Can a Remote Desktop Be Monitored? What You Need To Know.
Sure, governments, intelligence agencies, and large corporations with endless resources can purchase advanced snooping tools to keep tabs on their employees and targets, but what of small business owners? Is it possible to monitor workers’ PCs remotely?
Remote desktops can be monitored using various affordable and readily available software. Depending on the tool, you can track time, user, and keystroke data, record screens, capture webcam recordings and monitor communications. You may even be able to track time spent by application.
In this article, I’ll explain how remote desktops can be monitored and review some of the software tools available. Hopefully, this will help you make a more informed decision about the best approach for your business needs. Finally, we make a recommendation for the best employee monitoring software.
How Remote Desktops Can Be Monitored: Here’s How It’s Done
The variety of tools available to monitor desktops remotely cater to a range of different business needs.
Some businesses are large, have many workers, and have complex workflows and project management. They may need more sophisticated and expensive tools that require dedicated personnel for proper oversight.
Others will only want to maintain a cursory check to see things are running smoothly. They may have to perform these tasks in between their regular duties and may not have many hours to dedicate to the task.
Moreover, whatever your needs, remember that monitoring another individual’s computer can be illegal in many cases. In some states, hardware will need to belong to the employer. Employers may also need to inform employees that they are being monitored to comply with federal and local laws.
Deciding What To Monitor
Once you’ve decided that you need to keep track of desktop activity remotely, the next thing to consider is what you want to track and why.
Which of the following are you interested in?
- Tracking when specific activity occurs. In this case, the simplest filtering tools may be enough, and you will not need sophisticated software.
- Tracking all activity that takes place within select applications. Again, many productivity and collaboration tools already come with inbuilt tracking abilities. For example, Google Docs and Slack both allow administrators to track activity within applications.
- Tracking all activity across applications. This is where remote monitoring software shines with its sophisticated user behavior analytics tools.
Besides the scope of the monitoring, also consider its aims. Are you looking for:
- A way to track employee productivity.
- A way to keep track of security risks.
Keeping these simple guidelines in mind will help you evaluate different desktop monitoring software and determine the best tool for your needs.
The Best Software Monitoring Tools on the Market Today
There are many remote desktop monitoring tools available today. Depending on the software, you will be able to:
- Track attendance
- Track time
- Log keystrokes
- Record desktop screens
- Record from a computer’s webcam
- Monitor emails and chats
- Track time spent in specific applications
- Track time spent online or on specific sites
Let’s take a look at some popular remote desktop monitoring applications available on the market today so that you can decide for yourself which one works best for you.
SoftActivity
SoftActivity is an intelligent employee monitoring solution that lets you check for breaches of security and monitor employee productivity from both servers and workstations. It works in real-time and can be set to appear invisible.
Using SoftActivity, you can keep track of the following:
- Employee attendance
- Online activity
- Application use
- Keystrokes
- Email communications
- Files accessed
Teramind
Teramind is one of the most comprehensive employee tracking tools on the market. Its intuitive, easy-to-use interface hides a great deal of complexity.
Besides including features like keystroke, mail, and online activity tracking, using Teramind, you can also record:
- Live screens of employee machines
- Webcam video, including Zoom sessions
In addition, Teramind can also be deployed via cloud services.
Hubstaff
Hubstaff is another reliable employee monitoring tool that integrates well with many existing project management tools. If you are using something like Asana, for instance, you’ll be delighted at how well Hubstaff works with it.
Hubstaff allows employers to track minute details down to mouse clicks and keystrokes. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux and includes a free version. Paid plans, too, are very affordable.
Other notable features of Hubstaff include:
- Automated workflows
- Location-based geofencing
DeskTime
DeskTime is a more basic tool than some of the others listed above. But its simplicity and affordability make it ideal for smaller businesses with more limited monitoring needs. Of course, it will still track online behavior, application use, and file access.
Other attractive features of DeskTime include the following:
- Time tracking
- Integrated invoicing and calendar
VeriClock
VeriClock is not the most sophisticated tool software on this list. Its interface isn’t the best, and the mobile UI is still a work in progress.
On the plus side, VeriClock does come with essential geolocation services and is one of the more affordable softwares on this list, making it popular among small and mid-sized businesses.
Zoho Assist
Zoho Assist is an affordable employee monitoring solution that also works as a great remote collaboration and troubleshooting tool. It has a free trial, which means you can look around and see if you like what you see before you put any money down.
Besides monitoring, Zoho Assist also allows you to do the following:
- Transfer files in both directions
- Live chat
- Print remotely
- Reboot remotely
ActivTrak
ActivTrak offers many of the features of the tools listed earlier at an affordable price. It has a simple, intuitive User Interface and native apps for both iOS and Android devices.
In addition to monitoring, Activ Trak’s analytics tools help evaluate the productivity of your teams.
Some attractive features of ActivTrak are:
- Filter features to block access to unproductive sites
- Customizable alarms to notify employers of breaches in real-time
- Productivity reports by the hour, day, week, or month
Wolfeye Remote Screen: THE BEST EMPLOYEE MONITORING SOFTWARE!
Wolfeye Remote Screen is a software to remotelly see the live employees computer screen. It also allows to save the screen pictures for later evaluation. With Wolfeye’s handy on-screen monitoring, you can remotely track the employment and performance of your employees. The screen monitoring tool allows you to get transparent information about what your employees and freelancers are really working on at that moment.
Once your team commits to improving their work habits, you’ll see an increase in productivity and performance. In fact, teams using Wolfeye see efficiencies ranging from 20% to 90%. That’s the magnitude of the difference the right employee work tracking software can make for your business.
This has a direct impact on costs, because when the work output of the employees increases, the costs decrease. As more work is done for the same budget. Therefore, a project costs less to complete. Plus, you’ll save money by avoiding unnecessary overstaffing.
Why Wolfeye Remote Desktop is the best Employee Monitoring software:
- Very easy to use.
- Best Support
- Uses almost no pc resources
- You will see the employee computer screen as if you were sitting in front of it
Final Thoughts
Remote desktops can be monitored using a variety of software applications ranging from simple to sophisticated and affordable to the most advanced. These powerful tools can monitor every key and mouse movement and record screens and camera inputs, often in real-time.
With this much power comes some responsibility, including legal compliance requirements. So, make sure you use your employee monitoring software responsibly and fairly.