I work in IT and I have a definite love / hate relationship with the infamous “Windows Event Viewer”. Log management has come a long way though, and you don’t just need to rely on the built-in tools as there’s now a variety of alternatives. That means that staff and even those just interested in technology can use other options to quickly search and diagnose problems that might crop up. Likewise, if you’re looking for problems that are happening on a smartphone, you can dive into the System Log to check activity, notifications, application details and more..
Security Events
Whilst you check battery statistics, usage information and service status on a smartphone, let’s not forget that the logs are a great place to check for security events too. Essentially your phone records everything, and that can include the level of security on sites you visit to attempted attacks through email probes or your browser. Apps like “System Log” will detail this, plus fingerprint sensor login attempts, network traffic and you can bind it to a listener service too.
On a PC, you can also check into this sort of information remotely using the Windows Remote Management Service, which allows you to remotely log in to a computer and access information across the systems via Windows log management. With Android, it’s probably best to head to Google Play, where there’s various logging apps that’ll lift the hood of the smartphone so that you can see what’s going on underneath.
Using a smartphone as a data logging device
We already know that our handheld devices capture tons of data, but you can turn your smartphone into an even more powerful device by using special features to log and measure data for your personal use. As an example, apps like “Multi Log” will let you keep a record of your own personal events – such as keeping track of your weight, how many headaches you have a week, how much walking you do, what you’re eating and various other things.
You can then customise the view, export the data, email it or create charts to see how you’re progressing.
Developing an app for your business
Businesses are the most familiar with logging ad data capturing, so much so that it’s become a form a passive income for many companies. However, if you haven’t considered it yet, you might want to give thought to developing an app for data collection. With an app specifically crafted for your business, you can capture user data in a way that many companies could only hope for. Without any cold-calling or massive roll-out emails for feedback, instead, record how users interact with your brand and shop through an app and gather high-quality, quantifiable data.
Work logging
If you’re doing projects or tasks at work and want to keep an eye on progress, smartphone apps such as “Work Log” are a great way of keeping track. You can also check how many hours you’ve spent on a specific task or activity – which is brilliant if you’re charging customers for your time. It’s simple to calculate expenses, tips, sales, mileage and holiday entitlement this way too.
Again, this is all customizable and you can deduct expenses or add bonuses automatically too. There’s also a variety of widgets which will let you add tasks or perform actions quicly.