Carlile Transportation Systems
Monitoring Software Delivers for Alaskan Shipping Company

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The Setting

Carlile Transportation Systems calls itself an “Alaska Success Story.” Started in 1980 by Harry and John McDonald with a couple of tractors, the Anchorage operation has become one of the state’s largest and most respected shipping companies, offering services on land, water, and in the air.

Eugene O’Neal has been the company’s Information Systems (IS) Manager for eight years. Prior to joining Carlile, O’Neal was a small business owner operating as Klondike Computer Company, but he “got to thinking that it might be easier to work on one big system” as opposed to many small ones.

“At that point the company had a need, I came aboard, and we’ve grown the network to what it is today,” said O’Neal.

Carlile Transportation Systems has a Wide Area Network consisting of approximately 115 workstations. There are 60 PCs at the Anchorage headquarters, 30 at the Federal Way, Washington facility, 10 more in Fairbanks, and the rest scattered across the map in places like Kenai, Prudhoe Bay, Seward, Edmonton, and even as far away as Houston.

“At one point we were running Novell, Unix, and Windows,” said O’Neal. “But we’ve gone exclusively to a Windows 2000 Server environment.”

The Challenge

Technological growth and the subsequent challenges signaled a new age at Carlile Transportation Systems. According to O’Neal, about four years ago, the company began using email and started connecting to the Internet using dial-up connections.

“I see the Internet and email as an opportunity for things to happen that are not businesslike,” said O’Neal. “When we entered the world of email and Internet, I got worried. My formerly closed system was OPEN. And there were lots of holes. Activity spiraled down from there.”

Search for a Solution

Despite his concerns over the Internet and its impact on the company in general and network security in particular, an Internet search helped O’Neal learn a great deal about available solutions to combat frivolous and inappropriate PC and Internet activity.

“I conducted a search and saw SpectorSoft from the start,” said O’Neal. “It was not in my budget at the time, so I tried another product but it was not nearly as comprehensive as I would have liked. I wanted to do more and I had been keeping my eye on SpectorSoft all along.”

Convinced he needed to go another route, O’Neal began his SpectorSoft experience in early 2003 by purchasing a lone copy of Spector Pro and testing it out at home. Very soon thereafter, O’Neal purchased multiple licenses and implemented the award-winning software at Carlile Transportation Systems. Not more than a year after that, O’Neal became convinced he needed the next level in PC and Internet activity monitoring software. He made the jump by purchasing and installing Spector CNE (Corporate Network Edition).

“I had been keeping an eye on the company, watching the software grow,” said O’Neal. “It became time to rethink the monitoring software, and Spector CNE’s networking feature made it easier for me to use, and easier for me to sell to management.”

Discoveries

“We’ve had some situations where people visited x-rated sites and we’ve been able to take corrective actions,” said O’Neal. “One thing is sure … Spector CNE’s screenshots feature is proof positive.

“It’s amazing … people will deny their actions all the way to the photograph. But once you get to the screen snapshots, it’s amazing how quickly they change their tune. It’s a very valuable tool in that right.”

	“Monitoring has had a positive affect on the surfing situation,” said O’Neal. “There was a lot going on when they didn’t think we were monitoring. “Now I rarely see anything I’m concerned about.”
	“We monitor everything, with a focus on email and Internet activities,” said O’Neal. “We don’t have the need or desire to go into the software and do a 24/7 check on everybody, but we have the system in place in case we need to look at anything. “For example, if an employee is leaving us, we’ll do a routine check. It’s a real effective tool for departure situations … expected or unexpected.”
	“We had some employees treat email like a chatroom, all kinds of personal messages back and forth,” said O’Neal. “That’s not acceptable. That kind of behavior is poor business practice to start with, but it also represents a bandwidth issue. There’s limited bandwidth as it is without clogging it with unnecessary email.”

Working With Employees

Carlile Transportation Systems monitors PC and Internet activity at its headquarters and five of seven remote facilities.

“We have the Carlile Online Systems Policy and we let employees know we do monitor,” said O’Neal. “All employees are required to sign it.”

O’Neal developed the company’s policy when he first implemented monitoring with SpectorSoft software. He sent a copy of the policy to each user, asked for them to be signed and returned, and then forwarded the originals to Human Resources.

“The policy has been made part of our employee packet,” said O’Neal. “That way I’m sure I don’t miss anyone.”

	“Some feel there is a morale factor to consider when you monitor, and I think there needs to be some sensitivity to that. I work very hard to make sure the IS department is not viewed as a police force. “But the bottom line is more important than morale. Employees have to be accountable. “It’s just prudent to monitor.”
	O’Neal said his department handles initial contact with wayward company employees. “At first infraction, the IS department issues a verbal warning,” said O’Neal. “At second infraction, IS sends the employee an email, with acknowledgement required. At the third offense, the situation goes to HR (Human Resources). Enforcement belongs to HR.”

Spector CNE: The Software of Choice

Especially because of the distance between Anchorage and the balance of the Carlile Transportation Systems facilities, O’Neal said he highly favors software that can be remotely installed and maintained. He emphasized the company’s Washington site, for example, is 2,800 miles away. He then ticked off mileage between Anchorage and the rest of the company sites.

“If we can’t fix it by phone, then we have to go onsite,” said O’Neal. “That’s one reason we liked the Spector CNE software. We put it on some time ago and haven’t had to touch it.

“Spector CNE polices itself … it’s really dependable stuff. That speaks volumes about the software.”

	“I found it to be very easy to install and learn,” said O’Neal. “I really appreciate Spector CNE’s centralized management. It’s changed the way we monitor. Before CNE, most of the monitoring work we did had to be done after hours, when employees were away from their workstation.”
	“Not everyone will need to review all the data Spector CNE provides,” said O’Neal. “But it is a good comfort to know that if something goes over the edge – like theft or leaking of proprietary information – we have what we need to watch it and deal with it. “If there’s ever any question… that’s where SpectorSoft shines for me.”
	“From a security standpoint, Spector CNE has done a real good job for us,” said O’Neal. “We have fairly dedicated employees and high productivity, but it only takes one event.”
	“Spector CNE offers good value for the dollar,” said O’Neal. “Good bang for the buck.”

O’Neal summed up what might be Spector CNE’s most special delivery:

“Your company policy determines the rules -- and Spector CNE enforces them.”

For more information about Carlile Transportation Systems, please visit www.carlile.biz.

For more information about Spector CNE, please visit www.spectorcne.com … or for more information about SpectorSoft and its other dependable, full-featured PC and Internet Activity Monitoring Software products, please visit www.spectorsoft.com.

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