What is the primary function of a system that tracks and records user activities on a network?

The primary function of a system that tracks and records user activities on a network is comprehensive monitoring, auditing, and security analysis. This capability allows organizations to oversee user interactions with network resources, ensuring that all actions are recorded for future analysis. By monitoring user activities, companies can detect unauthorized access attempts, identify potential security breaches, and maintain a detailed log of user actions that is critical for auditing purposes.

Such analysis can reveal trends in user behavior and pinpoint areas that may require heightened security measures. This multifaceted approach not only enhances the security posture of an organization but also plays a key role in compliance with various regulations that require documentation of user activities.

While monitoring user productivity, enforcing access control policies, and managing network performance are important components of a functional IT environment, they serve more specific roles and are not the primary focus of systems designed for monitoring user activities. Tracking user actions is fundamentally about security and auditing to protect the network's integrity and data confidentiality.