User guide

User Guide 203
CHAPTER 15 Generating Reports of
Network Activity
Accounting for Internet usage can be a challenging network
administration task. One of the best ways to provide hard data for
accounting and management purposes is to generate detailed reports
showing how the Internet connection is being used and by whom.
A good report generation facility should be able to identify and
summarize key issues such as:
• When do I need a wider bandwidth connection to the Internet and
why?
• What usage patterns are users developing and how do those patterns
relate to the security of the network and the goals of the corporation?
• How do current user patterns reflect the values and concerns of the
corporation in regard to creating a productive workplace?
Historical Reports is a reporting tool that creates summaries and reports
of Firebox log activity. It generates these reports using the log files created
by and stored on the WatchGuard Security Event Processor (WSEP).
You can customize reports to include exactly the information you need in
a form that is most useful to you. Using the advanced features of
Historical Reports, you can define a precise time period for a report,
consolidate report sections to show activity across a group of Fireboxes,
and set properties to display the report data according to your
preferences.