Eustace ISD Automates Patching, Improves Security and Prevents Ransomware Infections with Action1

The IT team at Eustace Independent School District (ISD) maintains the IT environment of the school and is committed to ensuring security on endpoints used by school employees and students. Initially, they managed OS and third-party updates on these endpoints manually, but it was unreliable, time-consuming, and increased the risk of missing critical updates.

Cybersecurity risks caused by vulnerable software applications became especially critical for Eustace ISD as ransomware attacks targeting schools have intensified across the United States. “Cybersecurity is a big sticking point in school districts. We are dealing with sensitive data, so making sure that all vulnerabilities are patched is crucial for us,” says Roy Jones, Technology Support Representative at Eustace ISD.

To mitigate security risks, Roy began to look for a solution to automate patching and obtain visibility into endpoints.

Roy evaluated several solutions and chose Action1 due to its simplicity and powerful patching. He especially appreciated the 100-enpoints-free option provided by Action1 as it allowed him to comfortably test the platform.

Thanks to Action1, Roy obtained visibility into vulnerabilities into his endpoints, and was able to identify and address the security gaps he was previously unaware of.

First, he found several machines with outdated Windows 10. Additionally, he identified endpoints across the school district missing security updates for Adobe, Zoom, and the Firefox browser. Finally, he discovered some pieces of outdated software on certain devices that had gone unnoticed by the IT team. With Action1’s automation capabilities, Roy easily updated his machines to the latest Windows OS version, patched missing updates on third-party applications and removed unwanted software that violated school’s internal security policy.

From now on, all patches are installed on time, thanks to Action1 policy-based automation. This improves the school’s security and helps them reduce the risks of successful ransomware attacks.

On top of that, Action1 helps the IT team at Eustace ISD to achieve significant time savings. Thanks to Action1’s automation capabilities, Roy and his teammates save a week of work monthly, as they no longer must manage updates manually. “It is very beneficial to have one pane of glass to see all machines that need patches and fix them from there. It’s like having another person in the team because Action1 does all the legwork for you,” says Roy.