How to Monitor Employee Email and Internet Use
Numerous software programs are available to monitor employee email, ranging from those that only track an employee's name, date and usage time, to more comprehensive programs that monitor email content. The law in this area is still unsettled although employers seem to have the edge since they are paying employees to work and providing the equipment. Installation of these types of programs requires some knowledge of computers.
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Instructions
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Create an electronic communications policy to be signed by each employee before implementing any email monitoring system. In the policy, you will need to specify that employees will not use company email or equipment for personal use. You will also need to explain that electronic communication will be monitored on company equipment. Most larger organizations have these policies in place, and new hires sign them before ever logging onto a computer in the workplace.
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Monitor websites and email without software if your company already has routers and firewalls in place and a shared server. Each time you back up the server, you are essentially saving all computer communication which can then be viewed at a later time if necessary. Smaller organizations may still need to invest in software. Ranked as the third most effective email monitoring system available by "Monitoring Software Review," E-blaster 2010 costs around $99 for one license. If you purchase over 10 licenses, the cost per license drops to $69.99. A license much be purchased for each computer. The program is easily installed with a simple download upon verification of purchase. Any of the following operating systems is compatible with the software: Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0 and Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard. Windows Vista and XP do not accommodate third party monitoring software. To monitor on a Vista or XP system using these programs, you must utilize one of the computer's ports. The computers must be running either Intel Pentium, Intel Celeron, AMD Athlon or AMD Duron processors at 100 MHz or faster.
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View websites that employees visit by using Eblaster 2010. The system monitors email, websites, instant messaging and chat rooms. Other similar software packages with these features include XPC Spy Pro, Pandora PC and Elite Keylogger Pro.
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Tips & Warnings
To avoid legal ramifications, such as employees filing suit due to "invasion of privacy," the computer being monitored must be owned by the company. Improper installation of monitoring software can be considered spy-ware and is illegal to install.
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