which applications your employees are using. If an employee starts using an unfamiliar application, EmpMonitor can notify administrators and prevent the use of unauthorized or malicious software.
5 Reasons To Enforce User Activities Monitoring
Well! Wherever there is a population, there is a potential for profit and risk. UAM can help protect ROI and create better user experiences that could lead to more users, but its real-world use for fraud prevention is better for any company’s long-term success.
If you don’t have good data and good monitoring, fraud will always be a problem, and it could mean more than just losing money or a product – it could mean legal issues and huge fines.
More specifically, let’s take a look at 5 reasons why user activity monitoring should be at the top of the list for any business operating in any digital space:
- Data Security
- Legal and Compliance
- Affiliate security
- Preventing Frauds
- BOT detection
Now, let’s break them down for better understanding!
Data Security
One of the primary reasons for monitoring users is to protect a business’s information, whether it’s physical (Information Technology Security) or digital (Cybersecurity).
According to IBM, an average data breach costs an enterprise an average of $3,86 million in the previous year. It doesn’t matter if the warning signs are inside SQL databases, operating systems, or administrative commands.
You can identify malicious patterns related to a potential data breach through the implementation of a comprehensive Unified Access Management (UAM) platform.
This applies regardless of whether the patterns originated from customer, employee, or executive sources. You can document any type of unauthorized change and prevent depending on the severity of the alteration.
Using the best user monitoring software can cut your efforts and costs in half rapidly. Embracing user activities monitoring software like EmpMonitor holds the potential to revolutionize the way businesses operate and thrive in the digital age.
Legal & Compliance
One of the main reasons for using user activity monitoring software is compliance. For example, compliance monitoring is a legal obligation for companies in the areas of Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML).
In addition to monitoring user data and behaviour, in this example, you must also log the relevant data when submitting a Suspicious Activity Report ( SAR). Here again, the aim is to minimize risk.
Again, the aim is to reduce risk – the risk of paying a hefty compliance fine by letting identity thieves or money launderers get into your business.
Affiliate Security
Web analytics are a big part of user activity tracking. Marketing teams will use UAM and web analytics to make their websites better and get more people on the way to checkout.
But any marketing team using affiliate programs like PPC should also use that data to catch fake affiliates. This is especially true for companies that are big enough to have automatic affiliate onboarding systems.
There are a lot of shady online companies out there that exist just to make money from PPC marketing. They can charge a premium for driving traffic to a website that offers a PPC campaign.
User activities monitoring can help identify fraudulent affiliates that direct either bot traffic to a partner site and then collect the payout for what appears to be legitimate traffic.
In addition, fraudulent affiliates may attempt to trick real people into visiting the website through pop-ups or other malicious online tactics – which rarely result in a sale.
Preventing Frauds
One of the most important aspects of fraud prevention is user activities monitoring. By monitoring users, you mean being able to tell the difference between legitimate customers and fraudulent ones. This includes gathering information about:
The user identity: The identity of the user is verified either through document authentication steps or through digital footprint analysis, which evaluates alternative information such as device configuration and social media usage.
The user behaviour: By tracking and comparing user behaviour (e.g. login, money deposit, etc.), we can detect suspicious behaviour that could indicate fraud or high-risk customers.
The user connection: The user could be a member of a fraudulent ring or a multi-account account holder. To stop this, we’ll look for patterns in the data to catch as many of the members and associated accounts as possible.
The type of fraud prevention features you need depends on the type of business you have – that’s why we suggest you take a look at the fraud risk assessment checklist.
BOT Detection
User Activities monitoring(UAM) plays an essential role in fraud prevention, as it allows for the detection of automated bot behaviour. It is important to note that bots interact with applications and websites in very different ways from humans.
As a result, many fraudsters employ automated bots at a large scale, with tens or even hundreds of bots, and these interactions are repetitive, making them easier to identify as poor traffic.
Users who repeat the same usage pattern over and over, move at abnormally fast speeds or try to push themselves through multiple gateways simultaneously for attacks such as credential stuffing are easy to detect using UAM – in fact, one of the main functions of a robust UAM system.
Read More:
How Employer Monitor Employees’ Computer?
User Activity Monitoring| A Complete Guide To Stay Profitable
Time Card Fraud Investigatigation: 10 Tips To Avoid Getting Caught
Bonus: Benefits Of Employee Monitoring Software
Employee user activities monitoring software offers a range of benefits that contribute to the improvement of productivity, compliance and overall operational excellence:
Enhanced Productivity: Monitoring allows employers to track task progress, identify bottlenecks, and optimize workflows for improved efficiency.
Performance Evaluation: Accurate data on employee activities aids in fair performance evaluations, leading to better recognition and targeted training.
Security Measures: Monitoring helps prevent data breaches and unauthorized access, safeguarding sensitive company information.
Time Management: Insights into time spent on tasks enable better time allocation, reducing time wastage and increasing task completion rates.
Policy Adherence: Monitoring ensures compliance with company policies, promoting a consistent and professional work atmosphere.
Insightful Analytics: Data-driven insights help identify trends, allowing businesses to make informed decisions for process improvements.
Remote Work Oversight: Monitoring aids in managing remote teams by maintaining visibility into their activities and progress.
Legal Protection: Monitoring can provide evidence in case of legal disputes, ensuring protection for both employees and the organization.
Preventing Misuse: Monitoring discourages misuse of company resources and discourages engaging in non-work related activities during work hours.
Employee Development: Monitoring data assists in recognizing employee strengths and areas needing improvement, guiding targeted training initiatives.
Wrapping Up
In a world driven by digital interactions, embracing user activities monitoring has become crucial for various reasons. As we reflect on the five compelling factors that highlight its significance, it’s clear that this practice is no longer a choice but a necessity.
By fostering security, enhancing productivity, optimizing resource allocation, ensuring compliance, and refining user experiences, monitoring employees’ computers emerges as an indispensable tool for organizations to navigate the complex landscape of modern technology.
So, as you embark on this journey of heightened awareness and operational excellence, remember that the insights achieved from user activity monitoring can be the catalyst for your success in an ever-evolving digital era.
