With more than 19,000 miles of coastline, the United Kingdom's seas and beaches host a rich array of wildlife. Arctic terns and grey seals are just some of the creatures that can be spotted on land. Off the coast, basking sharks, minke whales, leatherback turtles, and thousands of other marine species can be found.
Sadly, this biodiversity finds itself under increasing threat from the human footprint. Overfishing has depleted fish stocks, upsetting the balance of fragile marine ecosystems. Plastic litter is entangled with and eaten by many marine species — often with fatal consequences.
A Vision of Flourishing Seas and Coasts
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) works to drive political, cultural, and social change for healthy seas and coasts that support abundant marine wildlife, sustainable livelihoods, and enjoyment for all. To the more than 1 million people who participate annually in its campaigns and projects, MCS is best known for its efforts to reduce marine litter. These efforts include volunteer-driven beach cleanups that have removed 6 million pieces of litter to date. They also include public awareness initiatives designed to cut down on the consumption of single-use plastics.
Clean Beaches Require Secure Devices
MCS relies on 6,000 members and donors and 10,000 annual volunteers to achieve its mission. With so much constituent personal data at its fingertips, it's no surprise that data security is one of MCS's top IT concerns.
"We make sure not to hold personal data so that it cannot be used for any purpose other than the one for which is was originally captured," explained IT Officer Haley Cheek.
When it came time to choose an anti-malware solution to prevent the organization's sensitive data from being compromised, she turned to Norton Small Business.
Norton Small Business Makes MCS Remote Workers Secure
For Haley, the choice of Norton Small Business came down to the need to manage and secure 15 remote staff members' devices. "We were impressed by the interface where you can remotely manage each PC, sending definition update requests and virus scans at the press of a button," Haley said. "We find that Symantec's ability to update virus definitions and force agent updates is super-beneficial, whether the device is on-site or remote."
Norton Small Business' application and device control features were also a key factor in Haley's decision. "We use the USB block quite often to reduce the introduction of viruses. … [We were able] to manage the USB block on PCs more easily by creating a specific policy … [that] removes the block for those needing access to USBs or hard drives," she said. She explained that the management console allows her to add and remove devices through the interface. It also has the benefit of showing if someone is online.
With Norton Small Business protecting its sensitive data, MCS can focus on what is truly important: safeguarding marine biodiversity for future generations to enjoy.
