Cumulus Global In The News

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Cumulus Global is active in the cloud solution provider channel and markets.  Allen Falcon, our CEO, has been quoted several times recently in the trade and industry press.

IT Spend To Grow 2 Percent In 2013: Report
CRN, July 2, 2013

Solution Providers Increasingly Focusing on Encryption
Unified Communications Strategy, July 4, 2013

3-Click Cloud Transition from Appcara
Unified Communications Strategy, July 12, 2013

Software To Propel 2013’s Global IT Spend To $2.06 Trillion, Forrester Says
CRN, July 17, 2013

Google Says It Will Be Investing More In Its Enterprise Business
CRN, July 19, 2013

 

 

Cloud Guru Joins Cumulus Global in New York Expansion

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profilepicNew York, NY, July 11, 2013 – Cumulus Global today announced that David Watts is joining Cumulus Global as a Senior Cloud Consultant, leading Cumulus Global’s expansion into the Metro New York area. Watts brings a consultative approach to matching businesses, non-profits, local governments, and schools with the right cloud solutions. The addition of Watts to the Cumulus Global team coincides with the opening of a new office in Manhattan.

“As one of the largest Google Apps partners in New England, expansion into the New York area is a logical step for us,” stated Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global. “David’s expertise and our local office in New York helps us meet the cloud solution needs of small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) in the New York City area.”

Watts comes to Cumulus Global from White Stratus, a Google Enterprise Partner, and Cloud Guru, a Google Apps SMB partner Watts co-founded. Watts is a Google Apps Certified Sales Professional, a member of Agile Equity’s Cloud Computing Advisory Board, and has led many Google Apps for Business deployments. His experience helps companies better understand the process and results as he consults with clients to create comprehensive cloud solutions.

“Cloud for cloud’s sake is not the answer”, noted Falcon. “David expands our ability to leverage Google Apps and Drive as core components of broader solutions designed to meet business goals and priorities.”

Watts has experience looking beyond Google Apps as an email and calendar service. Google Apps is a platform for collaboration and managed file services. By integrating Google Apps for Business with legacy applications, integrating line of business applications, and providing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) services, Watts and the team at Cumulus Global deliver solutions that organizations need to compete in today’s business climate.

 

Google Apps cPanel Gets and Upgrade (Part 2)

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This is the second of a two-part series covering the new look and features in the Google Apps Admin Panel.

In addition to being a more uncluttered dashboard, the new and improved Google Admin Console will now make it easier than ever to customize the panel to your benefit.  The panel can now be readjusted to however you so desire by simply dragging and dropping icons onto the main screen, allowing you to access the services and management components you use most often.

You already know what the new interface looks like (see Part 1).  So what else can you do with the new admin panel?

Google Apps Admin Panel (Click to Enlarge)

You can access the other icons and applications by clicking the “More controls” button at the bottom of the screen.

This will provide you with another row of accessible icons.

Additionally, there are even more controls that are available, which can be exposed by using the “>” arrow at the bottom of the screen.

(Click on the image at the right to enlarge)

Let’s say that you want to add the Google “Groups” to your main panel, and more specifically, between the icons for “Company Profile” and “Billing.”  Doing this is as easy as just dragging the icon right up to the main dashboard.

After you drop any icon, it becomes present on the predominant Dashboard.  Just as you can easily add icons to the panel, you can comfortably do the reverse in order to conceal those icons that you do not need front and center.

Want to learn more?

Still looking for more information?

Here is a video that demonstrates the new setup.  The full Console Guide is also available.  The Feature Map is an easy way to see how to perform common tasks.

 

 

 

 

Surface RT Deal for EDUs: Too Good to be Good

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Out of JuiceWhen you see a prominent industry headline that reads “Microsoft Surface RT: Dumping Inventory Or Investing In Education?“, you know something isn’t quite right.  Earlier this week, Microsoft announced it was slashing pricing on Surface RT tablets for schools down to $199 per unit with keyboard options bringing the price to $249 or $289.

The industry cannot help but wonder if Microsoft is trying to compete in the EDU market, or just looking to unload devices.  Microsoft’s intent is easy to question.

The dismal sales of Windows 8 in general is well-known, as ZDnet reported that through May 2013, Windows 8 sales under-performed the maligned and openly mocked Windows Vista operating system. And the industry is openly questioning Microsoft’s claims of licenses sold versus in use. In this blog, Preston Gralla of ComputerWorld summarizes criticism and challenges to Microsoft’s claims from sources ranging from IDC to the New York Times.

What is Going on Here?

Microsoft built an expensive tablet with and operating system that nobody wants. Even Microsoft OEMs, like Acer, dismiss Windows RT as “not influential.” And, the Surface RT only runs Windows RT… meaning that you are limited to applications designed to only run on Windows 8 (and not all of them will run cleanly on RT).

At $199 to $289, Microsoft has lowered the price of Surface RT tablets below those of iPads, to an amount that compares with the Acer and Samsung Chromebooks. The higher priced packages include a keyboard, a clear effort for the Surface RT to get closer to functional equivalence with Chromebooks.

Do not be fooled, however.  The end cost to schools (and businesses) is much greater than the buy price of the device. Going with a Surface RT tablet means leaving your existing applications behind and upgrading to the latest and greatest releases for compatibility. It also means investing in new endpoint protection solutions and mobile device management systems.

In addition, you have two soft costs to worry about. While almost all teachers and students can use a browser and browser-based tools, learning Windows RT is like starting over. With the release of Windows 8.1, Microsoft itself is acknowledging that users did not like Windows 8 and struggled with the transition.

The second soft cost: Obsolescence. Business and education software built for Windows 7 will not run on the Surface RT.  And with non-existent sales, betting that software publishers will invest in the Surface RT platform is risky.

In comparison, the catalog of web-based applications for education (and business) is skyrocketing. Picking end computing devices tied to growing markets and trends simply makes more sense.

 

 

 

 

Google Apps cPanel Gets and Upgrade (Part 1)

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This is the first of a two-part series covering the new look and features in the Google Apps Admin Panel.

Most interface changes are dreaded by users and implemented with reluctance. However, instead of updating the Google Apps Control Panel to a more complex setup with less or equal function to its predecessor, this new panel is sleek, simple, and user-friendly. It was designed to make your day easier.

Want proof? Let’s go through some of the new features.

Now called the “Google Admin Console,” it has expanded to allow to administer other enterprise features from the panel, including Chromebooks and Map Coordinate, unifying administration and management.  The Admin Console is also available through a simple link: admin.google.com.

dashboard

As you can see, there is a similarity between the panel and the Google+ dashboard. The right section shows user activities, tools, and tasks, and the upper right has icons for alerts/notifications, help, and support.

The icons are pretty self-explanatory. When you open an icon, however, a drop-down appears in the upper left. When you open an icon such as “Company Profile,” the drop-down menu gives options for the profile, communication settings, personalization, custom URLs, and more.

By clicking the “Company Profile” with the drop-down arrow next to it, you can see your other icons from the home dashboard.

If you access “User” from the main menu, you  see the scree, above.

Additionally the new interface allows you personalize which details show underneath the column. You can also use filters to display users by a specific category. Whether assigning them into groups individually or in bulk, all you need to do is check the box next to each one and choose the appropriate action.is:

Profile information appears when opening up a specific user. From there you can reset the user’s password, add the user to groups, rename the user, and more. Hovering over certain areas will make more data appear. For example, when you hover over “Google Apps Enabled” to see what applications are enabled, it might show Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and more.

Whereas back on the dashboard, you can see your available services by clicking “Google Apps.” To manage the usages and settings, click on the app.

There are many useful features in the new Google Admin Console. From managing specific users to navigating the dashboard, all systems have been reworked and improved upon. We are excited to introduce this new chapter in the Google Apps Control Panel and look forward to using it.