Activity Monitoring is a type of proactive surveillance that helps to prevent misuse of access privileges.
User Activity Monitoring software enables managers and admins to track and collect employee’s real-time user actions and behavior data on company networks, connected devices, and monitored workstations. With the increase in open access to the internet and a more relaxed work culture, it is possible for team members to misuse the organization’s resources.
User activity monitoring (UAM) solutions are tools that helps in the monitoring and tracking of end user behavior on devices, networks, and other company-owned IT resources. Many organizations implement user activity monitoring tools to help detect and stop insider threats, whether unintentional or with malicious intent. The range of monitoring and methods utilized depends on the objectives of the company.
By implementing user activity monitoring, enterprises can more readily identify suspicious behavior and mitigate risks before they result in data breaches, or at least in time to minimize damages. Sometimes called user activity tracking, user activity monitoring is a form of surveillance, but serves as a proactive review of end user activity to determine misuse of access privileges or data protection policies either through ignorance or malicious intent.
The purpose of user activity monitoring is to protect information while ensuring availability and compliance with data privacy and security regulations. UAM goes beyond simply monitoring network activity. Instead, it can monitor all types of user activity, including all system, data, application, and network actions that users take – such as their web browsing activity, whether users are accessing unauthorized or sensitive files, and more.