How to Set Up Employee Monitoring in 5 Minutes with DeskTrust
A step-by-step guide to setting up DeskTrust employee monitoring. From account creation to live screen viewing in under 5 minutes. No IT expertise required.
One of the most common complaints about employee monitoring software is the setup process. Enterprise tools like Teramind, Veriato, and InterGuard can take hours or even days to deploy properly. You need to configure monitoring policies, set up user groups, define alert thresholds, install server infrastructure, and train your team on a complex admin interface.
DeskTrust was designed to be the opposite. We believe that if you cannot start monitoring within 5 minutes of creating an account, the tool is too complex for most businesses. Here is exactly how to do it, step by step.
What You Will Need
- An email address for your admin account
- Employee names and email addresses
- Access to employee computers (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
- 5 minutes
Create Your DeskTrust Account
1 minuteVisit desktrust.com and click "Start Free Trial." Enter your name, email, company name, and create a password. No credit card required. You will receive a confirmation email -- click the link to verify your account and access the admin dashboard.
Add Your Employees
1 minuteFrom the admin dashboard, navigate to "Employees" and click "Add Employee." Enter each employee's name and email address. DeskTrust will generate a unique agent key for each employee. You can add employees one at a time or in bulk. Each employee gets their own login credentials for the employee portal.
Download and Install the Agent
2 minutesGo to the Download page and download the DeskTrust agent for your employees' operating system -- Windows, macOS, or Linux. Share the installer with your employees along with their unique agent key. The installation is a standard next-next-finish process that takes under a minute. Once installed, the agent connects automatically using the agent key.
Verify Everything is Working
30 secondsGo back to the admin dashboard and navigate to the "Live" view. You should see each employee's screen in real-time as soon as their agent connects. The green status indicator means the agent is running and capturing data. Screenshots, application usage, and time tracking begin immediately.
Configure Optional Settings
30 seconds (optional)The defaults work great for most teams, but you can customize screenshot intervals, work hour schedules, application categories, and notification preferences from the Settings page. You can also set up groups to organize employees by department or team.
That is it. You are done.
Within 5 minutes of starting, you have a fully functional employee monitoring system with live screen viewing, automated screenshots, application tracking, and time tracking. No server infrastructure, no complex configuration, no IT team required.
What You Can Do Now
With DeskTrust up and running, here is what is immediately available to you:
Live Screen Viewing
Watch any employee's screen in real-time from your dashboard. Switch between employees instantly.
Screenshot Timeline
Review a chronological timeline of screenshots showing what each employee worked on throughout the day.
Activity Tracking
See which applications and websites each employee uses, categorized by productivity.
Time Tracking
Automatic tracking of active work time, idle time, and breaks -- no manual timers needed.
Daily Reports
Get daily summaries of each employee's productivity metrics delivered to your dashboard.
Employee Portal
Employees can log into their own portal to see their activity data and manage their profile.
For detailed documentation on all features, visit the DeskTrust documentation center.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Agent is not connecting
Make sure the employee entered the correct agent key. Check that the computer has internet access. Try restarting the agent from the system tray. If using a firewall, ensure outbound HTTPS (port 443) is allowed to desktrust.com.
Screenshots are not appearing
The first screenshots may take 1-2 minutes to appear after the agent connects. Verify the agent is running (look for the DeskTrust icon in the system tray). Check that screenshot capture is enabled in Settings.
Employee shows as offline
The employee may have closed or paused the agent. Check with them to ensure the agent is running. If the computer went to sleep, the agent will reconnect automatically when it wakes up.
What to Do in Your First Week
The first week of monitoring is about establishing a baseline, not making judgments. Here is a recommended first-week plan:
- Day 1-2: Let the system collect data. Resist the urge to make immediate changes based on limited information.
- Day 3: Review the first few daily reports. Note any patterns that stand out -- high performers, potential overwork, unusual activity.
- Day 4-5: Use the data to have brief, positive conversations with team members. Start with high performers and recognize their work using concrete data.
- End of Week 1: Review aggregate team data. Identify one or two process improvements you could make based on what the data shows. Share these insights with the team.
Ready to start monitoring in 5 minutes?
Create your free DeskTrust account now. No credit card required. Full feature access for 14 days.