How to Choose the Right Monitoring Software for Your Company

If you are going to purchase computer monitoring software for you company or you are interested in knowing how to pick the quality monitoring software, there are several tips for you. Knowing how to pick the suitable monitoring software is crucial important because the right software not only can smooth your business development, but also enhance productivity as well as data security level. Here are the tips:

1. Understand your needs
Before you start to search the monitoring software information, you’d better think about your needs and write down what problems do you want to solve by getting the monitoring software you want. List every program you have in your company so that you will know exactly what kind of monitoring software you really want. Why does knowing your needs so important? Because there are lots of monitoring programs out there, some can monitor emails, some can monitor web browsing, and some can monitor other things, you should know what you want to monitor before you start the searching.

2. Know where to locate the monitoring software
There are 3 usual places where you can locate the monitoring software. Search engines, product review’s site, and forum. Google is the easy and best way to find a lot of monitoring programs in a short time but you need to filter the information yourself. Normally, you can find this information from the ads areas easily. Powerful monitoring companies will show their ads here. Product review sites provide you the direct information you search for. You can look at the comparison report and save you a lot of time. But, I have tried to trust the comparison report before; it seemed that the testing report was not the actual case. The most reliable site for you to trust is CNET download.com. You can completely trust the editors’ review. Their commons are impartial. From the editors’ review, you can easily know the advantages and disadvantages of the monitoring software. Find the monitoring software with 4 stars review at least. The third place you should go is the forums. Some administrators would like to tell people their experiences and give you some good advices on choosing which one.

3. Mind the company history
Some small companies only enter the industry for a short time and did not have sufficient experience in this field. Their products haven’t been tested for a long time. If a company can survive for many years and its monitoring software still not be eliminated by the market, it shows that the company’s product suits the majority’s needs and is popular in the market. If companies have eight years or above experience, you can trust it. As I know, only a few companies have a long history in this industry. Only TEC Solutions Limited (10-year history) and SpectorSoft (13-year history). You can search the information on Wikipedia.

4. Evaluate the software for a long time
Do not immediately start buying a monitoring program that you’ve never tried before; otherwise, you will regret. Find the monitoring software that provides you a 30-day free trial so that you can test it on your computers for a long time. Stable is very important for a company monitoring program. If it is not stable, a minor problem may affect lots of businesses and may cause damage to your files. Sometimes, the monitoring software may not compatible with your systems. So, it is crucial to install it and test it within your company for a long while before the purchase. Better to be a smart customer. Some monitoring programs offer 30-day free trial: IP-guard, GFI WebMonitor , and etc.


5. See how many features does the software provide
Generally, monitoring software not only records what the monitored users did on the computers but also provides you the control functions. Some monitoring programs offer policy setting to preset the policies to restrict the PC use. Some only offer a block button after the information which has been recorded. If you want to build strong and effective PC usage limitation, monitoring programs which can preset policies will better meet your needs because they offer strong control and the implementation effect is better than the second one which has been mentioned above.

6. Make sure the version you purchase is the latest version
It is so important to check if the software you are going to buy is the latest version. Some companies might sell you an old version which does not have complete features. You have to pay attention to the version you want to buy. However, some companies offer unlimited updates within one year after purchase. You have to read this information carefully. Pick the company that provides you better after-sales services.

7. Mind the software structure
Some computer monitoring software offers a flexible structure for feature adding and license adding. You have to think about these questions: Will your company be growing and adding more employees? Will your company need more monitoring features in the future days? Currently, only IP-guard on the market provides this flexible structure. Its modular design enables you to pick your favorite features and it’s easy to add more license to the software by renewing a product serial number.

8. Make sure the monitoring software is invisible to the users
Beware of programs that claim to be invisible, but can be discovered by users. The monitoring program should be stealth which is completely invisible no matter under what circumstances.

9. Contact the technical service team of the company
Test it before you purchase the program. Make sure you can reach the support team and get their rapid response. If you cannot reach the technical staff or cannot get rapid response, it means you cannot get quick solution if any real problem appears after you purchase the software.

10. Compare the product price
In order to get the best deal, you should compare the price before you complete the buying process. Make your own research and compare the price of the products with similar features. Don’t compare the products with different features, it’s hard to compare because more features means you have to pay more.

To conclude, read the tips carefully and pay more attention to the trial evaluation, company reputation, experience, software features and after-sales services. Hope you can find your perfect monitoring software for your company.

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