Watch Dog

Watch dog is a software for surveillance in off- ice. You can use it to find

out what people are doing on their PCs–playing games, surfing the Net, or

doing office work.

The software comes in a client module and a server module. The client module

is loaded on each PC that you want to monitor. This is like a camera inside

every PC, which will keep track of what users are doing on their computers. The

module maintains an encrypted log file, which records details like which

application was used, and when it was started and terminated. This file is

generated whether or not the server module is working, and is maintained on the

client machine itself. It’s sent to the server module when asked for. The

server can be any machine connected to the network and needn’t be a high-end

or dedicated one. On the server machine, you can specify applications that are

banned or permitted for each user. For example, you may want to ban games and

permit applications like accounting software, Word, and Excel. Watch Dog doesn’t

stop users from using banned applications, but only records the usage of

applications, both permitted and banned.

From the server module, you can send alert messages which will stay on the

user’s screen till he clicks on the OK button, or a warning messages which

will disappear on its own after five seconds. You can also shut down a user’s

computer from the server module. The server module lets you demand screenshots

of any computer on the network. You can take a screenshot of the active

application, the entire desktop, or a list of application running on the

computer. This feature also lets you use Watch dog as a productivity tool, as

you can review work being done by others, and give suggestions using chat,

alert, or warning. You can use the software to chat with one or multiple people

in your organization. The software can be useful in places like schools and

cyber cafés, where it’s essential to monitor PC usage. Watchdog costs Rs

5,000 for 10 nodes,



Rs 10,000 for 25 nodes, and Rs 20,000 for unlimited number of nodes.

Source: Rhombus Technologies, Mumbai; Tel: 22-8506749 Fax: 8502961 E-mail: contact@rhombustechno-logies.com

Website: www.rhombustechnologies.com

Sandeep Saxena in Mumbai