What is Omniquad Desktop Surveillance 98

For the first time ever, you can monitor not only the usage of your network resources but actively monitor and assess all activities, giving you full and exact account of usage of your organization's IT resources.
Desktop Surveillance redefines the concept of network monitoring (or stand-alone computer)by allowing you to take full advantage of a system similar to a real CCTV camera operating across your network, but without need for any hardware! Surveillance profiles can easily reflect your company's usage policy and be adapted for virtually any situation that can occur on your network - be it looking at confidential documents, working with the payroll, playing games, accessing illicit material, checking the lottery results, or anything else that you are concerned about (or in fact anything else that you don't know but now are able to find out).

What are the real-life applications for ODS?

save jobs and money by defining and assessing the company usage policy, not limited to the Internet but extending to and addressing all issues related to IT revolution in the workplace
performance assessment and recording computer usage
end any aspect of misuse of the company’s computer systems
protect company’s information and trade secrets– when companies’ security is compromised, in most of the cases the perpetrator is operating from inside
combat company fraud - 84% of the worst fraud is committed by the company’s own employees (*source: Ernst &Young International Fraud Group, May 1998)
criminal investigations
document rapid changes made to company’s systems - many UK companies today rapidly adjust their systems as the Millennium approaches, but 4 of 5 surveyed did not consider opportunistic fraud possibility that arises as a result of multitude of changes made to the company’s IT systems
monitor and document work done by external contractors
set end to ‘flame’ e-mails and other undesired activities leading to legal actions
comprehensive content monitoring without blocking lists
ODS can be a valuable tool for systems support, as users can initiate visual recordings in order to aid troubleshooting

How does ODS work?

ODS records users' activities in several ways:

- visual recordings: ODS generates visual video-like records documenting the computer usage. The surveillance records can be inspected at leisure in a manner similar to watching a security videotape. This can be also compared to leaving an invisible video recorder pointed at the Windows desktop.

- activity logs: time summary of all activities is logged, this includes all applications, games, documents, WWW sites, newsgroups and IRC channels and file folders accessed by the user. The activity log information can be stored in a standard text file and a database - the activity log can be stored in any ODBC data source MS Access sample database is also supplied.

- keystroke capture: all keystrokes are captured to a standard text file for later assessment.

Any combination of the the recording methods above can be utilized simultaneously, and a host of networking features: remote monitoring, remote surveillance control, E-mail and FTP support allow you to take maximum advantage of the system in networked environment

Is there a different version for network or home computer?

The same version is a universal product which will work equally well on a stand-alone computer or a large network.

What visual indicators does ODS display to the user?

ODS supports two modes of operations, which will reflect computer usage policy in your organization: in the Prevention Mode, ODS will display a startup warning and a visual indicator in the System Tray area. In Stealth mode, the user will not know that the system is active.

How much recordings can ODS store?

The exact requirements for system storage will depend different recording features utilized. Activity logs can take as little as 100 KB for 24 hours of computer usage, visual records will consume more disk space since graphical information is stored. ODS facilitates an option to calculate how much disk space will be used with sample surveillance settings.

What if the computer remains idle while recording is enabled?

'Skip Similar Frames' option will instruct ODS to suspend recording when the computer is idle. This option greatly decreases the disk space requirements

How are the records archived?

The records are stored on local or network disk and are automatically archived in folders, sorted by user names and log-on times on different machines - this allows for easy information retrieval and backup

What if some users are not supposed to be monitored?

When the surveillance profile for any user is disabled, ODS will automatically unload itself from system memory.

Can each user or group have unique surveillance settings?

Each user or group of users can have a unique surveillance profile which will be activated when they log-on. In a networked environment, surveillance profiles will follow users to any computers they log-on. ODS supports unlimited number of users and groups.

Can ODS differentiate between different activities taking place on Windows desktop?

The trigger list functionality allows for the recording to be activated upon virtually any activity that can take place on Windows desktop - working with confidential documents, playing games, accessing illicit material, checking the lottery results or anything else that you are concerned about (or in fact anything else that you do not know but now are able to find out)

Can ODS detect when adult content is accessed?

Yes, ODS is capable of detecting when adult content is accessed. Depending from the surveillance profile of the user accessing such content, recording can be triggered or the network administrator can be notified.

Does ODS use blocking lists for WWW access?

ODS does not use any blocking lists: this is because when illicit material is accessed on the Internet, it does not not have to be on a web site. The keyword capture engine in ODS provides universal solution for any source of illicit material. The other benefit of this is that since there is no blocking lists, no information needs to be constantly updated.

What network types are supported by ODS?

The network user profiles and recording to network server will operate on any network platform that supports file sharing. Some network features (such as real-time monitoring or remote surveillance control) require TCP support.

Can ODS be deployed over a large network?

ODS includes network administrator kit and rapid network deployment tools, allowing for easy distribution across the enterprise.

Can ODS be administered centrally?

In a networked installation of ODS, the entire surveillance network can be managed from any node.

How do I ensure that surveillance records are not discovered?

In a networked environment, the records can be stored in a hidden network share ($). You can also enable E-mail or FTP forwarding to ensure that the records are no longer stored on accessible disk drives.Instructions in file ODSHIDE.TXT include additional information on how to hide records on a stand-alone computer.

Can I monitor any desktop on the network (or the Internet ) in real time?

Any computer running Desktop Surveillance can be monitored in real time (local network or the Internet). To close a possible security hole, the surveillance profile of the user logged on the remote computer at that time must permit for remote surveillance operations.

Can I monitor a computer to which I have no physical access at all times?

Yes, although you need to have a physical access/administrative privileges to install ODS on that computer in the first place. After this, visual surveillance records can be forwarded by e-mail.

Can I control surveillance settings on other computers remotely?

Recording can be remotely activated/deactivated on any computer running ODS. To close a possible security hole, the surveillance profile of the user logged on the remote computer at that time must permit for remote surveillance operations.

How can I monitor a very large number of users simultaneously?

ODS Activity Monitor allows for monitoring a large number of users at the same time

Can I be notified when certain events occur on the network?

Yes, when recording is triggered due to specified parameters, a message can be additionally displayed on the instance of Activity Monitor, running on the administrator's desktop

How ODS can be used to monitor use of Laptop computers?

In order to monitor Laptop usage, ODS can be activated on it at the time when it leaves the office and records retrieved when it is handled back. If there is a need to continuously monitor activity, the records can be forwarded by e-mail when the Laptop user logs on to the Internet or the company LAN.

Does ODS require any server software?

ODS does not require any server software (although workstations can store records on the network server for easy access and administration). Network surveillance operations can be performed in any network setup.

Does ODS equal censorship?

ODS does not censor nor block user actions