When does a child, employee, or spouse need to have someone taking a closer look at what they're doing online?

Or, put another way: Do you need Internet monitoring software?

More and more parents, employers, and concerned spouses are wondering what people in their homes and businesses are doing online.

To find out, they're turning to Internet monitoring software to manage different online threats and challenges.

For many, concern over what their child or employees sees, who they're talking to (and about what), and even what they're posting themselves in places like MySpace and Facebook, can lead parents, spouses, and employers to look to the best Internet monitoring programs.

And they should.

Family Filters: Helping Keep Kids Safe Online

Whether it's pornography, gambling sites, violent images, bullies, or predators, there are real dangers facing kids today in their own home when they use a computer.

Unlimited and uncontrolled Internet access is simply too risky these days for households with children of any age.

What are they doing online? Is that their homework they're feverishly typing away at, or a chat conversation with some unknown stranger?

Even if you can't be using the computer with them all the time, relying on the best parental control software with Internet monitoring can make the job manageable.

That way, even if you're not there, you can at least find out what happened when you weren't there.

Employee Internet Monitors: There's More than Blocking to Consider

Employers face similar concerns, but in a different venue.

Unrestricted access to the Internet in the modern workplace can pose a variety of dangers to managers and business owners, including:

loss of productivity loss of billable hours risk of lawsuits from inappropriate sites liability risk from downloading copyrighted materials potential for theft or loss of proprietary company data

With many employees often working in and out of the office, managers often struggle with the headache of monitoring each employee's time and productivity.

Internet monitoring software can quickly and easily help a manager or business owner handle these concerns, leaving business owners free to focus on their bottom line.

For Concerned Spouses: Other Risks than Just Cheating

For spouses or significant others Internet monitoring software offers a different sort of benefit.

With divorce rates at record highs and countless websites to provide cheaters the opportunity to carry out their affairs, it makes sense that concerned spouses and partners are using computer & Internet monitoring software to help keep an eye on husbands, wives, boyfriends, and girlfriends alike.

There are other risks, too, though. Among other things, financial infidelity is another concern for many.

Is a loved one with a gambling addition spending time at the computer playing poker when he or she shouldn't be?

What about time they say they're spending job hunting?

Or are they really wasting the day away chatting with friends and surfing on Facebook for old boyfriends or girlfriends?

Top Internet monitoring software lets you see what your significant other is up to online and will do so with perfect stealth.

Features in the Best Internet Monitoring Software

No matter if you're a parent, a business owner or manager, or a spouse or other concerned person, when it comes to finding a monitoring program there are certain features to look for in an Internet monitoring software program.

While not every situation may require all of these tools, they're still important tools to have at your disposal.

The important thing to remember is that when you have a complete set of monitoring tools available, you can always choose whether or not to use certain tools.

By the same token, with software that isn't as good, not all the tools are available or they're poorly implemented.

As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

	Internet Monitoring Software Feature	Purpose
1.	web site monitoring	Records a complete history of websites the person you're monitoring visits. This works regardless of whether or not they delete their browser history or have 'private browsing' enabled in their browser.
2.	web site blocking	Blocks web site access to sites you deem inappropriate for your children, employees, or any other individual using the computer you're monitoring.
3.	stealth mode	Makes it harder to detect and disable the Internet monitoring software you're running on the computer being monitored.
4.	software keylogger	Records every keystroke that gets typed even when the document isn't saved. (Ex: An MS Word .doc file that's never saved but only typed and printd.) Stores what was typed in all IM/chat conversations. Records what gets typed into a web page. (Ex: Proves an employee was misrepresenting the company in an online forum.)
5.	IM / chat monitor	Records both sides of all chat and IM conversations and helps you know they're staying on-task.
6.	screenshots	Reveals exactly what your kids, employees, spouse, or other person being monitored did both online and offline.
7.	remote monitoring	Lets you see recorded data from anywhere--even from a different computer than the one(s) you're monitoring.
8.	central reporting	Gives easy access in one place to data that's recorded anywhere. If you have more than one computer or if you want to view the data you're recording from different places (i.e. at home and at the office), central reporting is the key.
9.	real-time alerts	Lets you stay ahead of what the person you're monitoring is up to without having to wait 'til later to find out.

Of course not every Internet monitoring software program offers each of these options, so it's best to compare reviews of different programs in order to choose the software that best suits your needs.