Are You Monitoring Your Mac Computer?

Macs are known for being impervious to viruses, unlike their PC counterparts, which are vulnerable to all types of malicious software without the right anti-virus protection. However, this added protection often lulls many Mac users into being complacent when it comes to taking security measures to protect their computer and its contents. Although Apple operating systems are less susceptible to spyware, adware, and other malicious programs, they can be abused by unscrupulous or unrestricted users. You should consider the benefits of remotely monitoring your Mac if you fit into one of the following stereotypes:

The Busy Businessman

As a multitasking businessman it can be easy to forget to power down your Mac before leaving the office. With a remote monitoring service/app you can easily access your Mac from anywhere you can connect to the internet, on any device that can load a conventional web browser – including smartphones and tablets. You can even remotely log out of your user account, view and kill active processes, or shut down the computer altogether. This makes it easy to keep unwanted eyes from prying into your business data. Furthermore, you can remotely view, download, modify, and use files/programs that are stored on your Mac, so you can have the office computer with you wherever you go.

The Protective Parent

Remote monitoring takes your parental control capabilities to the next level. Instead of simply setting up web filters that may or may not block all forbidden content, you can actually view a child’s activity in real-time or review detailed logs of past activity complete with screenshots that you can set to be taken at custom intervals. Using remote monitoring apps/services in combination with parental control filters is the best way to ensure that your children are protected from inappropriate content while browsing the internet. Also, you’ll no longer have to worry about whether your kid has actually been doing their homework or watching YouTube; you can view all of the programs/windows they’ve opened, see how long they were used, and quickly discover any files that were created or modified.

The Demanding Techie

Web designers, software developers, programmers, and other online service providers often own and manage more than one computer and/or operating system. Most techies have a smartphone, netbook, or tablet that they use to compute while on-the-go, but still need to have access to important files, emails, and applications that are stored on their home/office computers. Advanced software tasks can sometimes take hours to complete, and it’s nice to be able to check up on the progress of operations while you’re away from the Mac. In addition, with the ability to remotely use your Mac’s processing capabilities and RAM you can launch and operate resource-intensive programs through the web browser of the device you’re using to connect to the online control interface, essentially giving your mobile device the computing power of your Mac. Remote Mac monitoring should be utilized by any techie that simply can’t afford to be away from their main powerhouse computer for too long.