SpectorSoft SpectorSoft Spector 360 - Functionality

Spector 360 includes the following components:

Client Recorders

This software component is configured and installed onto every computer being monitored and can execute in "stealth mode" so the employee is unaware they are being monitored. The Client Recorder is highly configurable and can be used to filter and block specific traffic, schedule network access, generate keyword alerts, and more.

Control Center

All of the Client Recorders are configured and managed by the Spector 360 Control Center, which is used to push out the application to the clients located on the company Intranet. The Control Center also is responsible for configuring the Data Vault.

Dashboard

The Dashboard is the focal point for all Employee Monitoring in Spector 360. The Dashboard queries the SQL server for event data and accesses the network share for screen snapshots and email attachments. The Dashboard is a graphical based .NET Windows application. It is possible to configure more than one Dashboard application on the network. It is also possible to configure multiple Databases, any of which can be accessed via the Dashboard.
The Dashboard and Control Center can reside on the same machine, but often these components are isolated from each other for security reasons. For example, the individual responsible for deployment of the clients may not be authorized to view the data collected. Several copies of the Dashboard may be deployed throughout your organization. For example, you may give a copy to the Human Resources manager or a front line manager so he can monitor the employees in his department. The view of each Dashboard can be restricted so the person analyzing the data only has access to the information pertaining to the employees they are authorized to monitor.

Server Components

Spector 360 includes four software-based server components. All four components can reside on one server-class machine or can be distributed across multiple machines to improve performance. The Server Components are:

Primary Server

The Primary server software, which typically resides on the same machine as the SQL Server, provides services such as software updates and license compliance to all computers configured with the Client Recorder.

Data Vault

All of the Client Recorders send their information to the Data Vault at a predefined interval. This information includes event data, screen snapshots, and email attachments. The Data Vault then relays the event data to the SQL Database and stores the screen snapshots and email attachments on a network share accessible by the Dashboard.

SQL Server and Database

The SQL Server and Database stores all event data collected over time from the computers being monitored. Database management, including backup and archiving, is controlled by the Dashboard application.

Web Filter Server

Before a web browser is allowed to access a web site, the Web Filter Server checks with the SQL Server Database to find out if the web site the user is attempting to access is blocked or allowed. If the web site domain is blocked, a message (which is customizable) is displayed on the user's computer, informing them that access to the web site is not allowed. The Web Filtering rules can apply to all users, a group of users, or just one user. The Dashboard Management tool assists you in creation of new Web Filtering rules.

Increase Employee Productivity by Reducing Frivolous and Inappropriate Activity

Quite often the first time SpectorSoft customers view trend data from Spector 360, they detect serious problems that impact the business such as employees spending an inordinate amount of time to browse nonwork-related web sites. With this information revealed, it becomes immediately obvious who is doing the real work and who is goofing off. With Spector 360, you can see who is taking hours a day to browse the web for a new car or who is spending company time and money to find out how their favorite sports team fared over the weekend.

It is human nature to think that it is ok to use a computer for personal use at work, especially if the employee believes that this activity is not impacting his work or it is done surreptitiously. Observing these activities over time provides you with statistical data on an employee or department's performance and proficiency. This inspection also allows you to detect policy violations.

For example, from the Spector 360 High Level View you can quickly determine the web sites visited most frequently and the web sites at which employees are spending the most time. You can also determine usage patterns such as the employees visiting the most web sites. At any time, drill down to see if these web sites are business related. If browsing is permitted during certain hours, you can focus on specific times of the day.

Once employees are made aware that they are being monitored, they tend to work harder and stay more focused. In fact, it is quite common for productivity to increase significantly after employees are provided a demonstration of Spector 360 and notified that they may be subjected to monitoring at any time.

Enforce Your Acceptable Use Policy

Employees need to be educated on what they are allowed and not allowed to do with their computers and the Internet. An Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) should be established within your organization to serve this purpose. The AUP should be written clearly and concisely and agreed to by every employee as a precondition of employment. In addition, every time an employee attempts to log into his computer, he should be presented with a screen that forces him to explicitly accept the terms of the AUP as a prerequisite for access.

For example, your AUP may state that under no circumstances will browsing of any gambling, pornographic or sexually oriented web site be tolerated but sports and news related web sites can be visited from 12 noon to 1 pm. It should state that each employee may be subjected to employee monitoring at any time and as such must not conduct any illegal or unethical act using company resources. The ramifications for various infractions also can be defined in your policy.

Just like any other policy that involves employees, definition is meaningless unless there is enforcement. Rest assured, the honor system will not work here. A well-defined and strongly worded AUP coupled with Spector 360, will allow you to achieve your goals, leading to a significantly safer, more productive and secure environment for your employees.

Prevent "Insider" Theft

No matter how strong an Acceptable Use Policy you have in place, without enforcement using Employee Monitoring Software, theft of your company assets eventually will occur — it's inevitable.

Most employees believe that digital theft is extremely difficult to detect. Furthermore, they believe that if they contribute to something at work they are entitled to a copy of it. If an employee thinks that they can copy a proprietary or confidential document to removable media, or print it out without detection, they will do so. The risk of this activity is the highest in the days leading up to the employee's resignation. In an unmonitored environment your assets and proprietary, confidential information are at a huge risk for digital leakage.

Activities such as frequent access to removable media, unusually high printer usage, or unusually high volumes of email with attachments can be indicative of digital theft. From the Spector 360 High Level View, quickly identify the employees who are performing these activities and then drill down to see if the corresponding data is company related.

Conduct Investigations on Employees Suspected of Inappropriate Activity

It is crucial for you to keep a pulse on how your resources are being used, not only to monitor ongoing employee and group-wide performance and computer proficiency, but to highlight areas requiring corrective action when occurrences of inappropriate or unethical activity are detected.

One of the most severe infractions confronting businesses today is sexual harassment. The impact of this illicit activity is far-reaching and can get out of hand in a hurry. Thousands of employees file complaints against their co-workers each and every day and often the situation boils down to "he-said, she-said" finger pointing without any witnesses or evidence. If a business does not provide a professional and safe environment for its employees, it can be subjected to a law suit.

It is common for employees to use chat and email to harass and threaten coworkers. When this is reported, it is the responsibility of the employer to collect evidentiary proof. Spector 360 allows you to look back in time to collect chat sessions and email that have transpired between the affected parties, empowering investigation of the claim with unwavering accuracy.

Another example of unethical activity is the act of searching for something illicit on the web or sending a threatening email. Spector 360's keyword alert feature can be used to raise a flag when inappropriate words are used. For example, Spector 360 can be configured so any occurrence of keywords such as "sex", "drugs", "kill", "pipe bomb" will generate an email alert to the administrator. Furthermore, from the High Level View, Spector 360 allows you to inspect the top occurrences of keyword alerts, and also which employees generate the most alerts. Spector 360 also charts the characteristics of online searches conducted over time by your employees. You can use the search capabilities provided to find policy infractions and "drill down" to learn the details relating to the event.

Spector 360 also is capable of conducting focused investigations of individuals.
At the click of your mouse, select whomever you want to monitor and Spector 360 will show you their recorded emails, chat conversations, instant messages, web sites visited, exactly what they do on those web sites, keystrokes typed, applications launched, and much more.

In addition, by taking screen snapshots, Spector 360 creates the equivalent of a digital surveillance tape so that you can see the exact sequence of everything the employee is doing on the computer.

Meet or Exceed Federal, Industry or Agency Compliance Requirements for Keeping Records of Company Communications and Transactions

Archival of certain transactions are required for a company to achieve most Federal, Industry, or Agency compliance requirements. With Spector 360, you can archive email that has been sent or received by your employees on an individual basis, including any attachments. Once archived, these emails can be searched for occurrences of certain words or phrases. You can focus the search on all email being sent or all email being received with added granularity such as all inbound email from a specific domain with attachments.

In addition, you can discover exposed confidential information as it traverses your systems, either in email or web mail, file transfers, or via the act of copying or moving a file or directory. You can literally monitor all of your network traffic for confidential data.

The bottom line is that Spector 360 provides you with the tools and flexibility to achieve compliance within your organization.