The College

With a worldwide reputation for innovative thought and practice, Regent College was the first graduate school of theology in North America to make education of the laity – anyone not training for the professional ministry – its central focus. Founded in 1968 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and affiliated with the University of British Columbia, Regent College attracts over 600 full-time and part-time students from over 40 countries, representing more than 30 denominations.

Regent College IT Director Cam Tucker works with a team of three to manage IT and security operations for the school’s faculty, staff, and students. Together, the team manages more than 130 workstations. As Cam explains, “Regent College provides a special environment for international students and is one of the few theology colleges that offers sessions during spring and summer breaks, which keeps our IT team busy throughout the year.”

The Challenge

For Cam, preventing ransomware that could threaten students or faculty is the college’s top security challenge, particularly as CryptoLocker ransomware remains prevalent across university campuses worldwide.

“With CryptoLocker ransomware still targeting a number of universities, threatening to hold sensitive data for ransom, we are always looking for ways to effectively prevent it or, in worst case scenarios, survive it,” says Cam. “Cybercriminals can fool end-users into clicking on a suspicious link but with advanced security, we have a better chance of monitoring and blocking any suspicious activity in advance.”  

The Solution

With CryptoLocker incidents on the rise, Cam and his team knew it was a good time for the college to upgrade from its free version of Avast Antivirus to a more comprehensive security solution. They chose Avast Business Antivirus and the Avast Business cloud-based management console to help provide powerful endpoint protection for the college.

“Fortunately, we have never had a CryptoLocker incident here at Regent College,” comments Cam. “But, we know it’s more critical than ever to have advanced protection in place, so we can proactively avoid attempted cyberattacks. We have always liked the range of features offered in the free version of Avast Antivirus software. And, because the business version consistently receives excellent scores and reviews for malware detection, the decision to transition to the Avast Business Antivirus version made a lot of sense.”

After deploying the Avast Business Antivirus software, Cam and his IT team gained better confidence that ransomware and other cyberthreats were being detected and blocked. As Cam shares, "We especially like the Avast Business software’s Behavior Shield feature as it is specifically designed to identify and block ransomware. This gives us the assurance that we are protected."

The Results

For Cam and his team, the ability of Avast Business Antivirus to monitor and block ransomware and other vicious cyberthreats has delivered a clear advantage. The team estimates they have improved efficiencies across their IT operations, as the software has been very easy to deploy and manage using the cloud console.

“We have improved ransomware detection as well as the ability to monitor threats as they happen with new technologies like the Avast Business Behavior Shield,” reports Cam. “This gives us the ongoing confidence that we are staying one step ahead of cybercriminals. We are very happy with the upgrade.”

As a result of using Avast Business Antivirus and the cloud-based management console, Regent College has experienced the following benefits:

• Improved detection and protection against CryptoLocker ransomware and other cyberthreats across the university’s network
• Gained stronger security software for students, faculty, and staff
• Improved efficiencies using software that is easy to deploy and manage

If you’d like to gain security protection from ransomware and improve efficiencies the way Regent College has, download a free 30-day trial of Avast Business Antivirus. Let our global cybersecurity solutions keep you safe with exceptional protection.