File monitoring with PRTG
Keep track of your files and protect your organization from data loss
- Keep a close eye on log files and other critical file types, file servers, and folders
- Continuously monitor access and changes to your files in real time
- Get notified immediately in the case of potential security incidents
Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG
PRTG file monitoring: What you’ll find on this page
PRTG makes file activity monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent data loss and security issues.
Strengthen your security framework while you sleep
Data security is one of the biggest concerns of the enterprise. Who has access to our files? Are our data management practices efficient? Is our proprietary information safe? Paessler PRTG clamps down on data security with robust file and file server monitoring.
Get immediate threat detection
You can mitigate a data disaster, or you can prevent one. With PRTG’s file system monitoring capabilities, prevention is easier. Real-time file monitoring can help detect unauthorized access, file modifications, and data breaches. Because you’re notified immediately, you can quickly move to stop potential security threats.
Avoid compliance fines and legal issues
When you work in an industry governed by strict regulations, monitoring and auditing access to files is a common requirement. Chain of Custody reporting, for example, is integral to GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. File monitoring with PRTG’s in-depth reporting is the support you need to monitor and maintain that chain of custody with sensitive data.
Quickly identify the scope of a breach
As a sysadmin, you always hope a data breach doesn’t occur, but if it does, you need to move fast, and visibility is key. PRTG gives you the forensic data you need to understand the scope of the breach, the specific files affected, and where the attack came from. Armed with this information, you can have a faster, more effective incident response.
Detect malicious insider actions
One bad actor can put your organization in a precarious situation. PRTG is your protection against insider threats, acting as a safeguard for your sensitive data against tampering. Ensure data integrity by tracking file access, modifications, and transfers. Get insights into suspicious file activities, analyze historical data for patterns, and follow the audit trail that PRTG creates.
Provide the right reports to the right people
Internal audits happen, whether you like them or not. PRTG takes the pain out of internal audits, compliance verifications, and security investigations by making it easier to report on file activity. A comprehensive reporting feature allows you to provide just the right level of information for your stakeholders, wherever they are in the organization.
What file monitoring looks like in PRTG
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking files changes and access to files. Show the number of files, newest and oldest file status, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the network visibility you need to troubleshoot file-related issues that impact network performance and security.
Device tree overview of the complete monitoring setup
Folder sensor in PRTG
Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure
Start file monitoring with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
“All-around winning “The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers” “PRTG Network MonitorIT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring
network monitor”
is very hard to beat”
5 reasons to choose PRTG as your file monitoring tool
Everything in one package
We do file monitoring… and a whole lot more. PRTG’s strength is in providing you with comprehensive network monitoring. From file integrity monitoring to watching your bandwidth, from virtual environments to physical server room monitoring, PRTG specializes in helping you keep your networks fast, high-performing, and safe.
Monitor from everywhere
You know you’ve won the game of life when you can sip Mai Tai on the beach somewhere in Maui and keep an eye on the status of your system. PRTG gives you that security with real-time monitoring, push notifications, easy management, and mobility. Even on the go, you can monitor your network and files with our free mobile apps for iOS and Android.
A simplified setup process
With over 250 preconfigured sensor types for monitoring your infrastructure, we’ve taken a complex monitoring process and made the setup faster, easier, and less intimidating. In fact, PRTG is considered one of the easiest network monitoring solutions to set up. Intuitive and user-friendly, you don’t have to be a CIO to set up.
Scale freely and flexibly
A scaling company is an exciting sight to see… unless you happen to be the one updating your IT systems. Thankfully PRTG is ready to scale with you. From small networks to large enterprises, PRTG is your future-proof choice for network and file monitoring.
Get quick, robust support
PRTG comes with the technical expertise of a dedicated international team. All support inquiries are answered within 24 hours on weekdays. You can also find the answers to thousands of previously asked questions in the Paessler Knowledge Base. You’ll therefore spend less time monitoring and more time working.
Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG file monitoring solution
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
Discover preconfigured PRTG sensors to track files
PRTG comes with over 250 preconfigured sensor types, including several sensors for monitoring storage and file servers. It even lets you create your own custom sensors for a truly personalized monitoring experience. Here are some examples.
File
The File sensor lets you see if a certain file is available, as well as the last time it was modified. It shows you when the file was accessed, its size, and if its contents have been modified.
File Content
With the File Content sensor, you can monitor whether certain words (such as “error” or “failed”) have been written to a file.
Folder and Local Folder
Among other things, the Folder and Local Folder sensors monitor the number of files in a (local) folder and whether new files have been added, and displays the amount of time since the last file changes took place.
PRTG: The multi-tool for sysadmins
Adapt PRTG individually and dynamically to your needs and rely on a strong API:- HTTP API: Access monitoring data and manipulate monitoring objects via HTTP requests
- Custom sensors: Create your own PRTG sensors for customized monitoring
- Custom notifications: Create your own notifications and send action triggers to external systems
- REST Custom sensor: Monitor almost everything that provides data in XML or JSON format
PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems
Your file monitor at a glance – even on the go
Set up PRTG in minutes and use it on almost any mobile device.
PRTG makes file activity monitoring as easy as it gets
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent data loss and security issues.
Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s partners
Partnering with innovative vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
Combining their tools to a powerful solution for advanced analysis and automation, KnowledgeRiver and Paessler enable IT teams to ensure best performance for their infrastructure and networks.
KnowledgeRiver
With ScriptRunner, Paessler integrates a powerful event automation platform into PRTG Network Monitor.
ScriptRunner
Monitoring files: FAQ
What is file monitoring?
File monitoring is a process used to monitor and track changes to files and directories on systems and networks in real time. File monitoring tools track when files are created, modified, deleted, or accessed. They also provide file auditing and reporting capabilities.
Why is file monitoring important for businesses?
Ultimately, file monitoring is a security measure, implemented to keep sensitive data secure. However, the benefits differ slightly from small businesses to enterprise-level organizations.
For small businesses, the cost of a data breach can be devastating. Disaster recovery plans can be extensive and expensive. As well, the hit to the SMB’s reputation is often hard to recover from. File monitoring puts a layer of proactive security response on your data, rather than a reactive response.
For the enterprise, “complexity” is a common descriptor. File monitoring can help simplify complex data environments. It reduces the ability of bad actors within the organization to cause issues, and helps meet difficult regulatory requirements.
What types of files should be monitored?
Typically, the answer to that question depends on the type of data you have. For example, sensitive personal data from customers and employees should be monitored. Other files include:
- Financial information from your company
- Intellectual property or proprietary information
- Legal documents
Beyond information about people, sensitive technical data should be monitored:
- Configuration files
- System logs
- Security and audit logs
- Backup files
How does PRTG tell the difference between normal and suspicious file activity?
PRTG learns the difference between normal and suspicious file activity in two primary ways. First, the file sensors are configured with a set of baseline behaviors. The alerts are customized based on your organization’s unique warning and error thresholds. This helps sysadmins establish what “normal” activity looks like for files and folders, for example:
- Patterns of access
- Typical file sizes
- Specific file attributes
- Growth rates
- How frequently modified
Is there a free version of PRTG available?
Of course! The freeware edition of PRTG, available for on-premises installations, allows you to use our powerful monitoring functionalities without an initial investment. This isn’t a trial; use 100 sensors for free, forever. You can access the same features as the paid versions, including monitoring, notifications, reports, and a customizable dashboard. Easily upgrade to a paid license when your needs expand to over 100 sensors.
What is a sensor in PRTG?
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive.
On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
We asked: would you recommend PRTG?
Over 95% of our customers say yes!
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins.
The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier. Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network. Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.Still not convinced?
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Start file monitoring with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.
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