OVERVIEW

Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research, and has been at the heart of the progress that has seen survival rates in the UK double in the last 40 years. The charity has more than 3,900 employees, funds more than 4,000 scientists, doctors, and nurses across the UK, and works with more than 40,000 volunteers.

CHALLENGES

With more than 2,000 active users to manage across physical machines, VMware virtual desktops, and mobile devices, Cancer Research UK’s client technology manager, Martin Quinn, has his hands full.

Quinn was looking for a new supplier to come in and offer exceptional threat protection, and to help with installation and ongoing management where needed.

Like most organizations, Cancer Research UK is faced with a growing volume of threats ranging from traditional viruses and worms to more sophisticated targeted attacks, and everything in between. When applied to virtual environments, traditional security tools can often cause more problems than they solve by draining resources and consuming too much processing power. For Cancer Research UK, it was vital to find a provider that could offer security platforms designed specifically with virtual and physical environments in mind.

WHY TREND

After an initial meeting at VMworld and a subsequent three- to four-month trial, Quinn opted for the Trend Micro™ Deep Security™ solution to provide industry-leading protection for Cancer Research UK’s virtual desktop infrastructure. Another trial followed for the charity’s physical machines, after which Quinn chose Trend Micro™ Smart Protection for Endpoints.

Trend Micro has been a longtime partner of VMware and that was evident during Deep Security’s seamless integration into Cancer Research UK’s VDI infrastructure. The platform offers a comprehensive range of protection for virtual environments. What’s more, it has been designed to be virtual-ready—offering virtual patching and protection against instant-on gaps with no performance hit.

On the physical side, Trend Micro Smart Protection for Endpoints infrastructure offers a comprehensive breadth of security including vulnerability shielding, anti-malware and protection against spyware, targeted attacks, and ransomware, as well as data-loss prevention. There are flexible deployment options and centralized management, and it also works across mobile devices, removable media, and file servers.

RESULTS

Quinn is delighted with Deep Security’s performance, which keeps mission-critical systems safe, secure, and compliant with no service disruptions.

Quinn is also keen to highlight the instant-on security capabilities that ensure no virtual machine is ever unprotected, even if it has been lying dormant for some time. He is has found Trend Micro’s Support to also be a key differentiator for Cancer Research UK.

Recognising the importance of the customer relationship, Trend Micro was also flexible on licensing—allowing Cancer Research UK to trade in some VDI licensing for Smart Protection for Endpoints.

WHAT'S NEXT

As for the future, Quinn already has an eye on a full protection suite from Trend Micro to complement the charity’s initial investments. “It’s been a great experience for us,” he said.