Cumulus Global CEO Named Strategic Cloud Advisor for NexGen Cloud Conference

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Cumulus Global today announced the addition of Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global, as a Strategic Cloud Advisor for the NexGen Cloud Conference & Expo slated to launch December 3, 2014 in San Diego, CA. Falcon brings his knowledge of cloud computing for SMBs and education to the advisory board, and will provide insight and direction through selecting topics and speakers for this industry event. The NexGen Cloud Conference & Expo is aimed at IT service providers looking to emerge as leaders in cloud computing services.

“I am honored by the invitation to the Advisory Board and I am looking forward to the opportunity to help further the industry”, stated Falcon. “Cloud Computing is not just a new technology and is not just a new approach to IT service delivery, Cloud Computing is transformative in its ability to enable change and growth for businesses of all sizes.”

The NexGen Cloud Conference & Expo intends to educate and inspire value-added resellers and managed service providers. The conference and exposition provides a great venue for company leaders to make connections, and find new directions.

“The Channel Company understands that cloud computing is driving ISVs, VARs, MSPs, and other IT service providers to rethink their strategy and business model”, notes Falcon. “This event brings the experts and advisors together in one place for an intensive learning and networking opportunity.”

Registration for the NexGen Cloud Conference & Expo is open, with pre-registration discounts available until June 6, 2014 at www.nexgencloudcon.com/.

Cumulus Global CEO Named Among 10 to Watch by Worcester Business Journal

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The Worcester Business Journal named Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global among the “10 to Watch” today in the MetroWest 495 BIZ special supplement.  The “10 to Watch” list identifies emerging business leaders who foster unique skill sets, find and develop new opportunities, and bring their respective companies to new heights.  The Worcester Business Journal covers business activity in the vibrant Central Massachusetts, 495 Corridor, and MetroWest regions.

“This is more than a personal honor for me”, noted Falcon while acknowledging the award.  “This honor reflects the commitment of the entire Cumulus Global team to the businesses, schools,  non-profits, and governments we serve.”   Falcon also praised Cumulus Global’s customers, stating “We are fortunate to have customers that want to learn, innovate, and grow, and that focus on the business value of our solutions.”

Based in Westborough, Massachusetts, Cumulus Global serves small and mid-size businesses, schools, and local governments in Massachusetts, throughout New England, and across North America. The company recently opened offices in New York and is looking forward to continued growth and expansion.

“While we deliver cutting edge and proven solutions, do not let our zeal for cloud solutions fool you,” added Falcon, “We serve much like a traditional value-add partner.  We assess business objectives, needs, and priorities; we select technologies and services to create pragmatic and effective solutions; and we follow through with deployment, education, training, and support.”

Recognition among the “10 to Watch” in MetroWest follows other recent industry accolades, including Cumulus Global’s recognition as a 2014 Pacesetter and the 5th fastest growing private company in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal, being named to CIO Review’s list of the 20 Most Promising Education Tech Providers,  and being included on CRN’s Next-Gen 250 list of cutting edge solution providers for the second consecutive year.

Google Extends “End of Life” for ALL Chrome Devices

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Google is updating the official “End of Life” policy for all Chrome devices, including retroactive coverage to previous models.

This change extends the minimum “End of Life” (EOL) term from 3 years to 5 years, adding at least 2 additional years of automatic Chrome and security updates.  When a device’s EOL term is reached, Google no longer guarantees Chrome updates will be provided.

The new minimum EOL term is now 5 years from the date the device hardware is made available for purchase. Some models may have a further extension based on regional releases and the length of sale. Google will be updating the EOL policy and projected dates on the Chrome OS End of Life Policy page soon to reflect this change.

Surprising Stats on Cloud Data Loss

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Yes, you can lose data in the cloud!

Our friends at Backupify recently conducted a study, Protecting Data in the Cloud: The Truth About SaaS Backup, which revealed some very interesting results based on how IT perceives the safety and security of their cloud-resident data.

54% of IT professionals have implemented some form of SaaS applications

81% of IT pros that use or plan to use SaaS apps categorize the data stored in their SaaS apps as “very to extremely important”

52% of IT pros don’t currently back up their SaaS data (or even plan to)

79% of IT pros believe their SaaS application is being backed up by their solution provider

1 out of 3 companies using SaaS lose data

47% of SaaS data loss occurs from end-user deletion

17% of SaaS data loss occurs when an employee overwrites data

13% of SaaS data loss occurs when a hacker deletes data

47% of IT pros back up SaaS data with a manual export

15% of IT pros back up SaaS data with cloud-to-cloud backup

If you want to learn more about protecting your SaaS and cloud data, please send us a note.

Note: This post is based on a Backupify Blog Post, which you can see here.

 

Cumulus Global in the News

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NewsBeacon.150
Death Of Net Neutrality Will Hurt Cloud Adoption
CRN, May 2, 2014
Our View:  Businesses relying on cloud computing need to trust that the services they use have a level playing field for Internet access and performance.

Google Apps Resellers: Referral Program Actually Helps Our Business in the Long Run
CRN, April 21, 2014
Our View: The program raises market awareness and an understanding of the value of the services we offer.

Cumulus Global Receives Pacesetter Award from the Boston Business Journal as the 5th Fastest Growing Private Company in Massachusetts
Providence Journal, April 17, 2014
Our View: We appreciate the recognition of our team and our clients, who recognize that value we delivery through our products and services.

New Google 3-D Tango Smartphone Could Change Business Computing
CRN, April 16, 2014
Our View: 3-D imaging will expand the role of smart phones and mobile devices in education, medicine, law enforcement, logistics, and other business segments.

 

Alternatives to MS Office

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NoWindows

 

With more businesses moving to the cloud, and Google Apps in particular, one of the questions that comes up is whether organizations still need MS Office.  The fact that MS Office use is drastically lower than peceived within most companies is a subject for another post.

For many organizations, they still need a solution for existing (legacy) documents as well as documents shared with them by others still using MS Office.  The good news is that you have a number of strong competitors that are free, or very low cost, and that run across multiple platforms.  Here a few.

Kingsoft Office

Cost:  Free; Premium Edition for Windows is $69.95
Platforms:  Windows, Android, iOS, Linux

Kingsoft Office is a free MS Office compatible suite available on Windows, Android (including Samsung devices and International), iOS (iPad and iPhone), and Linux.  The suite integrates with Google Drive, as well as Box and Dropbox.

Office Suite from Mobile Systems Inc.

Cost: Android: Free or $9.99 for Premium; iOS: $1.99 (promotion; normally $14.99)
Platforms: Android, iOS

Work with and print Office format documents, as well as PDF and ZIP files.  A file manager works with local files and attachments on smartphones and tablets and can also access Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive and SugarSync, plus sharing via email, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct.

QuickOffice form Google

Cost: Free with Google Apps account
Platforms: Android, iOS

Edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files read PDFs.  Works only with Google Drive and supports printing to Wi-Fi printers.

DocstoGo from DataViz

Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS

Supports MS Office 97, 2010, and 2013 formats.  An in-app purchase is required to use Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

Polaris Office 5

Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS

Allows workgroups to use email or social contacts to collaborate on documents.  Works with Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and other WebDAV sites. The iOS version supports OneDrive as well.

CloudOn

Cost: Free; Pro version for $3.99 per month includes printing
Platforms: Android, iOS

Rather than building apps to execute on the local device, the CloudOn connects to a free service that executes Office apps in the cloud, and opens and edits files there. Only screen updates and gestures go back and forth. CloudOn saves to a Google Drive, Box, Dropbox or OneDrive account.

New Google Sheets are Here

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Google Sheets
Over the next few weeks, Google is rolling out the new version of Sheets to all users. Sheets include a many new features beyond offline access, speed, and no more limits on formula complexity and sheet size.

Spell check is not yet part of the new Sheets, but is coming soon.

You can click here to learn more about the new Google Sheets, and you can see Google’s announcement here.

For those that want to help users get the most from Google Docs, contact us about self-paced, integrated Google Apps training and other professional development options.