Cloud Solutions for Small and Mid-Size Enterprises.
Happy New Year: Looking Back and Forward
December 23, 2011At this time of year, we are often bombarded with “year in review” and “our prediction” articles, news stories, and specials. As a change a pace, I thought I would take a look at how some past predictions have actually been on the mark.
This video, dating from October 1954, is a segment from GE that aired as part of
a televised celebration of the Diamond Jubilee for the electric light.
The video predicts future technologies, including automatic dishwashers, VCRs, DVRs, cellphones, flat screen TVs, 3D TV, and more.
(Note: The video and audio start at 0:08)
Cumulus Global Launches Chromebook Services
December 12, 2011“We see growing demand from schools, non-profits, and businesses that have stepped into cloud computing and see greater potential”, noted Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global. “Both the WiFi and 3G-enabled Chromebooks provide one of the most cost-effective ways to put real computing power in the hands of students and teachers, employees, volunteers, and other cloud-connected users.”
Cumulus Global is partnering with other solution providers to help customers use Chromebooks for more than Google Apps and access to web-based applications. Terminal services, Virtual Desktop, and tools like AccessNow and the Citrix Receiver for Chromebooks provide users with easy access to traditional desktop and client-server applications.
“With Chromebooks in play, we expect to see new growth in the use of Virtual Desktop Integration (VDI) services”, added Falcon. “The value proposition that many analysts have found missing with VDI services exists with Chromebooks. The low entry price, built in 3G option, and policy push address the hardware cost, connectivity cost, and management costs head-on.”
Built for cloud connectivity, Chromebooks clear user data and policies after each user session. Policies reload with each 10-second boot and user login, dramatically reducing the typical overhead in managing system images.
Cumulus Global has a limited number of demonstration systems currently available for loan and trial to school districts subscribed to Google Apps for Education.
For More Information, contact sales@Cumulus Global.com
Tuesday Take Away: Google Apps Caveats and Solutions
November 22, 2011One of the critiques we often hear when speaking with businesses and non-profits hesitant about a move to Google Apps is that Google Apps does not provide a complete computing environment. And it appears that there are a couple of key factors behind this perception.
- Many organizations may be able, but are not comfortable, moving from MS Office to Google Docs.
- Google Apps provides a range of core and additional services, but does not provide a complete computing environment.
- Google Apps needs to integrate with internal networks and systems.
The best part of these perceptions? They are all TRUE!
Google Apps for business is a suite of applications and services. It is not a complete IT infrastructure. Knowing this, you can plan to overcome these “caveats” with solutions that work.
You Need Backup / Recovery
As we have written in several blog posts (Protect Your Data in the Cloud, DLP in Google Apps), Google protects you data in Google Apps from loss due to network, system, or software failures. Google cannot, however, protect your data from you (and your users).
Just like your in-house systems, protect your data in Google Apps with a sound backup/recovery solution. Costs for these services run $3 per user per month or less and are well worth the protection they provide.
Sharing Contacts & Address Books
While sharing contacts and managing a the Global Address Book in Exchange is no picnic, Google did drop the ball on this common business need. Most businesses have groups of contacts that they want to share and manage across multiple individuals. The cloud provides and easy structure to do this, but Google did not build an interface for the capability.
Fortunately, we work with a number of third party solutions with a variety of features and capabilities. Better than a “one size fits all” solution, we can match the tool to each of our customers’ needs. The costs for these options range from free to a few dollars per month per user.
Users Need to Learn
The last time your users had to re-learn their email and desktop software probably coincided with your most recent “fork lift upgrade” of your email and file servers. Even then, how many of your users learned about new capabilities rather than focusing on relearning how to do the features they already used?
Unless you choose to run MS Outlook and miss out on many of the great features of Google Apps, your users will need to learn. Even those with personal Gmail accounts benefit from fully understanding the capabilities of Google Apps for Business (Education / Government).
Google updates Google Apps constantly — every few weeks — with incremental features and capabilities. Providing on-going learning to your users helps users evaluate and select the new features and capabilities that will benefit their work.
On-going webinars and office hours require coordination and costs can add up. Integrated, self-paced training with modules that update as Google Apps changes costs less than $1 per user per month.
You Want or Need a File Service
Switching from your current email service to Google Apps and its business version of Gmail is a great first step. The migration is relatively fast and painless, and users will be more productive.
Moving your shared files from in-house servers to the cloud, however, opens up many more opportunities for collaboration, efficiency, and cost savings. Without the need to connect remote and mobile users to centralized file servers saves companies hundreds or thousands of dollars on VPN services and licenses. The ability to share documents, manage changes, and control permissions, gives co-workers and project teams the ability to work together without “losing track” of changes and versions.
The challenge, is how to integrate your existing desktop applications with your cloud storage. Fortunately, there are a range of tools that integrate applications and provide “drive letter access” (DLA) to the cloud. The tools vary from one-time purchases to annual subscription services and can be easily matched to your needs.
Now for the Good News
We understand that when moving to the cloud, you want to make sure that the overall computing environment — your ecosystem — provides the same level of service, security, and reliability as your existing in-house solutions (if not better!).
Through the end of 2011, Cumulus Global is offering free trials and will waive our implementation fees for the value-add services that resolve these concerns.
- Backupify for Google Apps Backup and Restore
- Floreysoft Share Groups and Dito Directory for contact and address book sharing
- Gladinet Desktops Professional Edition and other tools for DLA to Google Docs
Posted in General | Tagged Backupify, Caveats, Cloud Computing, Cloud Ecosystem, Dito Directory, Ecosystem, Floreysoft, Gladinet, Google Apps, Google Apps for Business | Leave a comment
Tuesday Take-Away: Expanded Support for Google Apps
November 15, 2011On Monday, Nov 14th, Google announced a significant expansion of its support services for Google Apps.
Google now provides 24 x 7 phone support to small, medium, and large Google Apps for Business customers for all issues affecting the core services. Customers may also receive support from Google Apps experts via Google’s web-based support portal, online help forms, and online help center.
These services further augment and support the customized support, training, and related services offered by Cumulus Global and other Google Apps Authorized Resellers.
The expanded support services is one more in a continuing list of service and product enhancements designed to address business owners’ and IT directors’ concerns about moving to Google Apps and cloud computing. Other recent changes include SLA and up-time improvements, as well as enhancements such as unthreaded email and read receipts in Gmail, and a scheduled release process.
Posted in General | Tagged Google Apps, Google Apps for Business, Services, Support | Leave a comment
Tuesday Take-Away: A Google Apps Overview
November 8, 2011You are busy. Spending an hour in a webinar to learn about cloud computing and why businesses are moving to Google Apps may work for you.
This 3 and 1/2 minute video, however, is a great introduction and overview.
Posted in General, Uncategorized | Tagged Google Apps for Business, Overview | Leave a comment
Tuesday Take Away: 8 Ways that Clouds Beat Blizzards
November 1, 2011Once again, the team and I at Cumulus Global found ourselves working from our homes, pizza shops, libraries, and coffee shops. An unusual and record-breaking October Nor’easter dumped about a foot of very heavy and wet snow on us, snapping power poles and trees like, well, twigs. In our area of the state, most towns reported between 60% and 100% of residences and businesses without power. Starting on Saturday evening, many will be without power until late Thursday or Friday.
Businesses tied to their physical offices, again, are learning the hard way how Cloud Computing can help keep things running when life throws the unexpected your way.
1) Message Continuity
If you run MS Exchange, Google Message Continuity not only provides you with bullet-proof spooling if your server or Internet link are down, you get Gmail’s web interface and the ability to send and receive emails. And while most email contingency services dump all activity in your spool to your inbox (including sent message), GMC actually syncs your sent and saved messages, preserving your folders and your sanity.
2) Cloud Storage Mirror
Different than backing up for restores or recovery, synchronizing or mirroring local and network data to a cloud service gives you the ability to access and use your documents, usually through a web interface, from anywhere at anytime. Matching the cloud service and the sync tool to your needs ensures your critical data is available even if your office is not.
3) Google Talk
With a laptop or smartphone, the Google Talk app, and an Internet connection anywhere, you can communicate with your team and your associates securely via instant messaging, voice conferencing, or video conferencing. Don’t worry of phone lines or in-house PBXs are down, with Google Talk you can see who is available and converse at will.
4) Google Voice
Get your laptop to an Internet connection with a headset and microphone and you can send and receive calls without a fuss.
5) Hosted VoIP Phone Services
It may seem like the throw-back to the days of Centrex, but hosted VoIP (aka Hosted iPBX) services keep your phone lines working regardless of what is happening with your building. And, you can access and use your lines, extensions, and voice mail from pretty much anyplace with either a VoIP phone, softphone software on your laptop, or your smartphone.
6) Cloud-Based Email
If you are thinking of using the cloud as a contingency service because cloud-based email is going to be available when your in-house system goes off-line, why not make the more reliable service the one you use every day? Do you need or want to keep your in-house server when a cloud-based service will be more reliable and more available? Ok, it’s a loaded question … but still worth some thought.
7) Cloud File Services
Just as with cloud-based email, Cloud File Services will prove more reliable and available over time, and especially during emergencies. Granted, you may have applications, and work flow issues that make using cloud file services as your primary file service impractical. But, you will never know if you don’t take a look. And, many of these requirements work with the right local sync technology in place.
Google Apps for Business / Government / Education
There, I finally said it. Google Apps gives you the reliability and availability of the cloud-based Gmail, cloud storage you can mirror or sync, Google Talk, Google Voice integration, and a cloud file service. Better yet, Google Apps rolls these services into an integrated, affordable package with access from most any computer and smartphone. Some of the solutions may require third party components. But, when disaster strikes (and disasters will strike), why not have an IT Ecosystem that is resilient to available rather than you you need to recover.
Posted in General, Uncategorized | Tagged business continuity, Cloud Computing, Cloud File Services, cloud storage, contingency, Gmail, Google Apps, iPBX, Message Continuity, VoIP | Leave a comment
Life without Power at Cumulus Global
October 31, 2011Good Day,
Cumulus Global’s offices and many of our team members’ homes (like the majority ofhomes and businesses in our area) are without power due to the October blizzard.
Living in the cloud, however, we are working from libraries, relatives’ houses, and the occasional pizza place. While are responses may be slightly delayed, we are up and running and here to serve your needs.
Regards,
Allen Falcon
CEO
Tuesday Take Away: DLP in Google Apps
October 25, 2011In at least one prior post, we have written about the nature of data protection and the reasons for backing up information in the cloud. Backupify, one of the vendors we work with often, recently conducted a study of known data loss incidents in Google Apps with known resolutions. Here is what they learned:
- 0.00% = Due to Google systems or software
- 4.05% = Due to an integrated, third party application
- 10.81% = Due to unauthorized use of a users’ credentials
- 85.14% = Due to user action
What does this mean?
For most Google Apps users, the best mechanism for Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is to protect your data from user error and malicious acts. In other words, back up your data! Assess your needs with respect to retention period and retention points, and pick the backup solution that best meets your business needs. And remember, backups solutions for Google Docs should do more than export with conversion.
In addition, users should understand the importance and risks involved in sharing account information or using weak passwords. If you want to enforce best practices, consider Google Apps Directory Sync or an affordable Single Sign-On (SSO) solution.
Drop us a note if you want to know more.
Posted in General, Uncategorized | Tagged backup, Data Loss Prevention, DLP, Google Apps, Single Sign On, SSO | Leave a comment
Friday Thought: Comfort with the Cloud Grows Rapidly Among Business Execs
October 21, 2011As reported by Dow Jones via Fox Business News back in May, IBM published results of a bi-annual survey of more than 3000 CIOs. The results indicate that adoption of cloud computing will continue to grow rapidly. Over the past two years:
- The number of CIOs planning to use c loud computing has jumped from 33% to 60%
- The number of CIOs stating that cloud computing is a top priority has jumped from about 33% to about 70%
What does this mean for you beyond “cloud computing is not going away”?
- Mid-market and large enterprises will continue to demand enterprise-class features and capabilities from cloud computing solutions
- PAR (performance/availability/reliability) concerns will continue to be addressed by vendors
- Security architectures will continue to evolve to meet market demands.
Small and Mid-Size Businesses (SMBs) will benefit from the continuing, rapid evolution of cloud solutions. As demonstrated by Google’s increasing rate of feature releases in Google Apps, evolution will rapidly close the gap between new, cloud solutions and traditional in-house systems.
SMBs should expect to re-evaluate current vendors and IT partners against new players in the market. Avoid letting inertia keep your business on a path without fully exploring options. Change may mean moving away from vendors uncomfortable with the growing role of cloud solutions.
At the same time, avoid moving to cloud solutions for the sake of being in the cloud. Businesses should always map business objectives into IT initiatives and priorities, and then select the best solution.
Posted in General | Tagged CIOs, Cloud Computing, Cloud Solutions, Google Apps, IBM, SMBs, SMEs | Leave a comment
Cumulus Global CEO Clouds Up New England Business Expo
October 18, 2011“For most businesses, cloud computing solutions hold great potential for improved efficiency and cost savings,” notes Falcon. “This seminar will take the mystery and fear out of cloud computing and will provide a road map for sound decisions and plans.”
Ground to Cloud in 30 Days! is scheduled for 4:00 pm in the New England Business Expo seminar rooms, on the 3rd floor of the DCU Center. Interested business owners can learn more at Cumulus Global’s News and Events page (www.cumulusglobal.com/news-and-events.php) or by visiting the expo site at http://www.newenglandbusinessexpo.org.
About Cumulus Global
Cumulus Global, formerly Horizon Info Services, helps small and mid-size businesses, non-profits, governments, and educational institutions thrive by delivering cloud computing solutions. Serving clients from 1 to more than 1000 employees across numerous industries, we align technology with our clients’ goals, objectives, and bottom lines. We leverage our expertise, vendor relationships, and a diversified range of best-of-breed cloud services to create custom solutions with tangible value.
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