My company are trying to install Desktop Xpert (I don't know what the version is) on every work PC. I.T. say that it will assist them keeping track of what software is licensed and how frequently the application is used as every day your activities will be placed on a log file and sent to IT.

But I have suspicion that they intend to use it to monitor what people are up to with their PC's and find out what non-corporate software they are using.

Could it be used as a tool to spy on the employees? If that is the case, then I have a lot of stuff to get rid of from my work PC and it will cut out a lot of my fun time at work.

Currently they run on a kind of trust basis, but they're afraid of infection from viruses, so if you get caught downloading anything from the net, including mp3's , screensavers, games etc, you face dismissal or disconnection from the network.

But this feels like the first step they're taking towards spying on what we're doing, the excuse that they're doing it for licensing purposes is a bit of a joke, since I.T. are never involved in the purchasing process of a lot of the software we use, so how are they going to know what is legitimate.

Our department is resisting this installation, but it is probably only a matter of time before we have to install it.

So if anybody has any knowledge of this software and it's capabilities, could they please let me know what to expect and if I need to worry.

Any story you get from upper management is usually half truth, half lie. Maybe its spyware, maybe not. You could always go to their web site and check out ALL the features it has. I have never heard of this thing.

As for them saying it tracks software and how often it is used, that MIGHT be true, but even if it were, I seriously doubt that is the entire reason.

When they say part of the reason is licensing reason, that is probably plain and utter B.S. My last employer LET US burn Windows 95, 98, NT, and just about anything else we wanted. He could have gotten in SERIOUS trouble for that. Hell I was happy, I was getting free software.

I don't know a single business of the planet that has NEVER cracked software. Even people at Microsoft do it, they just deny it.

I guess if this were me, and they say it is to track software usage, I would be VERY skeptical. I don't care how much they reassure you, it is probably a lie. Can't say for sure, but in my experience, they never tell you everything.

If you have illegal software on your machine (who doesn't???), you might want to scrap it or copy somewhere else. Never hurts to be too safe.

On another note, something that I find utterly ridiculous, is porn or crack sites that tell you to get internet eraser, because deleting internet cache and history doesn't delete everything.

Wellll....that's partially true. Inside the cache directories are hidden index pages. That's all its killing. When they say that web sites are stored in the registry, that's not entirely true. I've gone to porn sites specifically to see if it gets added to the registry. I did a research for the url and the page name, and it didn't come show. Yes they are partially right, but they don't tell you everything. Also, if you are going places you shouldn't, then don't use explorer! Use netscape or opera. They are much better at covering your tracks.

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.