Posted on 09/27/2006 12:46:03 PM PDT by kenn5
Annapolis company's systems help to monitor employees' computer use By ANDREW CHLDERS, Staff Writer
Marylanders know a thing or two about surviving the tedium of work, ranking among the nation's top time-wasters on the job.
But Ermis Sfakiyanudis and Alan Schunemann are just determined to ruin it for everyone.
ETelemetry in Annapolis specializes in business intelligence, helping firms to track their own technology infrastructure and people, to find out who's working diligently and who's updating a MySpace profile or rearranging a Netflix queue. The bane of office loafers everywhere, eTelemetry's Metron and Locate network trackers can pinpoint individual "bandwidth hogs" on a company's network, even tallying the time individual employees spend surfing the net.
"Web pages aren't very big. You can surf all day and it wouldn't show on a bandwidth graph," said Mr. Schunemann, eTelemetry's chief technology officer.
And the average worker spends a lot of time surfing. According to a recent survey by America Online and salary.com, Maryland ranks 16th in the nation for time wasted at work, with 2.4 hours a day going down the tubes, costing employers an estimated $17 billion in wages annually. Missouri workers rank as the nation's loafing kings, with more than three hours of each workday squandered.
While a quarter of that time went to chit-chat with co-workers and two minutes of company time went to looking for a new job, by far the most common time drain was the Internet. Workers blow an hour each day just surfing the Net.
The folks at eTelemetry have even turned their systems on themselves, raising a few eyebrows when their own employees' Internet use was tracked.
"It's amazing what we've discovered," Mr. Schunemann said. "Very useful from a manager's perspective."
But busting employees for tweaking their fantasy football rosters is only one benefit of eTelemetry's systems, which provide companies with "business intelligence." Metron and Locate simply plug into existing network hardware to evaluate how well systems interact and where Internet bandwidth should be allocated most effectively.
"Some of our customers use it as a resource tool to allocate resources," Mr. Sfakiyanudis said.
In the rush to add the most updated technology during the 1990s, some businesses may have overlooked ensuring that all of the components worked together optimally, and eTelemetry has carved out a niche in the technology market helping companies make the most out of the infrastructure they already have.
"Now you can add some sanity," said Mr. Sfakiyanudis, company president.
The company, founded by Mr. Sfakiyanudis and Mr. Schunemann in 1999, is growing exponentially. Last week eTelemetry moved into new larger offices as it announced $4 million in venture funding that will more than double the size of the company within the next year.
From 12 full-time staffers now, the company expects to grow to 25 or 30 people by late 2007. Connecticut-based Centripetal Capital Partners is investing $4 million to continuing developing Locate and Metron.
"Critical to our decision-making is solid evidence of a competitively advantaged, strong and proprietary product that meets an unmet or underserved need in a large and growing market," Centripetal Capital principal Jeff Brodlieb said in a statement issued this week.
Part of a growing tech community in Anne Arundel, eTelemetry has also become a refuge for a number of former USinternetworking employees. Mr. Schunemann and Janice Roper-Graham, vice president of marketing, both spent time at USi, and they credit the enthusiasm generated by that firm for spawning a swath of other, smaller tech businesses in the county.
Drawing on his business background and geekish proclivities, Mr. Schunemann said the goal of eTelemetry was to meld the two previously incompatible worlds.
"I wanted to do something good for business with geek stuff," he said.
>>>They are cool guys and are too busy to spend all day watching to see what we do but they do have sniffer and firewall programs installed to keep you from accessing porn sites and gambling sites. >>>
Now that is one thing I do agree with. I don't think company computers should be allowed to access those sites. It's not safe for the network.
But like when I'm on hold(30% of my day), I'm usually surfing.
>>>If not, I'd say, it does not look all too good. With one exception, if it is something awesome enough for everyone to dump work and grab a bucket of microwave popcorn, then you be the office man in the know, especially if you have main server side personel support :-)!>>>
Do people usually set up popcorn for streaming AUDIO?
hehe
It is the greatest software ever created for clueless lusers who call the Help Desk and claim something doesn't exist. Instead of arguing whether there is a folder called "Program Files" in the Windows Explorer that doesn't exist, you can show them.
Actually, my last 'real job' had me in a cubical, no windows, in front of a computer monitor all day. No one in the office took their 15 minute breaks and they all at lunch at their desks! We were connected to the net and soon after I joined the office the boss thought too much 'surfing' was going on and started to monitor things. Sheesh, I even got dinged for looking up a few regulations and guidance letters....and it was work related.
I lasted about one month in that environment.
Sometimes they are required to add software to *all* users and this prevents them from having to go from desk to deak all over the building (plus our remote locations). Yes, it can also be used to demonstrate where to find or how to use a program the user thinks is not available. It also allows the user to demonstrate how some software is screwed up.
hehe
Haha. I suppose if they were desperate/bored enough at work (which I truly have been before!) or like me who would microwave a bag of popcorn to watch the mail slip through the mail slot.
Okay, you caught me. I'm embarrassed. I got it in my head skeeter had asked about streaming VIDEO. Plus, I'm a big ole' food addict, when I am bored and someone offers a momentary reprieve. I'd microwave a bag if a fellow employee asked me to come watch the second hand on the clock move. :-)
Thank goodness. I was afraid to ask about the popcorn for fear of looking like the luddite I am...
"Do we self-employed folks have to install it, too?"
I work from home on a company PC but my own PC is on the desk nect to it. HA! Take that forces of oppression!
>>> I'd microwave a bag if a fellow employee asked me to come watch the second hand on the clock move. :-)>>>
Me too!! Especially movie theatre butter popcorn.
hhhmmmmm butterrrrrr
Fascinating. Thanks for the link.
D*mn Small Linux for the win. :D
I've seen dongle based Linux before, but one that can operate without rebooting the computer? That would be rather nifty.
>>>Oh yeah. I hear ya . . . MMMM BUTTTTER. And that movie theatre butter popcorn . . . well let's just say . . . between the two of us there would be no sharing :-). I am delving this very moment into a bowl of large 'homemade' with real butter. One of the benefits of working from home. Did I just say working? :-)>>>
There is NOTHING like good old fashioned shook on the stove popcorn with drizzled melted REAL butter. Probably alot better for you, no matter what the fat police say. REAL fat is always better than synthetic fat.
You have to reboot, but it will fit on a USB memstick. It comes with all of the essentials.
It does require the ability to change the boot order or make a boot floppy, though. :)
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