2021 Trends in Employee Monitoring Solutions

As we wrap up 2021, Interguard took a deep dive into some of the latest trends we have seen in employee monitoring solutions. Since the pandemic arose in 2020, many companies took on a remote work strategy to keep their companies afloat. Here is a breakdown of a few of the top trends heading into 2022 that have made the biggest impact.

Use of cloud-based technology

Cloud-based technologies help employees gain a great remote work experience. To work remotely, companies need employees to have access to corporate resources through cloud technologies as it facilitates virtual hiring, secure onboarding, learning and development, performance measurement, and smart decision-making, among others. Companies will have to prioritize spending on cloud computing and virtual desktop infrastructure in the years to come.

But how are we able to monitor our employees remotely through cloud-based technology? A great organization monitors its employees not because it distrusts its worker, but rather, monitoring them is one of the surefire ways to improve productivity and efficiency across the whole business model. 

There is no question that modern employees are becoming more comfortable with today’s types of employee monitoring. As 2021 rolls on, these latest trends in employee monitoring software will become more prevalent and may change the way businesses and organizations keep a close eye on their workers

A few reasons why cloud technology is helpful in todays “remote work” world:

• Improves access and flexibility for both the employer and employees
• Provides disaster recovery
• Enables collaboration
• Increases security

Monitor Employees through IoT

The Internet of Things is disrupting many conventional business processes and methods, employee monitoring included. With IoT, devices and sensors are paired with each other. This bond allows them to communicate with each other, store data, and relay them to other devices and sensors with minimal human effort.

That said, questions on ethics, particularly on employees’ privacy, hound the implementation of IoT as a tool for tracking employees. Experts agree that a compromise will be reached where IoT can be integrated as a monitoring tool without going over employees’ privacy rights.

How does IoT play a role within the context of employee monitoring? For one, IoT locates a worker’s location within the premises of the workplace by tracking that person’s mobile device. Office equipment such as computers, printers, and laptops can capture critical data such as users, activities, length of use, files accessed, and more.

All this wealth of data enables the management to glean actionable insights into performance, patterns, and tendencies.

User Activity Monitoring

User activity monitoring (UAM) is a form of surveillance that provides visibility and insight into employee productivity and engagement while also revealing insider security threats. While UAM on company-owned or company-sanctioned devices and networks is legal, ethical (and usually HR) considerations require that UAM be implemented with a high level of professionalism and sensitivity towards its employees.

The Insider Threat 2018 Report from Cybersecurity Insiders found that more than half (53%) of organizations experienced insider attacks over the previous 12 months, with more than a quarter (27%) indicating that these attacks have become more frequent.

However, perhaps the most compelling use case for User Activity Monitoring is to secure the company’s systems and assets against insider threats, whether unintentional or malicious.

In general, User Activity Monitoring software monitors the full range of a user’s behavior on company-provided or company-sanctioned devices connected to the organization’s network. UAM logs keystrokes, captures screenshots, makes video recordings of sessions, inspects network packets, monitors site path, tracks web browsing and searching, and records the uploading and downloading of files. In addition to this device-specific data, many user activity monitoring solutions also monitor system logs for a more comprehensive picture of activity across the network and other IT resources.

Companies have the right to ensure that their employees are working productively, responsibly, and safely. When implemented transparently and with sensitivity, it is entirely possible to monitor user activity without damaging morale. 

To learn more about how to safely monitor your employees, click here!