November 2024 - Cumulus Global

As previously announced, Google is shutting down Jamboard on December 31, 2024. Even if you never bought a physical Jamboard, the Jamboard app has bounced around the Google Workspace ecosystem for a while as both a stand-alone app (jamboard.google.com) and as the whiteboarding tool in Google Meet.

Jamboard’s end-of-life is December 31, 2024. This is the last day you can migrate any Jam files to a supported partner application. After this date, files will begin to be deleted, and you will lose access to your saved Jams.

If you have used Jamboard, this change is significant. If not, now is a good time to check out third-party whiteboarding collaboration tools to see if they can enhance your meetings, interactions, and collaboration.

Evaluating Alternative Whiteboard Applications

Choosing the right alternative whiteboard application requires thoughtful consideration of several factors:

Assess Team Needs: Identify your team’s specific requirements. Are tool integrations essential, or is real-time collaboration across different devices a priority?
Review Usability: Evaluate the usability and learning curve of each option to minimize disruption to workflows.
Consider Costs and Scalability: Look at both costs and scalability limitations, especially if your organization is likely to grow.

Three Recommended Tools

Three popular alternatives to Jamboard include FigJam, Lucidspark, and Miro. Each offers unique features designed to support collaboration and creativity.

FigJam: Known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, FigJam is ideal for teams looking to brainstorm and ideate virtually. It integrates seamlessly with Figma, making it an attractive option for design-focused teams. FigJam supports real-time collaboration, sticky notes, and a variety of templates that can speed up the creative process.
Lucidspark: Lucidspark is a versatile platform that emphasizes visual collaboration. It offers features like voting, commenting, and breakout boards, which can enhance team productivity. Lucidspark is designed to accommodate both small teams and large organizations, with robust integrations into various project management and productivity tools.
Miro: Miro is renowned for its comprehensive set of tools aimed at enhancing team collaboration. It offers a wide array of templates, extensive integration capabilities, and supports interactive presentations. Miro’s strong emphasis on team management and project tracking makes it an ideal choice for larger teams or organizations looking for an all-in-one solution.

Your Action: Export or Migrate Your Jam Files

To preserve important Jamboard content, you can migrate your Jam files to one of these partner platforms. Each platform has an easy migration process, allowing you to continue your projects and activities with minimal disruption.

To move Jamboard files to a new whiteboard application, follow these steps:

Educate and Train: Provide training sessions to help your team adapt to the new application. Many platforms offer tutorials and webinars for new users.
Plan Ahead: Start the transition process soon to avoid the end-of-year rush. Allow time to address any challenges or questions.
Leverage Support: Use the new product’s customer support services. They can provide valuable assistance to facilitate your migration.
Monitor and Adjust: After migration, monitor how well the new platform meets your needs. Make adjustments as needed to optimize its use.

Following these steps, you can ensure that your transition from Jamboard is as seamless and efficient as possible, allowing your team to continue collaborating without interruption. As always, feel free to send an email or schedule time with one of our Cloud Advisors for assistance.

About the Author

Christopher Caldwell is the COO and a co-founder of Cumulus Global. Chris is a successful Information Services executive with 40 years experience in information services operations, application development, management, and leadership. His expertise includes corporate information technology and service management; program and project management; strategic and project-specific business requirements analysis; system requirements analysis and specification; system, application, and database design; software engineering and development, data center management, network and systems administration, network and system security, and end-user technical support.

Cyber threats are evolving at an alarming rate, posing significant risks to your business. Penetration testing, commonly referred to as “pen testing,” is becoming a vital, proactive tool for assessing your risks.

Pen testing simulates a cyber attack on a computer system aimed at identifying vulnerabilities and testing the security of IT systems. Pen testing goes beyond electronic systems; it encompasses the entire IT ecosystem, including human elements and physical security.

As cyber threats diversify, pen testing has become an important cybersecurity practice and an emerging requirement for cyber insurance.

Types of Pen Testing

Pen testing falls into various categories, each targeting different aspects of your business’s IT infrastructure:

External Testing:
Evaluates vulnerabilities in the systems that are visible from the outside, such as web applications, servers, and network devices. It simulates attacks attempting to breach your network from the Internet.
Internal Testing:
Examines what could happen if an attacker gains access to the internal network. It highlights potential damage and data exposure risks from within your organization.
Targeted Testing:
A collaborative effort between your IT team and the testers, providing real-time insights into the attacker’s perspective and your response.
Blind Testing:
Testers receive limited information about the target, mirroring the knowledge an actual attacker might have. This helps assess your organization’s security posture from an outsider’s perspective.
Double-Blind Testing:
An advanced form of blind testing where neither the testers nor the IT staff are aware of the test. It evaluates the effectiveness of the security monitoring and incident response processes.

Benefits of Pen Testing for Businesses

Investing in pen testing offers businesses several compelling advantages:

Identifying Vulnerabilities:
Pen tests expose weaknesses in systems, applications, and networks, allowing you to address them before they are exploited.
Prioritizing Risks:
Not all vulnerabilities carry the same weight. Pen tests help you prioritize risks based on their potential impact and likelihood, guiding you on where to focus your efforts and resources.
Enhancing Security Measures:
Insights from pen tests can guide the implementation of stronger security controls, such as multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and improved access management.
Boosting Cyber Insurance Prospects:
Many insurers require regular pen testing as part of their coverage criteria. Demonstrating proactive security measures can lead to better terms and premiums.
Regulatory Compliance:
For industries with stringent regulatory requirements, pen testing can help you assess compliance with standards like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR. It can also help you benchmark against cybersecurity frameworks, such as CIS, NIST, and CMMC.

Getting Started

The best way to get started with pen testing is to perform a basic, preliminary scan of your environment. Referred to as a “Level 1” test, this snapshot provides a baseline assessment. From this assessment, you can determine what, if any, mitigation efforts are needed to improve your security, meet compliance requirements, and/or secure cyber insurance.

Your Next Step

Cumulus Global offers a free Level 1 Pen Test to qualifying organizations. Click Here to Request your test and to access related resources.

About the Author

Bill is a Senior Cloud Advisor responsible for helping small and midsize organizations with cloud forward solutions that meet their business needs, priorities, and budgets. Bill works with executives, leaders, and team members to understand workflows, identify strategic goals and tactical requirements, and design solutions and implementation phases. Having helped over 200 organizations successfully adopt cloud solutions, his expertise and working style ensure a comfortable experience effective change management.

Google Jamboard Shutdown – Save Your Jams