The Plastics Group of America
Monitoring Software Helps Mold Attitude, Actions at The Plastics Group

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The Setting

The Plastics Group of America (TPGOA) is a leading manufacturer of thermoplastic resins and provider of related services. Headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island with an additional manufacturing facility in Blairsville, Georgia, TPGOA was formed in 1973 by Robert "Bob" Lebeaux as a one-man business focused on buying and reselling plastic scrap. Since then, the company has grown into an advanced, ISO-registered operation with more than 70 employees.

Three Windows 2000 servers drive approximately 25 Windows XP workstations at the home office, including 4 PCs connected to the network offsite.

“The company has been around a long time,” said Lebeaux. “We're fairly successful. We don't hold the hands of our employees. We're basically laid back … easy-going … have a good time, do your job. That was our mistake … that philosophy can be a two-edged sword.”

The Challenge

TPGOA recently experienced the painful cuts of that proverbial sword.

“Using some simple software at the firewall, we were able to see basic reports … an error log … of PC activity that made no sense at all,” said Lebeaux. “We saw a lot of attempts to access AOL … IMs … I saw it and said 'something is wrong'. It didn't look too good. We brought the report to the employees … but they pretended ignorance.”

Search for a Solution

Lebeaux said the error log was the first documented sign of concern at TPGOA, but added that he had been having some unverified qualms regarding the work habits of his employees.

“Productivity definitely was an issue,” said Lebeaux. “Productivity was key.”

His curiosity piqued by the error reports, Lebeaux began to look for a software program powerful enough to address his suspicions and hold his employees accountable to the company's long-standing Acceptable Use Policy … without “breaking the bank.”

Lebeaux, a relative newcomer to the world of monitoring software, said the first few products he reviewed did not seem to offer a palatable mix of price and performance.

“I saw some supposedly applicable products, but pricing seemed out of line … prohibitive … on quite a few,” said Lebeaux. “Regarding SpectorSoft, previously I had seen some mention of the company and its software when I was online. I didn't bookmark it at the time, but I do remember saying to myself 'that's sort of neat.'”

When reviewing the SpectorSoft product line, Lebeaux first saw Spector Pro, more a standalone PC monitoring solution.

“Spector Pro would have worked for what we needed,” said Lebeaux. “But I knew I could not discriminate when it came to monitoring.”

Lebeaux then noticed Spector CNE (Corporate Network Edition). He spoke with the SpectorSoft sales team, and “that was it.”

“When I saw Spector CNE's capabilities, it was as no-brainer, “ said Lebeaux.

Discoveries

“Once we started using Spector CNE, we monitored everything,” said Lebeaux. “But we brought only the Internet usage reports to the employees. THAT WAS ENOUGH!”

Enough indeed … initial Spector CNE findings shocked Lebeaux.

“Really, all it took was the first day … maybe just the first few hours,” said Lebeaux. “I was actually sitting in front of Server Number One and I saw personal use just flying by.”

Initial revelations occurred on a Thursday and Friday, during which one individual immediately stood out with six hours of non-work website surfing each day. Those findings were just the tip of the iceberg, however … there were plenty more abusive activities to address.

“The early report went like this,” said Lebeaux. “One person logged 51 non-work hours in eight days … another 30 non-work hours in six days … and another 26 non-work hours in six days.”

	“Surfing was apparent on our production floor PC, too,” said Lebeaux. “This is a 24/7 area, and lots of things were happening late at night. That PC showed three to fours a night on porn. “The URLs our people were visiting were not patently illegal. But the popups that can arise after visiting porn sites… some of those could have showed up as 'under 18' types … and that got me nervous.”
	Lebeaux said Spector CNE permitted him to “drill down” and take an up-close look at the specific activities occurring beneath the broad “non-work hours” label. “The worst offender spent about 75 percent of non-work time on porn,” said Lebeaux. “Another major offender showed about 30 percent of the non-work time on porn, while one had no porn surfing but did PLENTY of shopping, and all around the world!”
	Lebeaux said Spector CNE findings gave him reason to ponder what he considers a vexing question: “How much personal time is acceptable?” said Lebeaux. “If you look at it closely and use the online calculator at the Spector CNE website, almost ANY non-work time adds up to something significant, especially when you look at your actual hourly rates.” The CNE website feature referenced by Lebeaux uses a conservative $20 an hour figure when calculating the cost of frivolous and inappropriate employee activity. “$20 an hour … we have some employees making twice that,” said Lebeaux.
	Lebeaux said that while Spector CNE findings reinforced some deep-seated concerns, the software also alleviated some of his fears. “A couple of employees I thought would show up pretty bad were not a problem at all,” said Lebeaux. “Spector CNE showed me that one person I was concerned about comes in about 20 minutes early, checks the news and then moves on to what he's supposed to be doing. He's coming to work and he's working!”

Awareness

Despite the gravity of Spector CNE's findings, very little word made the TPGOA “grapevine”.

“There really wasn't a buzz,” said Lebeaux. “Others didn't really know. Those who were responsible were so embarrassed, they didn't discuss it!”

Working with Employees

Spector CNE is so powerful and successful at TPGOA that there were no arguments when Lebeaux brought his findings to the workforce.

“No one tried to make excuses,” said Lebeaux. “We expected them to try to justify their actions. Incredibly, they just said 'we messed up and we'll do better.'

“One employee I expected a little resistance from surprised me. I let him know he had signed an Acceptable Use Policy, and he had no problem with it. He told me he had no expectation of privacy when using company equipment.

“Spector CNE has allowed me to enforce the company Acceptable Use Policy … I think it is important to have one.”

As a result of Spector CNE deployment, Lebeaux said “we've locked down all websites.” “If it is not business-related, you can't go there,” said Lebeaux. “We have an 'approved list.' Access must be OK'd by me in advance. It seems pretty harsh, but it is necessary.”

Spector CNE: The Software of Choice

Lebeaux said he SHOUTS Spector CNE's virtues whenever he has an opportunity.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE WHAT YOUR PEOPLE ARE DOING?” said Lebeaux. “That's how I start when I bring up Spector CNE to others … it's like shock value … it really gets their attention. Then I talk to them about the particulars.

“Anyone I speak to in business, they hear about my experience with Spector CNE, and I also forward the SpectorSoft URL. I was at a business associate's office the other day, and I brought along some Spector CNE printouts for him to see.”

	“We had no clue about what was going on,” said Lebeaux. “Spector CNE is a great barometer, and it's a great price for what is accomplished. I look at it where $500 could conceivably be enough to save the company. I saw other software priced in the many thousands of dollars. With Spector CNE, I was amazed at all its features for such a reasonable price. I said 'that's all it is? Let's just do it.' Bringing Spector CNE into the workplace was definitely worth the effort. I'm just sorry we didn't do it sooner.”
	When considering the money saved by implementing Spector CNE, Lebeaux was stumped for an exact figure. “I can't even go that high,” Lebeaux said. “I remember what I was thinking after spending that first day watching the personal use. I was up half the night running the numbers in my head … non-work activity has cost us TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars over the last two to three years. “This has been going on for a while … the appearance of this activity was not some immaculate conception … it didn't just happen overnight.”
	“Spector CNE clearly has increased productivity,” said Lebeaux. “The offenders are on the straight and narrow. Our folks are back to work and FOCUSED. We see some of them much more often, doing what they're supposed to be doing, and where they ought to be.”
	Lebeaux's enthusiasm for Spector CNE even extends to one of software's traditionally less exciting aspects. “Installation … it was phenomenal,” said Lebeaux. “The IT guy and myself … we did the install. He had not seen the product before … what we needed to learn we learned together … it was pretty straightforward. You have everything right in front of you … boom, get it done … no problems.”
	“The one time I had occasion to use it, SpectorSoft's Tech Support was impressive,” said Lebeaux. “The whole company seems to really pay attention to detail. When I called back to speak with sales a few hours after the Tech Support call, my sales rep not only knew I had called for support, but EXACTLY WHEN.”
	Lebeaux said he is convinced of the validity of the monitoring concept … so much so that three laptops he purchased for his children - ages 11, 13, and 16 - have SpectorSoft products on them. “When you look at what can happen out there - pedophiles and other dangers - it makes sense to protect the family,” said Lebeaux.
	“With Spector CNE, there's no reason to look for anything else,” said Lebeaux. “Spector CNE has anything you would need PLUS some more!”

“Spector CNE is a phenomenal product,” said Lebeaux. “Use of this product should be the norm. If they're watching, nine out of ten companies will find that there are some issues. As far as I'm concerned, Spector CNE is a story that has to be told.”

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For more information about The Plastics Group of America, please visit www.tpgoa.com.

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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