The Company

 Fresh Start in Education boasts a 96% success rate helping at-risk students struggling with education and learning to re-engage and re-integrate into school and work. The company’s approach, tools, and training enable children and young people throughout the UK to learn, grow, and succeed. 

The Challenge

Operations executive Robbin Tyrrell oversees Fresh Start in Education’s IT and security management. For Robbin and his team of two, keeping data safe and protected are ongoing priorities. He must also maintain compliance with the UK cybersecurity standard, Cyber Essentials, which has become an important certification when working with local authorities and schools.

“Fresh Start in Education works with highly sensitive, personally identifiable information every day. Ensuring the security and privacy of this data is paramount,” says Robbin. “We have security measures in place that are highly regulated, and at the same time, we must stay ahead of threats and maintain our Cyber Essentials accreditation.  This requires us to continually evaluate new tools and technologies.”

 The Solution

 An AVG-Avast customer since 2015, Fresh Start in Education upgraded to Avast Business Managed Antivirus, delivered through the cloud management console, to gain strong endpoint protection and ensure compliance with Cyber Essentials.  He explains, “Cyber Essentials requires software to be centrally managed, so moving to the cloud and upgrading to Avast Business Managed Antivirus made a lot of business sense for the company.”

Because the cloud solution doesn’t require manual installation on every user’s PC or entering license keys, Robbin noticed immediate time savings. The central console also won points for usability and capabilities. “Installation was smooth and fast,” Robbin says. “I have used many different IT consoles over the past 10 years and the Avast Business Management Console is really top of its class. It’s clear the user was considered first and foremost in making this software. It’s incredibly user-friendly, which helps my team easily access what we need and efficiently manage tasks.”

Robbin has also put a more proactive security program in place. He explains, “We don’t have to worry about missing a virus scan or potential vulnerability. At a glance, the team can see the health of all devices on our network and can routinely schedule and complete maintenance. I can also see by the number of threats blocked on our PCs the users that may have the most risky behavior. This helps the company educate our staff on security best practices.”

Patch management is also something Robbin has improved using the Avast Business Patch Management Service. “I like the functionality it offers and that it’s designed to integrate with the Avast Business Antivirus software and dashboard interface,” he adds. “Through the patch reports, I can see straight away what needs to be patched and easily assign a task to ensure patches are scheduled and completed.”

 The Results

Upgrading to Avast Business Managed Antivirus has resulted in a 100% improvement in threat protection for the company and a positive impact on user behaviour. “Our users know that the IT team is now able to monitor and identify potential threats when suspicious emails or files are downloaded or accessed. This has made users more aware that their actions may lead to security issues,” Robbin shares.

Robbin credits the upgrade for saving at least 50 hours a month through the solution’s central visibility and automation tools. “Using the Avast Business Management Console, we have complete visibility across our network, stronger management and control over our antivirus services, and the ability to easily put a proactive security program in place.”

 Ready to experience the advantages of centrally managed antivirus and automated patch management? Sign up for a free 30-day trial for up to 100 devices here.