March 10, 2021
4 Min Read
More than ever, IT and security practitioners are tasked to measure and maximize the usage of web-based productivity, collaboration, and learning applications. Having insights into detailed utilization and adoption metrics are essential to assure that users – be it employees or students – have access to the necessary tools to get their job done effectively in remote or hybrid environments. At the same time, it is important to identify security control failures and address them before they’re being exploited.
However, many IT and security practitioners continue to be faced with the problem of endpoint visibility. This challenge has been exacerbated due to the recent pandemic where IT and security teams do not have local access to devices. What are employees, administrators, teachers, or students using their devices for? Are they making use of approved online applications? How much are they engaging with different types of online content? What online content is accessed during work or school hours? How do you identify users who are violating Web content or search policies, creating risk to devices and networks? These are just a handful of questions that IT and security leaders have in today’s highly location-diverse device environment.
The Power of Absolute
That’s were Absolute Software comes into play, offering IT and security practitioners easily generated Web usage reports that empower them to know what websites users are actively engaged with, how much, and when. Unlike Web filters which restrict user access, Web usage reports empower organizations to monitor, optimize, detect, and secure Web usage within their organizations.
Let’s look at some of the capabilities that Absolute Web Usage Analytics deliver to enterprises and education organizations alike.
Monitor Adoption and Optimize Licensing of Web-based Tools as well as Applications
The new Absolute Web Usage Site Comparison Chart shows historical weekly usage patterns of selected websites for up to 15 months and provides a 90-day history. Customers use this data to make better-informed decisions with the tools they are currently using, as well as optimizing licensing to maximize budgets. Furthermore, customers can leverage the report to track progress when migrating from an existing Web tool or application to a new one.
In addition, customers can identify trends and emerging needs within their user base or determine how to consolidate unused tools. This is a particularly interesting benefit for helping shape an organization’s IT strategy.
Detect Inappropriate Usage of Corporate or School Devices
The Weekly Web Usage report enables customers to find restricted domains with adult content, gaming, or non-authorized websites, see which users have been using them, and take direct action with individual users; establish new policies, or implement Web filters in accordance with regulations like CIPA.
Remotely Investigate Security Incidents
Security leaders can identify if other users have visited an insecure webpage and prevent similar incidents by identifying the websites you need to block and proactively contact users.
Success Story: Duarte Unified School District
A good example of the benefits organizations can gain from using Absolute Web Usage Analytics can be found within the Duarte Unified School District (USD).
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke and students and teachers were asked to instantly adapt to a new distance-learning phenomenon, the entire Duarte USD rallied around an evolved success model. Absolute Web Usage enabled them to rapidly stand up, monitor, manage, and measure their distance learning program.
As Duarte scholars and teachers transitioned to distance learning, IT leadership was busy figuring out which applications would be needed in what priority order amongst the seemingly countless freemium app offers that were coming in. For insight into overall device usage, what applications are being used, how often, and for how long, Duarte USD turned to Absolute Web Usage Analytics.
With Web Usage Analytics in place, Duarte’s IT leadership can measure how engaged their scholars are with online curriculum. The reporting also provides detailed insights for Duarte to navigate better learning outcomes by identifying valuable or underused learning resources in order to build future budgetary plans. The report also highlights risky websites with potential Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliance violations, ensuring Duarte school administrators can protect the safety of their students online.
To learn more about the latest enhancements to Absolute Web Usage, visit here.
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