Web App Tracker Plugin
The Web App Tracker Plugin is a lightweight browser extension that collects browser-based activity data for usage tracking, reporting, and SaaS application analysis. It securely reports collected information to the Open iT Server, helping organizations understand web application usage and optimize software license utilization.
The plugin is supported on Windows and is compatible with the latest stable versions of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
Key Capabilities
- Tracking active website and application usage
- Detecting licensed SaaS applications based on configurable domain mappings
- Measuring web activity metrics such as active time, clicks, keystrokes, tab switching, and idle periods
- Identifying concurrent usage patterns to support license optimization and utilization analysis
The plugin is designed to operate with minimal impact on browser performance while securely delivering accurate usage data to the Open iT platform. It generates the following data types for reporting and analysis:
- (120) Web App Browser Log
- (122) Web App Browser Activity
- (123) Web App Total Use
- (155) Web App Browser Process
Differences from the Legacy Browser Tracking Feature
The Web App Tracker Plugin introduces an interaction-based approach to browser activity tracking, replacing the URL-based visibility used in previous releases. Instead of identifying accessed URLs and estimating the time spent on each page, the plugin captures user interaction signals to distinguish active browser usage from idle time. This approach also normalizes web and desktop usage under the same application, providing more accurate and consistent usage data for reporting and analysis.
| Old | New |
|---|---|
| Identifies accessed URLs | Captures user interaction signals through a browser plugin |
| Estimates the time spent on each URL | Distinguishes active usage from idle time |
| Reports web and desktop usage separately | Normalizes web and desktop usage under the same application |
It is recommended to use either the Web App Tracker Plugin or the old Web App Tracker feature, but not both at the same time. The old Web App Tracker relies on the Mapping filter to populate the Application column, whereas the Web App Tracker Plugin reports application names directly. Because the two features process application names differently, data collected by each feature cannot currently be distinguished in reports.
Next Step
To begin using Web App Tracker Plugin, proceed with the installation: