What I did when my school system`s workstations slowed to a halt - switched to AVG!
Released on: March 5, 2008, 12:02 pm
Press Release Author: Kristin Bostic
Industry: Education
Press Release Summary: Why a Missouri school system dumped their resource-hogging computer security for the lighter, quicker, lower-cost alternative.
Press Release Body: Claremont, NC -March 5th, 2008-Richard Becker is the IT Administrator for the Osage County School System in Linn, Missouri. When he came on board four years ago, he quickly found out that he had a mess on his hands. There were multiple different internet security solutions deployed individually across 325 workstations. Slow performance resulted, cutting student computer time back significantly. One of the first items on his to-do list was to implement one security solution for the entire school system.
"Symantec's products were causing some of our workstations to run slower than slow," commented Becker. "They were eating up way too much of our systems' resources and taking away from the already small amount of time students had in the computer labs. It was also very frustrating and expensive to keep up with their annual license renewals."
Osage County Schools is a private school system and, because of financial constraints, the students' workstations were already resource-limited. "Because of our tight budget, I only have one other person to help me manage these 325 machines, as well as keep up with maintenance," said Becker. "The Symantec solution was causing my patience to wear pretty thin, what with the updating issues and constant flow of help desk calls as a result of the performance problems."
A couple of years ago, Becker was reading some posts on a technology listserv run by and for technology coordinators in his area, when he came across references to AVG Anti-Virus that indicated the product was becoming a preferred security product for school systems, around the country. The listserv posters were discussing exactly the same problems that Becker had run into - well-known security products were eating up all their systems' resources and AVG was like a breath of fresh air - One poster described it as "nearly invisible" on their workstations by comparison.
When Becker read that AVG also offered two-year licenses, had a lower price point than the competition, and still provided all the necessary protection and removal capabilities, he decided he needed to learn more.
"It really sounded as if this product might be the answer to Osage County's computer security problems," he recalled.
Becker searched around on the Internet, read further into his state listserv, and found the recommended Education supplier for AVG, Walling Data Systems. Walling offered a 50% discount to school systems as well as Free and Unlimited US-based Phone, Remote, and Email support, things Becker could only dream of finding at Symantec at no charge.
"I contacted Walling Data Systems to learn more about AVG, and to find out more about purchasing the licenses necessary to support our district," said Becker. "I used their free remote support offering to help me deploy AVG to all of our workstations. They couldn't have made it any easier! In no time, we were setup and protected by AVG, with zero pain on our part."
Now, three years later, Becker reports that Osage County has had zero issues with the management and maintenance of the AVG Anti-Virus protection. Not only are the computers running more efficiently now that they are not bogged down by resource-hungry security products; Becker is also enjoying the more flexible licensing and the central administration tools that monitor his installation.
"AVG's central administration tools have nice reporting features," he said. "As all information goes to the AVG server, I can easily track down systems that may be suspect and respond to issues before the phone rings at the helpdesk. Then, I can fix the issues from my desk without having to trek across the campus, saving me time that is already very limited."
Why did Becker choose to purchase AVG through Walling Data Systems? The answer was simple:
"The cost to purchase AVG through Walling Data was lower than through other distributors, and the fact that they offered Free and Unlimited US-based support was a huge selling point," he said. "The team at Walling Data Systems provides great support, from implementation, to general support on through the years of ongoing use.
Those guys are just wonderful to work with. Our renewal is coming up this spring, and you bet we'll be renewing it," he said with a grin.
For more information about how to purchase AVG software for education, contact Walling Data Systems toll free at 866-833-5727 (toll free in the US and Canada), online at http://www.avg-antivirus.net or by emailing to sales@avg-antivirus.net.
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About Walling Data Systems Founded in 1994, in North Carolina, Walling Data Systems is a value-added software distributor and IT Solution Provider offering innovative high-value solutions to everyday computer security problems for corporate, education, and home technology users. Walling Data was named an Authorized AVG Distributor in 2004 and is the only source for unlimited toll free phone, remote support, education discounts, and more for their AVG customers in the United States, one reason why thousands of education customers choose Walling as their supplier of choice for AVG products.
About AVG Founded in 1991 and with offices in the US, UK, and Czech Republic, AVG is a leading international developer of Internet threat protection solutions for consumers and SMBs. AVG is one of the fastest growing companies in the industry with more than 60 million active users around the world. The company employs some of the world's leading experts in Internet security, specifically in the areas of threat research, analysis and detection. AVG's award-winning products are distributed globally through resellers and over the Internet as well as via third parties through Software Developer's Kits (SDK).