Understanding Agents
What tracking agents collect, how desktop and background agents differ in visibility, control and deployment, and which fits personal or company-owned devices.
To collect productivity data in Intelogos — such as time worked, application usage, and activity levels — you need to deploy a tracking agent on each computer you want to monitor. Without an agent installed, Intelogos has no source of data for that device.
There are two types of tracking agents: Desktop agents and Background agents. Each serves a different use case, and the right choice usually depends on how much control you want users to have and how you prefer to manage deployment.
Why You Need Tracking Agents
Intelogos analyzes work patterns, time, and tool usage to generate productivity insights. All of this data originates from a lightweight agent running on the user's computer. The agent tracks:
- Time worked — when the workday starts and ends, breaks, and idle periods
- Application and website usage — which tools are being used and for how long
- Activity levels — keyboard and mouse interaction to determine active vs. idle time
No agent means no data. Deploying agents is one of the first steps after inviting your team to the platform.
Desktop Agents vs. Background Agents
| Desktop Agent | Background Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Fully visible — shows a timer or icon on the user's computer | Runs in the background — no timer or visible UI |
| Who installs it | The user downloads and installs it themselves | An Owner, Admin or Deployment user deploys it (locally or remotely) |
| User control | Users can start, stop, or quit the agent at any time | Users do not control the agent |
| Often used for | Personal computers | Company-owned computers |
| Supported platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows, macOS (Linux available on request — contact Intelogos support) |
| Deployment method | User self-service via invitation link | Deployed with scripts (PowerShell, Terminal), a Windows installer (MSI) or MDM/RMM tools |
When to Use Desktop Agents
Desktop agents are usually the best starting point when team members work on personal computers. Because the agent is visible and the user controls when tracking is active, they can make sure only work time is captured and no personal activity is recorded unintentionally.
Desktop agents tend to be a good fit when:
- Team members use their own personal computers for work and you want them to control what gets tracked
- Privacy and user autonomy are priorities for your organization
- You prefer a self-service setup where users install the agent themselves
When to Use Background Agents
Background agents are often the better choice for company-owned computers. They are significantly easier to deploy and maintain across a large number of devices — especially when using MDM or RMM tools — and they run automatically without requiring any action from the user.
Background agents tend to be a good fit when:
- Your company provides work computers to employees and you want easy, centralized deployment
- You need to roll out agents to many devices quickly and maintain them without relying on individual users
- You prefer that the agent runs automatically without user intervention
Deployment Overview
Desktop Agents
- Invite users to Intelogos via User Management
- Users receive an invitation email and follow the onboarding link
- During onboarding (or later from the account menu at the bottom-left, under Download Desktop Agent), they download and install the desktop agent
- The agent appears on their computer and they can begin tracking
Background Agents
- Open Background agents from the account menu (click your name at the bottom-left) or with the Background agents button at the top of the User Management page, or go directly to
https://team.intelogos.com/backgroundagents - Click Deploy agents in the page header
- Select the operating system (Windows or macOS) and method (Remote or Local)
- Follow the step-by-step instructions to deploy with a script, an MSI installer (Windows) or your MDM
- New devices appear on the Background Agents page within approximately 20 minutes
Note: Owners, Admins and users with the Deployment role can deploy and manage background agents. The Deployment role can only deploy and manage background agents — see Roles and Access. Admin rights are required on the target machines.
Shared Computers
On a computer that several people sign in to, each Windows user account and each macOS user account appears as its own background agent and uses its own license. Accounts that don't belong to an employee — for example an IT admin account that signs in to many computers, or a service account — would otherwise be tracked and billed too.
To exclude them, add their computer user names under Prevent tracking for certain Computer Users in Background agent settings. Matching agents still appear on the Background agents page, but they aren't tracked and don't count toward billing licenses. See Background Agents for details.
Can You Use Both?
Yes. You can use desktop agents for some team members and background agents for others within the same organization. For example, you might deploy background agents on company-issued office machines while asking remote employees on personal laptops to install the desktop agent.
What Happens After Deployment
Once agents are deployed and sending data, you can:
- View team performance on the Dashboard
- Drill into individual metrics on Profile pages
- Review daily activity breakdowns on the Daily page
- Generate and export time reports from Reports
Data from both agent types feeds into the same analytics — the difference is only in how the agent is deployed and who controls it.
Next Steps
- Ready to deploy desktop agents? Read the Desktop Agents guide
- Ready to deploy background agents? Read the Background Agents guide
Up next
Desktop Agents →