Is there a program or way to monitor or record or track a remote desktop session?

I may be hiring some remote employees and would like a way to track that they are working when they say they are.

Is there a way to track how and when someone connects via remote desktop to a computer? Is there a way remote desktop can record or piggyback/watch a session to see the work done?

When I say remote desktop, I mean the default RDP that comes with Windows.

Basically, I want to have some sort of backup for the employee so when he says he works 9-5, I can verify that he was on the computer doing something.

EDIT: Adding here as this came up, that the machines I wish to track that are getting remoted into are Windows XP machines.

EDIT 2: We got rid of those XP machine and are now using Windows 10. I would still be interested in a way to do what I'm asking for Windows 10. So far we still have been going off of the trust system but I would still like a concrete way to tell. The email answer might let me know when they get on and off, but not if they are away from keyboard. The employee could log on and walk away and log out at 5pm and it would look like they are working. I'm thinking more of an idle tracker or something.

2 Answers

Audit Policy for Logons on the computer - you can do it on a single workstation editing its Local Security Policy. Active Directory domain? use group policy...

Goto Computer Management (right click over My Computer) System Tools, Event viewer and window logs, select Security. (win7)

Check Events in Security for Event Code = 528 (loggedOn) and/or Logon Type = 10 (Remote) Select the event and then select "Attach Task to this event" and go thru the wizard and select "send an email" on the event (must have a smtp server info to use). Then whenever they logon you get an email. Do it for the logoff event too. Of course you do not have to do this task/email. You would have to manually check the logs and read/search for the events. Would be a lot easier to get the emails than checking them yourself.

The image below shows normal log on / off events, you will need to select the 528 events with the type 10 code-

There is a product that suites you , it will monitor and film the session of the user. The product is PSM and the vendor is CyberArk