SentryPC is the ideal employee monitoring software for small organizations on a budget since it is inexpensive, expandable, and does not have user minimums. It provides six cloud-based programs with yearly subscription fees that are affordable for many small businesses.
The program includes content filtering and blocking, monitoring websites and applications, tracking time and activities, and recording keystrokes. Its disadvantages include restricted operating system compatibility and a small number of screenshots.
Table of Contents
Overview of SentryPc
- SentryPC provides six budget-friendly cloud-based plans for employee monitoring with an annual base price and an additional license fee.
- The product can follow versatile drive utilization, print occupations, clipboard and document action, site and application use, worker hours, and areas.
- Real-time alerts and customizable reporting options are included in the platform.
- This audit is for entrepreneurs considering SentryPC as their best employee monitoring software.
SentryPC Editor’s Score: 90/100
| Cost | 90 |
|---|---|
| Features | 90 |
| Compatible OS | 85 |
| Usability | 100 |
| Customer service | 80 |
Why SentryPC Is Best for Businesses on a Budget
- Cost-effective: Individual licenses cost just $60 per user annually, and bulk purchases offer economies of scale discounts.
- Cloud-based: The service is entirely cloud-based, eliminating the need for physical software and reducing costs.
- Centralized control: SentryPC brings all monitored devices into one connection point, accessible from anywhere in the world and updated in real time.
- Smart geofencing: The tool instantly alerts managers if a device is taken outside a specific area, providing added security.
- Comprehensive features: SentryPC offers a range of features, including keystroke monitoring, categorized event timelines, and visual summaries in various formats.
- Inclusive subscription: Every subscriber can access all features without tiered packages with varying functionality.
- Free updates: The latest software versions are available for download within the account, ensuring users can always access the latest features without additional costs.
- Versatile market: SentryPC caters to families, schools, and businesses, offering value and functionality across different user groups.
FYI
A company's bottom line suffers when employees are distracted. Software for employee monitoring is one way to ensure employees are still focused on their jobs and not on outside issues.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- There are a lot of features in SentryPC, like geofencing for specific devices.
- With a single mouse click, the system can be installed and uninstalled remotely.
- The seller gives free updates to the lifetime of your membership.
Cons:
- SentryPC doesn't chip away at cell phones, Chromebooks or Linux machines.
- Saving an additional 500 screenshots costs $19.95, and purchasing fewer than that is not an option.
Usability
User-friendly interface: SentryPc has an organized and visually appealing interface, making it easy for administrators to navigate and manage.
Notification queue: The platform provides a notification queue where administrators can view new alerts promptly.
Website blocking and alerts: SentryPC can block websites and raises alerts if any suspicious activity or unauthorized access is detected.
Comprehensive tracking: The software tracks various activities, including print jobs, file transfers, keystrokes, and portable device usage.
Compatibility: SentryPC is compatible with various Windows versions, including older versions from the early 2000s, Mac OS X 10.6 onward, and subsequent macOS platforms.
Mobile and platform limitations: One notable drawback is the lack of support for mobile devices, Linux, and Chrome platforms. This limitation may not meet the needs of users requiring coverage across these platforms.
Consider InterGuard: For users seeking coverage across multiple platforms, including mobile, Linux, and Chrome, alternative options like InterGuard may be more suitable.
SentryPC Features
| Extensive monitoring | Keep an eye on everything, from print queues to web chat. |
|---|---|
| Reporting capabilities | Separate key alarms for simple audit. |
| Time management tools | Make use of basic time and attendance monitoring. |
| Geolocation monitoring | Track down taken gadgets or Missing staff. |
| Content filtering and blocking | Set up cover or worker explicit limitations. |
Extensive Monitoring
- Comprehensive monitoring: SentryPC offers many tools and features for monitoring employee behavior and activities.
- Web browsing history and live chat sessions: The software records an employee's web browsing history and captures live chat sessions.
- File tracking: It tracks and logs file transfers, ensuring visibility into the movement of sensitive data.
- Device location tracking: SentryPC can determine the physical location of monitored devices, providing an added layer of security and accountability.
- Monitoring of print jobs, chats, clipboards, and portable drives: The system captures and monitors activities such as print jobs, chat conversations, clipboard content, and usage of portable drives.
- Website and app tracking: SentryPC tracks website usage and app activities, allowing administrators to gain insights into employees' digital interactions.
- Time-stamped screenshots, chat transcripts, and printed files: The software records up to 500 screenshots, chat transcripts, and printed files, providing a comprehensive audit trail of employee activities.
- Mapping of file movements: SentryPC visually maps out the journey of printed files and transferred documents, enabling better tracking and analysis.
Reporting Capabilities
- Alert breakdown: SentryPC provides a breakdown of the top alerts, allowing administrators to review and analyze general user activity.
- Specific activity tracking: Administrators can use customizable reports to study specific activities, such as the most frequently used applications or chat tools.
- Customizable reports: Reports can be tailored to display only the most critical data, allowing administrators to focus on relevant insights.
- Status reports: SentryPC offers status reports that monitor the health of all licensed and synced computers, providing an overview of system performance.
- Time management tools: The software includes time management features that allow business owners to set maximum daily and weekly work hours for employees.
- Overtime prevention: SentryPC is a backup to time and attendance systems by setting time limits, ensuring employees do not work beyond designated hours.
- Alert period: Administrators can configure automatic alerts, such as notifications that go off before an employee reaches their time limit.
- User-specific settings: SentryPC allows administrators to configure settings individually for each user, which is particularly useful for managing freelancer budgets and remote workers across different time zones.
Geolocation Monitoring
- IP tracking: SentryPC includes an IP-tracking tool that logs the latitude and longitude of users' devices, providing information about their city and location.
- Location verification: This tool helps employers verify that employees are in the designated work location during work hours.
- Map view: Administrators can view the location on a map, enhancing visibility and understanding of the user's whereabouts.
- Lost or stolen device recovery: The IP-tracking feature can assist in locating a lost or stolen computer by tracking its IP address and identifying its geographical location.
- Geofencing: Geofencing was introduced in SentryPC's spring 2022 update, allowing administrators to define specific location areas.
- Alert notifications: Geofencing triggers an alert when a computer enters or exits a predefined location area, providing real-time updates.
- Universal functionality: Geofencing can be enabled for any user, allowing administrators to monitor and track device movement relative to the defined geofenced area.
- Accuracy updates: The system displays live updates on how far inside or outside the fenced area a device is, providing a precise understanding of location compliance.
Content Filtering and Blocking
- Application and game blocking: Administrators can block specific applications and games, preventing employees from accessing them.
- Instant messaging app blocking: SentryPC allows blocking of instant messaging apps, ensuring employees are not distracted by non-work-related communication.
- Keyword and phrase blocking: Administrators can set up blocks for specific keywords and phrases, preventing employees from accessing content containing those terms.
- Website blocking: The software enables the blocking of websites, either by category or user-defined URLs, allowing administrators to restrict access to inappropriate or non-work-related websites.
- Customizable settings: Administrators can apply blanket settings and rules for groups of employees or implement unique restrictions for individual users.
- Alert generation: If a user attempts to access content that violates the preset rules, SentryPC triggers the system and generates a new alert in the log, notifying administrators of the attempt.
- Content control for network security: This feature helps ensure that employees only view appropriate content, reducing the risk of engaging in behavior that could compromise network security.
SentryPc Cost
Although many plans require a certain minimum number of users, which drives up the total cost, many employee monitoring software solutions offer affordable rates, such as $10 per user per month. Finding the proper monitoring software for your team can be difficult for a small business with few employees.
SentryPC tackles that issue by disposing of client essentials; organizations can buy a solitary permit for a level yearly rate. It is a scalable solution that won't significantly impact a small business's budget because the price of each additional license is markedly discounted from the initial rate.
The prices for each of SentryPC's six plans are as follows:
Basic: You get one license and storage for up to 500 screenshots for $59.95 annually. Each extra permit costs $19.95 each year.
Business 50: You can get 50 licenses and storage for up to 500 screenshots for $995 annually. Each extra permit costs $19.90 each year.
Business 100: SentryPC gives you 100 licenses and storage for up to 1,000 screenshots for $1,595 annually. Each extra permit costs $15.95 each year.
Business 250: For 250 licenses and storage for up to 1,000 screenshots, this plan costs $2,995 per year. Each extra permit drops down to $11.98 each year.
Business 500: For $3,995 each year, you get 500 licenses and capacity for up to 2,000 screen captures. Each extra permit costs $7.99 each year.
Business 1,000: For 1,000 licenses and storage for up to 2,000 screenshots, this plan costs $4,995 per year. Each extra permit costs $4.99 each year.
Extra screen captures: With any SentryPC plan, you can add extra screen captures in augmentations of 500 for a one-time frame charge of $19.95. Throughout your subscription, you will have access to the additional screenshot capabilities.
Key Takeaway
SentryPC subscriptions begin at $69.95 per year for a single license. The cost per license reduces as you add additional licenses.
Setup
SentryPC may be installed manually on each device or remotely via email or network. It is as simple as picking a device and pressing a single button to uninstall it. A cloaked installation is also feasible, which installs a covert copy of SentryPC that cannot be uninstalled or disturbed even if an employee discovers it. After that, activated software records user activity, employee work hours, internet and application usage, portable devices and print jobs, conversations, and clipboards.
SentryPC is cloud-based so you can access your account from any web-enabled device. The program offers an appealing, straightforward interface with a menu bar on the left side of the screen, making it easy to set up your monitoring parameters and watch employee behavior, as demonstrated in its online demo. Data may be sorted ascending or descending and can be filtered by device or user.
Customer Service
SentryPC has an integrated support area with instructions to help you install the application, fix issues, and learn more about the software. You may also contact the vendor's customer service using an online ticketing system. However, the lack of phone help is frustrating; filling out an internet form and then waiting for a response is inconvenient if a time-sensitive issue arises.
Drawbacks
SentryPC provides a high degree of capability for low-cost employee monitoring software but lacks mobile-tracking features. Employees' mobile device usage cannot be tracked using the program.
It is only a constraint if you want to track software designed expressly for mobile monitoring. You may still monitor the activities and records of other tracked Mac or Windows machines using the program on mobile devices.
Another consideration is that SentryPC contains a few Windows-only functions, such as portable drive and print job logging. If an employee can undertake improper acts without being detected merely by leaving their PC and utilizing a colleague's Mac, it may jeopardize business security.
Methodology
This study was created by comparing nine additional employee monitoring software solutions. We viewed online vendor presentations, researched the various possibilities with hands-on demos, and looked at what these apps lacked compared to market alternatives.
We also evaluated things from the standpoint of the employees. While employee monitoring software can enhance employee morale by providing favorable outcomes, there will be times when surveillance crosses a staffer's limits. SentryPC works in stealth mode by default due to its cloud-hosted nature and remote installation configuration, which some employees may consider a violation of privacy.
Overall Value
SentryPC comes highly recommended for
- Companies with limited resources want to avoid paying a premium for monitoring tools.
- Managers who appreciate the notion of getting free cloud-delivered updates for the duration of their subscription.
- Businesses where tracking the travels of a particular gadget is beneficial or required.
- Administrators who want a clean, uncomplicated interface with critical information shown prominently.
SentryPC is not recommended for
- Businesses that monitor mobile devices or employ unconventional operating systems such as Chrome.
- Businesses that require constant coverage across PCs and Macs.
- Companies that want telephone service with issues or inquiries.
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