[Silvrrwulf]

Hi all. I've heard some devices (like Sonicwall firewalls) can perform network monitoring, as in, deliver a report to the admin as to which sites have been accessed by which IP in a certain timeframe (say, a month). I have a client who's looking to monitor his network for employees slouching, but to do so cheaply and easily. I'd welcome any suggestions you guys might have. I know there's software that does this, but I believe he's looking for a simple hardware solution. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

~Lance

[valis]

not entirely sure we can help you on this, as we generally look down on 'spying', regardless of the intent behind it. Let me ask a mod, and we'll go from there.

thanks,

v

[pcpro17]

Originally Posted by valis

not entirely sure we can help you on this, as we generally look down on 'spying', regardless of the intent behind it. Let me ask a mod, and we'll go from there.

Why can't your client look at overall productivity, instead of trying to milk every possible cent out of his employees? Those kinds of tactics on the part of management only drain employee moral and productivity, rather than enhance it. If your employer is simply wanting to block certain types of websites (porn, shopping, etc.) there are a variety of hardware firewalls that will do that. Some even have a subscription service that will keep the block list up to date.

This may be a good place to start:

http://www.internet-blocking.stbernard.com/

[~Candy~]

Originally Posted by pcpro17

Why can't your client look at overall productivity, instead of trying to milk every possible cent out of his employees?

Now THAT is funny. I recall paying my employees to WORK, NOT to surf the internet And we wonder why more and more jobs are being outsourced to someone who WANTS TO WORK while they are at WORK

[Silvrrwulf]

Hi all. Thanks for the responses. I actually believe my client's intent isn't nearly as Machiavellian as I might have phrased it. It's much les of "Let's see what Joe's doing every second of every day" and more of "Joe's been turning in stuff late for 3 months and we're about to let him go. Has he been just playing around this entire time?" He - the client - doesn't even want to know how to access the information - he simply wants to know he can hire someone to retrieve it if legal disputes arise following a firing (and believe me - that's a high-morale office... you'd have to really screw up to be let go).
Sorry if there was misunderstanding. I know Sonicwall does some sort of monitoring, but I didn't know how comprehensive the logs were or if they were adequate for what he desired.

I hope this clarifies. Thanks so much for everyone' who's given me feedback and is taking a look at this. I hope this helps someone else in the future as well.

[~Candy~]

And we all know when little computer Joe does end up getting fired, lawsuits will follow. We live in such a great society today, don't we?

BTW, I picked up your drift in your first post