• Products
    • CurrentWare Suite
      • AccessPatrol
        Device Control & DLP
      • BrowseControl
        Web Filter & App Blocker
      • BrowseReporter
        Workforce Analytics & Productivity
      • enPowerManager
        Power Control & Logon Tracking
    • Overview
      • Buy Now
      • Case Studies
      • Find a Reseller
      • Platform Security
      • Request a Demo
      • Self-Guided Demo
      • Reviews & Awards
  • Solutions
    • By Use Case
      • Employee Monitoring Software
      • Computer Activity Monitoring
      • Data Loss Prevention
      • Employee Investigations
      • Employee Productivity
      • Insider Threats
      • Internet Management
      • Remote Workforce
      • Security Compliance
      • Software License Optimization
      • Workforce Optimization
      • More Use Cases
    • By Industry
      • Financial Services
      • Government
      • Healthcare
      • Legal Services
      • Managed Service Providers
      • Manufacturing
      • Schools & Libraries
      • Small Business
  • Customers
    • Our Customers
      • Case Studies
      • Reviews & Awards
    • Customer Success
      • Onboarding Guide
      • Knowledge Base
      • Contact Support
      • System Requirements
  • Resources
    • Featured Resources
      • Employee Monitoring Starter Kit
      • Offboarding Data Security Guide
      • Internet Use Policy Template
      • Removable Media Policy Template
      • User Monitoring Policy Template
    • More Resources
      • Knowledge Base
      • Upgrade Deployment
      • Release Notes
      • Blog Articles
      • CurrentWare Videos
      • More Templates
  • Pricing
  • 1-888-912-9619
  • Contact Sales
  • Get Started for Free
  • Products
    • CurrentWare Suite
      • AccessPatrol
        Device Control & DLP
      • BrowseControl
        Web Filter & App Blocker
      • BrowseReporter
        Workforce Analytics & Productivity
      • enPowerManager
        Power Control & Logon Tracking
    • Overview
      • Buy Now
      • Case Studies
      • Find a Reseller
      • Platform Security
      • Request a Demo
      • Self-Guided Demo
      • Reviews & Awards
  • Solutions
    • By Use Case
      • Employee Monitoring Software
      • Computer Activity Monitoring
      • Data Loss Prevention
      • Employee Investigations
      • Employee Productivity
      • Insider Threats
      • Internet Management
      • Remote Workforce
      • Security Compliance
      • Software License Optimization
      • Workforce Optimization
      • More Use Cases
    • By Industry
      • Financial Services
      • Government
      • Healthcare
      • Legal Services
      • Managed Service Providers
      • Manufacturing
      • Schools & Libraries
      • Small Business
  • Customers
    • Our Customers
      • Case Studies
      • Reviews & Awards
    • Customer Success
      • Onboarding Guide
      • Knowledge Base
      • Contact Support
      • System Requirements
  • Resources
    • Featured Resources
      • Employee Monitoring Starter Kit
      • Offboarding Data Security Guide
      • Internet Use Policy Template
      • Removable Media Policy Template
      • User Monitoring Policy Template
    • More Resources
      • Knowledge Base
      • Upgrade Deployment
      • Release Notes
      • Blog Articles
      • CurrentWare Videos
      • More Templates
  • Pricing
  • 1-888-912-9619
  • Contact Sales
  • Get Started for Free

How to Monitor Application Usage on Windows Computers

August 27, 2020
BrowseReporter. Employee Monitoring: How to monitor application usage

How to Monitor Windows Application Use With BrowseReporter

NOTE: The above video features a legacy user interface for BrowseReporter. To see the latest features and interface please visit the BrowseReporter product page.

Try It For Free Learn More

CASE STUDY
Activity Insights in Citrix Workspace Drives Software Adoption and Productivity

Businesses need insights into the employee experience so they can address any friction during the adoption of new tools.

Read The Coding Network’s case study to learn how CurrentWare’s software usage tracking solutions helped them get their software adoption rate to 100%

2022 Updates

  • today's insights user score cards
    Today’s Insights
  • BrowseReporter specific application usage dashboard
    Specific Application Usage
  • Top Websites and Applications
  • Search engine query report with queries related to insider data theft
    Search Queries Report
  • Application activity log with app titles
    App Activity Log
  • A lot has changed in BrowseReporter since this video was introduced; BrowseReporter’s new user activity dashboards provide further insights into what software your employees use.

    Original Video Transcript

    Thanks for checking out the latest CurrentWare how-to video. Today we will cover how to monitor application activity on your employee’s computers.

    If you like this or other videos we’ve produced, hit the subscribe button below. Stay tuned to the end to learn how to get a free trial of the software I demo today.

    Subscribe to the CurrentWare YouTube Channel

    The benefits of monitoring computer applications

    Let’s get started with covering some of the benefits of monitoring application activity in your workplace.

    • The first is Shadow IT and getting insight into unknown and unmanaged applications.
    • The second is understanding who is using unproductive or non-work related programs.
    • The third is Application Sprawl & License Management to see if there’s apps that very few users are using or legacy apps that should be removed & de-licensed

    So let’s jump in.

    Shadow IT refers to software that employees use without the knowledge of the IT department or management. According to the Everest Group over 50% of technology spend in organizations is considered Shadow IT. This means that over half their budgets are spent on software and programs that the IT department has no knowledge of. 

    Monitoring application use with BrowseReporter

    With CurrentWare’s BrowseReporter solution, you can see exactly which applications are being run in your environment. 

    Desktop screen capture showing executables for Dropbox, Cisco Webex, and other Windows applications

    In this example, we see that the user has the Dropbox app installed. Dropbox is a popular consumer cloud storage and sharing platform and the user has been using Dropbox to transfer and store files. In this company’s environment, Dropbox is not an approved file storage application so it is a major concern that they are using this application on a work device.

    Application usage report from BrowseReporter, computer monitoring software

    With BrowseReporter’s top applications by active time report, we are able to discover that the user Andy has been spending a significant amount of time on Dropbox as it’s his most used application. This is an issue that should immediately be investigated by the IT department to ensure the user is not involved in any nefarious activity. 

    In previous videos, we’ve covered how distracting and unproductive the internet can be, but applications can be just as bad. By using BrowseReporter, you can investigate which employees are being distracted by unproductive computer programs like chat apps, video games or movie players.

    BrowseReporter's software application usage monitoring dashboard with graphs

    In this example, we can see the user is sending a lot of messages on Skype and by looking at the applications used by hour report, we see Andy spent all his time from 11AM and 1PM on Skype. Skype is not an application that is used by this organization for work purposes. This isn’t a productive use of Andy’s time and could be a good opportunity to speak to him about why he is spending so much time on the app.

    Collect software utilization data to address application sprawl

    The third area to focus on is application sprawl and understanding software utilization. Software licenses, especially SAAS products can be expensive so understanding which products are actually being used by which employees can significantly reduce costs & cybersecurity risks. In addition, it’s a good opportunity to learn if there are products that some users are using that could benefit the rest of the organization. 

    BrowseReporter computer monitoring software daily application usage by hour report with conferencing software examples

    In this example, we see that Andy has been using numerous different types of conference call, screen sharing and video applications like Go to Meeting, Slack, Zoho Assist, Zoho Meetings and Skype. All of these apps have similar functionality, so understanding why Andy is using so many different applications and whether these platforms should be blocked in our environment should be investigated. In addition, the IT department could understand the benefits of the platforms Andy is using and decide whether the tools can be deployed for the rest of the organization.  

    Block Windows Applications With BrowseControl

    screenshot of BrowseControl's application blocker

    Now that we’ve covered how to monitor application activity, one last thing to note is undesirable applications can actually be blocked using CurrentWare’s BrowseControl. So whether it’s for security, productivity or for some other reason, being able to block applications that are not authorized for your environment can be beneficial.

    With CurrentWare’s products you can also find out which URLs are being visited and block specific URLs or categories of websites. For example if Andy was also using dropbox.com or another cloud storage website, you can find out how often he was visiting that domain, block the URL, or even block the entire cloud storage category of websites.

    Book a Demo Learn More

    Thanks for watching this video on how to monitor application use with BrowseReporter. If you have any thoughts on the reports or suggestions we’ve covered in this video, feel free to comment below. 

    If you’d like to give BrowseReporter or any of the other CurrentWare Solutions a try, please check out our free trial at CurrentWare.com/download or get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help!

    Related posts

    August 26, 2025

    8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees


    Read more
    Employee Monitoring vs. Performance Management. What's the Difference? Are you improving performance, or enforcing policies?
    August 21, 2025

    Performance Management vs Employee Monitoring: What’s the Difference?


    Read more

    CurrentWare's data loss prevention, productivity, and security software gives you advanced control and visibility over technology use in your organization

    1-888-912-9619

    • Products
      • CurrentWare Suite
      • AccessPatrol
      • BrowseControl
      • BrowseReporter
      • enPowerManager
    • Solutions
      • Data Loss Prevention
      • Employee Monitoring
      • Endpoint Security
      • Insider Threats
      • Managed Service Providers
      • Monitor Productivity
      • Office Attendance Tracking
      • Remote Workers
      • Security Compliance
      • Software License Optimization
      • Staff Investigations
      • User Activity Monitoring
      • Web Management
      • More Solutions
    • Learn
      • Block Internet Access
      • Block USB
      • Monitoring Guide
      • Monitor Web Use
      • Monitor WFH Staff
        • COMPARISONS
      • ActivTrak Alternative
      • Teramind Alternative
      • Insightful Alternative
      • More Comparisons
    • Resources
      • Join Our Newsletter!
      • Cloud Deployment
      • Find a Reseller
      • Knowledge Base
      • Onboarding
      • Release Notes
      • System Requirements
        • DEMOS
      • Free Trial
      • Overview Video
      • Request Demo
      • Self-Guided Demo
    • Company
      • About Us
      • Case Studies
      • Be a Reseller
      • MSP Program
      • Get a Quote
      • Contact Us
      • Platform Security
    2025 CurrentWare. All Rights Reserved. Based in North America
    |
    Sitemap
    |
    Privacy Policy
    |
    Terms of Service