Symantec Beefs Up PSB Academy’s IT Environment

By Tech Wire Asia | 27 June, 2012

Security software maker Symantec deployed the Symantec Endpoint Protection.cloud, Symantec MessageLabs Email Security.cloud and Symantec Backup Exec at Singapore’s leading private education institution: PSB Academy. The implementation of these solutions gives PSB Academy a secure IT infrastructure while reducing system administration by 70 percent and greatly minimising the influx of spam.

Symantec Upgrades PSB Academy's IT Infrastructure (Image: PSB Academy, Symantec)

PSB’s transition to a cloud-based infrastructure comes out of the need to protect its IT system from spam and malware. PSB Academy’s current setup include 250 desktop and laptop computers, multiple wired and wireless networks, business and educational applications, telepresence equipment and digital tools for the labs. Using as much as 30 GB of data per month, the networks need to be free of spam and malware for optimum operations.

PSB ’s IT operations team decided to adopt virtualization, standardized software and cloud-based services to support the ease of management while maintaining control and protection of their critical data. Martyn Yap, IT Manager of PSB Academy was amazed at the speed and efficiency of the transition.

We were given a very limited timeframe to complete the transition to a cloud-based infrastructure. Thanks to the IT expertise provided by Symantec and their partner Jardine OneSolution, the deployment was quick and fuss free. Our management and their internal IT team are very pleased with the progress made and this sentiment is echoed by our helpdesk specialists, who have also praised the efficiency of Symantec’s solutions.

These are the two cloud-based packages chosen by PSB: Symantec Endpoint Protection.cloud; and Symantec MessageLabs Email Security.cloud. Both solutions safeguard PSB against spam and malware. PSB also chose Symantec Backup Exec (with agents for VMware, Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, Active Directory and Windows Servers) for its intelligent, fast backup and recovery.

After two weeks of initial testing, PSB Academy successfully rolled out the cloud security and backup solutions in the corporate network in less than two days — with the help of Symantec and Symantec’s Platinum Partner and Value Added Reseller, Jardine OneSolution.

Yap is confident PSB made the right decision.

We believe the success and satisfaction stem from the localized and simplified control we now enjoy over our IT environment. We are able to have a very good overview of our network, translating into better decision-making moving forward. This will further assist PSB Academy to use technology as an enabler of key business processes.

Bjorn Engelhardt, VP of Strategic Sales and Symantec.cloud, Asia Pacific and Japan, Symantec said it is imperative to protect the IT system of any organization.

One of the biggest challenges faced by businesses today is to safeguard mission critical data from Internet security threats and data loss without the complexities of managing those solutions. This issue is exacerbated as organizations typically operate under stringent IT demands with limited resources. Adoption of Symantec’s cloud-based security solutions enabled PSB Academy to not only improve their IT operational efficiency but also significantly reduce their security risk. Symantec’s unique approach to data protection in the cloud offers customers solutions that are versatile, user-friendly and highly effective against threats. Ultimately, we want to provide our customers the confidence to operate effectively and efficiently, in any environment.

PSB Academy’s student population comes to around 10,000 bodies, plus members of staff. The IT infrastructure supports both learning and business operations. Besides using IT in its own offices, classrooms and labs, PSB Academy leverages IT to offer distance-learning courses with its academic partners in the UK and Australia and program collaborations in China and Vietnam.