What should administrators monitor to improve application control?

Monitoring application categories and their compliance is essential for improving application control because it provides insights into how applications are being used within the organization. By understanding which categories of applications are being accessed, administrators can identify potential risks and ensure that these applications adhere to the established control policies. This monitoring enables the detection of unauthorized or non-compliant applications, which can pose security risks or affect network performance.

In addition, tracking application compliance allows administrators to adjust policies and refine application control measures based on real-world usage patterns. This proactive approach ensures that security policies are not only in place but also effective in managing the network environment.

The other options, while they offer specific aspects of monitoring, do not target the core component of application control as directly as monitoring application categories and compliance does. Focusing solely on applications that conform to control profiles may overlook potentially risky non-compliant applications. Monitoring endpoint performance metrics emphasizes device efficiency rather than application oversight. Meanwhile, assessing traffic management efficiency is more about network optimization than directly improving application control itself.