Geek Guard and Your Privacy

Your privacy comes first.

Our light-weight monitoring software is designed to provide best-in-class issue detection with minimal access to the monitored computer. Only the information required to identify the computer and troubleshoot problems is sent to our servers.

The following information is gathered about a computer:

Group Name: We assign an arbitrary “Group” for computer(s) so we know who to call when problems are reported.
Serial Number: the serial number helps us determine warranty status and gives us valuable information about the computer when problems arise.
Computer Name: The same name that is visible in:
Sharing PreferencePane (Mac)
System Control Panel (Windows)
Hostname (Linux)
Monitoring ID: A random identifier is created upon installation for our systems to identify status reports.
User Name: The “short name” of the last user to log into the computer.
Online Backup Information: If online backups are monitored, the email address associated with online backup systems will be reported. This can be disabled by an administrator, but the status of that online backup would not be reported.

Geek Guard does not track the following types of information:

We cannot track screen or keyboard activity
We cannot see the contents of your screen with the monitoring client.
We cannot inspect browser history, or other similar user actions.
The agent can not read inside user-created data (pictures, documents, etc).
We do not send full logs. Rather than sending full log files, the software only sends the results of the health checks.
A computer’s physical location is not readily available*
The agent cannot install or update any other software on your computer. The agent uses read-only commands to perform its duties.

*In cases where a computer is considered stolen or missing, administrators can request a one-time notification of the reporting IP address.

Here is what we can do:

We can tell when your backups are failing, before it’s too late.
We can tell when hard drives begin to fail, and schedule their repair with you.
We can tell when malware finds its way to your computer, help you get rid of it, and work with you to prevent it from coming back.
If enabled, the agent will automatically receive updates.
Issues are reported to the computers’ IT professional, who will review and take the appropriate corrective measures
This software is not a computer management system, it’s only there to locate problems. We don’t own your computer, we’re just looking after its well-being.

Here is how this software has been described:

“It’s a health monitor, not a listening device” -Michael R.

“It’s an EKG, for a computer” -Bob C.