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SONAR FAQ
- What is SONAR and what does it do?
SONAR is a comprehensive, all-in-one software solution that monitors and protects all your organization’s computers, both on and off-network, immediately improving employee productivity and protecting against data loss or theft. SONAR operates at the desktop instead of at the network level. This means SONAR is easier and less expensive to implement than bulky appliances or network-controlled solutions. It affords a far higher level of protection against serious business risks that other solutions can’t defend against, including the theft or loss of valuable intellectual property, theft of company laptops, employee misconduct and productivity losses.
Read more about the top 5 blind spots associated with inferior solutions here
SONAR allows you to record everything that happens on a PC, filter the Internet, control what applications can be used on a time-scheduled basis, and protect sensitive information with a complete suite of data loss prevention tools. SONAR can be easily deployed to all computers in the organization that need to be monitored and/or protected. Once installed, SONAR provides all its powerful functionality without any reliance on the corporate network or corporate servers. This unique architecture allows you to maximize the use of your central computer infrastructure, while monitoring, controlling, and protecting all computers, even those that never connect to the company network.
- Can I get a free evaluation copy of SONAR?
Yes. Click here.
- How does SONAR work?
SONAR is truly scalable. It delivers best-of-breed performance for businesses of two to 200,000 employees. SONAR can be run either as an On-Demand “Software As A Service” basis or behind your firewall. It is automatically and invisibly installed, and then captures every action on that computer – again, invisibly. All activity can then be monitored remotely, and policies enforced on a case-by-case basis.
You can also set different rules for different users, computers, or departments and assign different administrators with separate permission levels to easily manage the recorded activity. The collected data is categorized for ease of use and can be sorted and filtered in many ways. You can generate detailed or summary reports which can then be exported in several formats. All data is viewed from your centralized reporting console, and settings are updated there as well, ensuring superior accessibility and near real-time control of user machines.
Click here to see our intuitive interface for yourself.
- How is the data stored?
The data is stored on a SQL server running SONAR’s proprietary server-side architecture. The server can be located behind your firewall or hosted by Awareness Technologies on an On-Demand “Software As A Service” basis. If you choose an Awareness Technologies hosted solution, there is no need for any hardware whatsoever to implement the solution. If you would prefer to host your own data behind your firewall, a minimum order amount may be required. Contact us for details.
- How do I view the data?
SONAR utilizes an SSL-encrypted and password- protected centralized reporting console that allows you to log in and view your data from any computer with an Internet connection. Since SONAR is web-based, no special installations are required for the viewing stations, and you don’t have to be on your network to view data securely.
- Can the users tell they’re being monitored?
No. Our software is invisible and undetectable. SONAR utilizes generic blocking messages so that you can best maintain the culture and values of your organization, while maintaining the complete invisibility of the SONAR application.
- How do I install SONAR?
SONAR is easily installed: by yourself, or your IT staff, or by our technicians. You may install manually on each computer in your organization, or automatically by remote desktop session or through Active Directory. We can also provide “exe” and “msi” files or recommend silent third-party install software to make sure your deployment is as smooth as you need it to be. SONAR does not conflict with any anti-virus, anti-spyware, or firewall applications and therefore installs in minutes.
- Can SONAR be disabled or uninstalled?
No. SONAR cannot be disabled or uninstalled by users, even those with administrative privileges. As the administrator, however, you may disable monitoring on the fly or uninstall manually or with an uninstaller file we can provide.
- What does the user see when blocking is used?
When employees attempt to access a blocked site, they receive a generic “action canceled” message generated by the internet browser. When employees attempt to access a blocked program (for example, peer-to-peer file swapping), the program simply fails to open.
- It sounds like I’ll be accumulating a lot of data. Is SONAR easy to use?
Yes, SONAR is very user-friendly. While other security solutions can take days or even months to fully configure, SONAR configures quickly, within minutes or hours, depending on your criteria. Additionally, you are completely in control of how much data SONAR records. It can be set to record as little or as much data as is required by your organization. The data is categorized by type and can be sorted and searched in many ways. You can also utilize alert words and trigger features to hone in on the data that is of interest to you.
- Security is important to me. How will my data be protected?
We protect your data with the encryption technology used by banks worldwide. Data is protected in transit with 128-bit encryption, and guarded behind firewalls at our security-staffed, biometric-access location. How secure is the data? SONAR is now used by federal law enforcement agencies, and our security procedures meet or exceed their highest levels.
- How is SONAR licensed?
SONAR is typically licensed by the number of PC and laptop computers you need to monitor. It is totally scalable, and can be licensed for use on a single computer, or on thousands. We also have several other licensing options for unique environments, so please contact us to help determine what works best for you.
- How much does SONAR cost?
Please visit our pricing page for full details.
- Is there a trial version of SONAR?
Yes. We offer a free 14-day evaluation version. To get yours, just contact us.
- Will SONAR impact my bandwidth?
No. SONAR was actually designed to run efficiently on even a slow dial-up network. In a business setting, the overall impact on bandwidth is truly negligible. How do we do this? The majority of the captured data is converted by SONAR to text, so transfer is far less complex and bandwidth-intensive.
SONAR has a sophisticated control mechanism that ensures that neither the local computer resources nor bandwidth is ever noticeably impacted. SONAR does not send data over the network for scanning and approval. Everything is done on the local computer. SONAR harnesses all the power and flexibility of distributed computing.
- Do I have to have a server to use SONAR?
No. SONAR can be hosted by Awareness Technologies. This means there will be no servers or other hardware required to run SONAR.
You can also choose to install SONAR on your own premises, behind your company firewall. In this instance, you will need a server with a license for Microsoft SQL. A minimum order amount may also be required. Please contact us for details.
- How does SONAR work on laptops?
SONAR is installed the same way, with the same powerful functionality, on each computer – whether it’s a laptop or desktop.
As long as a laptop has Internet access, you will receive all the information on all activity on that laptop, regardless of where it’s physically located. If internet access is not available, SONAR will record all activity until the laptop reconnects to the Internet. SONAR will then send to you all the stored information on all actions performed on the laptop.
Also, wherever that laptop is, it will still be running all your settings. So, if for example, you’ve decided that laptop users should not be able to access certain websites, those restrictions will function not only if the laptop is on your corporate network, but also if the laptop connects to a WiFi network at a local coffee shop.
- Is it legal for me to monitor employees?
Yes. It is legal to control employee computer activity on company-owned PCs and laptops. There are, however, some specific differences in the states’ laws. So, be sure to check your local laws for full details. If you are outside the USA, please check your local privacy laws for the most accurate information.
TECHNICAL FAQ
- What are the system requirements for SONAR?
There are two basic configurations for SONAR – either hosted by us in an On-Demand “Software As A Service” environment, or hosted behind your organization’s firewall.
In the On-Demand configuration, the requirements for each computer are as follows. Hardware: Intel or AMD processor running at 733 MHz or faster. 128 Mb RAM (256 Mb preferred). 20 Mb hard drive space. Software: Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Windows Vista.
For deployments behind your company’s firewall, there are more variables, including the number of computers and the length of time you choose to maintain the recorded data. Contact us for details. A SONAR sales rep will discuss the options with you. The deployment of SONAR will be simpler, faster and cheaper than the competing products that rely on installation on your company’s servers.
- Can I get a free evaluation copy of SONAR?
Yes. Click here.
- Can I host my own data?
Yes. The SONAR server can be hosted behind your company firewall, or it can be hosted by Awareness Technologies. If the server is hosted by Awareness Technologies additional hosting fees will apply, but there will be no hardware required by the user to run SONAR. Please note that a minimum order may be required to host your own data. Please contact us for details.
- Can I set SONAR up to report on-network only?
Yes. SONAR can be easily configured to limit the reporting only when computers are connected to the company’s network. However, we recommend monitoring off-network as well to avoid any blind spots or vulnerabilities. And there’s no extra charge to do this with SONAR. It’s a core part of SONAR’s functionality.
- Can I install SONAR on my server?
Yes. As long as your server meets minimum requirements and is running a licensed copy of Microsoft SQL, SONAR can be easily and quickly installed behind your firewall. A minimum order size may be required. Contact us for details.
- Does my network need to be domain-controlled to use SONAR?
No. SONAR does not require a domain-controlled environment.
- Does SONAR work on Linux/MAC/ 64 bit systems?
No. SONAR does not currently work on Mac, Linux or 64-bit systems. However, these may be supported in the future.
- Does SONAR work with Citrix?
Yes. SONAR provides full functionality in a Citrix environment. Contact us for details.
- I have thin clients. Will SONAR work in my terminal server environment?
Yes. SONAR provides full functionality even on thin clients. Contact us for details.
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