[How-To] Track Browser Activity and Block Domains with Chrome Extension in AssetSonar

Unmanaged cloud software can easily slip into your environment when users access SaaS apps directly in their browsers. Without visibility or control, this “Shadow IT” leads to compliance risks and wasted spend.

With AssetSonar’s new Browser Tracking and Domain Blocking feature, you can monitor browser activity, track SaaS usage, and block access to non-compliant domains directly through a Chrome extension while the support for other browsers is also planned and in the pipeline. Manual installations are no longer required (though still available), the extension is now deployed via the ITAM Agent for a streamlined rollout.

This guide will walk you through enabling browser tracking, adding blocked domains, and monitoring usage insights.

1. Enable Browser Tracking and Domain Blocking

• Go to Settings → Software → Software Usage Metering.
• Then check Browser Tracking and Domains Blocking. 
• Select Enabled and click Update.

2. Select Assets for Deployment

You can choose the specific assets on which the Chrome extension should be deployed.

• Click on Manage It Assets to view and select the relevant IT assets (or all of them). 
• Select the assets and then click Deploy. This will deploy the AssetSonar extension to the relevant asset. 

Note: Metering and blocking will only apply to the selected assets.This functionality is currently available for Windows devices only and requires the ITAM Agent version 3.2.0.0 or above.

3. Add Domains to Block

After Domains Blocking is enabled in the settings:

• A new textbox for adding domains you want to restrict appears below the checkbox.

• When you add a domain, all its related subdomains will also be blocked automatically. For example, blocking dropbox.com will also block www.dropbox.com and login.dropbox.com.
• You can also enable the option Block domains added to Blacklisted Software. This automatically blocks all domains tied to blacklisted apps.

4. Monitor Browser Activity

Once enabled, the Chrome extension begins tracking browser activity.This data flows into widgets and KPIs in Software (Navigation Menu) → Software → Overview giving you visibility into which SaaS apps are being accessed via the browser. For details, check out our blog on Software Usage Metering in AssetSonar here. 

You can also track the browser activity for each software application tracked in AssetSonar. From the software detail page of the relevant software application, go to the Browser Tracking tab. Here, you can add URLs of the domains you want to track through this functionality. Here is a screenshot of the Browser Tracking tab for the 1Password.

Clicking the Add New Domain button will open a new popup where you can add the desired domains to track. Once you have filled out the fields, click ‘Add’, and the URL will be added to the list of URLs that are already being tracked. 

You can also delete a URL from the list by clicking the Bin icon. The system will show you the following warning: 

Please note that if you want to delete a URL from the list and there is some activity already tracked for that software, AssetSonar will keep the record and won’t delete it with the deletion of the URL. 

This feature also allows you to view the activities on the tracked URLs with the time stamps. Go to the ‘Associated Users’ tab, and you’ll get a list of the users accessing the software. Here is a screenshot of the tab: 

Here, you’ll be able to view two primary columns. Let’s see what information they provide: 

• Last Activity at: This provides the time of the last activity performed. 
• Last Activity Type: This column will give information about the type of activity that was last performed. For example, it will tell you if the application was last accessed via a browser or an SSO application. 

You will also be able to view detailed information on tracked software from AssetSonar’s reports. 

6. Reports and KPIs

Browser tracking data integrates into your Software Usage Metering dashboards. You can use widgets and KPIs to:

• Spot the most visited SaaS domains
• Detect shadow IT (apps accessed via browser)
• Correlate browser usage with licensed vs. unlicensed software

Smarter SaaS Visibility with Browser Tracking

With Browser Tracking and Domain Blocking, AssetSonar gives IT teams both visibility and control over SaaS usage. From preventing shadow IT to ensuring compliance, you can now manage browser activity directly through one centralized module.Need help getting started? Email us at support@ezo.io — we’re here to assist.