Archive for category: Blog

What Might Your Browser Say About Your Intelligence?

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In an online poll of over 100,000 people, AptiQuant, a Canadian firm that provides online employment assessments found a relationship between IQ and browser choice.  In the report, AptiQuant finds that individuals with lower IQ scores are more likely to use Internet Explorer than other browsers, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

The authors of the study note that “Although observational findings linking resistance to change/upgrade software to scores on cognitive tests maybe distorted by a lot of factors, it has been suggested that individuals on the lower end of the IQ scale tend to keep using outdated versions of antique web browsers.”  They extend this observation to their hypothesis:

“Because cognitive scores are related to tech savviness, we hypothesized that choice of web browser is related to cognitive ability of an individual.”

What the study found is that:

  • A significant number of individuals with a low score on the cognitive test were found to be using Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6.0 to 9.0.
  • There was no significant difference in the IQ scores between individuals using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple’s Safari; however, it was on an average higher than IE users.
  • Individuals using Opera, Camino and IE with Chrome Frame scored a little higher on an average than others.

From this, the study concludes that “… the IQ score and the choice of web browser are related.”

While interesting, the study does not establish browser choice as an indicator of IQ.  Rather, it does seem to support the general notion that intelligence relates to willingness to change and adopt new tools (in this case, software).

And, before you tease your IE-using friends, remember that this survey was far from scientific, with self-selecting users who responded to web advertisements for a free IQ test.

 

Friday Thought: What does SAS 70 really mean?

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When talking about security of cloud solutions, we often mention that Google Apps is SAS 70 Type II certified.  While it sounds impressive, what does it really mean.

SAS 70 is an accounting audit standard for operational policies and procedures.  To achieve certification, you …

  1. Must have best-practice policies and procedures in place
  2. Must be able to prove that you follow policies and procedures
  3. Must have an independent 3rd party audit your operations on a regular basis to validate the policies and procedures and verify that they are followed.

SAS 70 Type II reflects a level of certification for data center and IT operations that includes:

  • Physical security of buildings and data centers
  • Logical security (network, systems, data, etc)
  • Privacy
  • Incident management and availability
  • Change management
  • Organization (roles and responsibilities)
  • Administration (personnel, documentation, funding, etc.)

So while it sounds impressive, SAS 70 Type II certification really is impressive!

Most businesses cannot or choose not to incur the cost and effort to achieve SAS 70 Type II certification for their internal systems.  With the certification, Google is confirming the security and safety of your data continuously at a level that likely exceeds the security of your in-house networks and systems.

Good News for EDUs

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We have some good news for educational institutions using Google Apps.  Google has increased the inbox size from 7.5GB to 25GB per user, giving your users the same level of service as businesses.

In addition, Cumulus Global can now offer Google’s famous educational discounts for all Postini services, including Google Message Security and Message Archive & Discovery services.  These discounts are valid if you use Google Postini services with your in-house email servers or Google Apps for Education.

Contact us for more information and pricing.

I Love My New Chromebook, but …

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As we prepare to offer Chromebooks to schools and SMEs, our first unit has arrived.  Never has setting up a new computing device been so simple.  Once you power up, the OS walks you through connecting to your wireless network and downloading the latest Chrome OS updates.

Enter your Google Apps username and password, and you are up and running.

We are using the Samsung 5 WiFi edition.  The keyboard is fine, but compact.  Performance is superb as is screen, audio, and video quality (through the built-in camera).  Boot up takes ~8 seconds and coming out of sleep is instant.  A far cry from the coffee break required when returning from Standby on my Windows laptop.

I love it, but ….  it does take some adjustment.

ChromeOS is an OS in a browser.  There is no “closing” the browser to see your desktop.  Your “desktop” is the new tab screen, with your applications listed in a logical order.

There is local storage, about 50GB, and the ability to use USB and SD cards for more space.  The local storage is not like a traditional hard drive.  There is no letter, it is simply accessed through the browser.

Google could make moving to Chromebooks easier with a few changes to Google Apps and Gmail in particular.   When composing emails, Gmail has an “Attach File” link that assumes you are loading a file from local storage.  I suggest that Gmail should also have a “Share Doc” link that lets you browse your Google Docs collections and select links to include/attach in the message.  If I am moving to the cloud, make sharing content from the cloud the default.

Aside from that, I find the Chromebook more useful for working on the go than my iPad, as I prefer the Chrome browser interface to the mail, calendar, and ‘mini browser’ interfaces on the iPad.

Let me know what you think.
–Allen

Paul Drotch Joins Cumulus Global as CFO

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WESTBOROUGH, MA – July 20, 2011 – Cumulus Global is pleased to announce that Paul Drotch has joined the company in the role of Chief Financial Officer.  As CFO, Paul will manage all accounting functions and will lead several strategic initiatives in support of the company’s rapid growth. 

“We are honored that Paul has decided to join our team,” stated Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global.  “With more than 15 years in the finance industry, Paul brings expertise in finance, analysis, strategic planning, and funding.  Paul is the right person to help us continue growing.”

Paul DrotchPrior to joining Cumulus Global, Paul served as a Senior Investment Officer at Liberty Mutual.  During his tenure at Liberty Mutual, Paul tracked a $3.0 billion portfolio over several vertical industries, providing critical and timely analysis and recommendations to fund managers.  Paul previously served as a Senior High Yield Analyst for Federated Investors.

Paul holds a Bachelors of Arts with Honors from the University of Rochester and Master of Business Administration in Finance and Strategy from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University.  Paul is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Paul lives in Central Massachusetts with his wife and three children.  He is currently a Board Member at the Epilepsy Foundation Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire & Maine and has served in leadership positions on the boards of several area non-profits.

Protect Your Data in the Cloud

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When IT pros plan backup and recovery solutions for in-house systems, they start with the big events, such as server failures and disk crashes.  In reality, most restores are not as a result of a catastrophic loss.  Most restores are for individual files that were accidentally overwritten, deleted, or otherwise corrupted.

How is this relevant when your files are in the cloud?

Most cloud file services provide sufficient redundancy and resilience to prevent data loss due to hardware or software failure.  These services, however, cannot protect your data from the users.  Files stored in the cloud remain susceptible to deletion and accidental overwrites.    In addition, new desktop utilities that let users work locally and sync files between desktop and cloud increase your risk of file corruption.

What to do?

You do have some protections available.

Version History:  If your cloud file service has version history features, take the time to understand how and when the service saves versions.  Some services only save documents uploaded via their web interface or client, and not when documents are updated via drive mapping or folder desktop sync applications.

Cloud File backup tools:  Consider adding a backup tool to your cloud ecosystem.  A cloud backup tool will periodically move content from your cloud file service to another location periodically or continuously.  The data is stored in a format that facilitates restores to your cloud file service, and many backup tools let you download the backup set.

If you have concerns about your cloud-based data, or have questions about backing up your data in the cloud, please contact us.

 

Horizon Info Services, LLC Becomes Cumulus Global

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New Name and Brand Reflects Company’s Growth

WESTBOROUGH, MA – June 13, 2011 – Horizon Info Services, LLC announced this morning that, effective immediately, the company is doing business as Cumulus Global. Allen Falcon, CEO, announced the change from the company’s booth at the Hartford Business Journal’s CT Business Expo.  With this new name, Falcon also launched the company’s new branding and web site at www.cumulusglobal.com.

As one of the original 20 Google Apps Authorized Resellers in North America, Cumulus Global will continue delivering innovative cloud computing solutions for email, communications, and collaboration.  The company has also quietly added a broad selection of cloud computing solutions relevant to small and mid-size organizations, serving North American companies with locations worldwide.

“Cumulus Global better reflects the scope of cloud computing solutions we offer to businesses, non-profits, educational institutions, and governments”, stated Falcon.  “While Google Apps remains the cornerstone of our cloud computing solutions, we understand that Google Apps is one piece of the IT puzzle.  We deliver solutions, not just products.”

Cumulus Global augments Google Apps with integrated applications for contact management, MS Office integration, data backup, document records management, email archiving and encryption, as well as custom development services.  The company provides a range of setup and migration services and offers on-going IT and end user support services not otherwise available.

“We are fairly unique among Google Apps resellers,” notes Falcon. “Unlike most Google Apps resellers, our focus is more than selling Google Apps licenses and services.  We focus on our customers’ business needs and objectives, and deliver cloud computing solutions accordingly.”

Beyond Google Apps, Cumulus offers a range of cloud computing solutions, including: spam/virus protection, archiving, encryption, and continuity services for in-house email systems; web security and filtering services; and online backup, restore, and recovery services.  The company will be rolling out Cloud Storage and Cloud Server solutions later this summer.

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.

 

Cumulus Global Backs New Tiers for Google Apps Authorized Resellers

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Yesterday, Google announced the addition of “Premier” tiers for Google Apps Authorized Resellers, as well as for Google Earth, Enterprise Search, and Google Maps.  As reported by CRN, Cumulus Global supports Google’s efforts to differentiate among resellers.

As Allen Falcon, CEO of Cumulus Global discussed in the article, not all resellers have the same skills and resources.  The new tiers reflect training and experience of the reseller, giving customers another tool for matching their needs when selecting a reseller.

People Widget Gives Context to Email Senders

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Email is not just a way to communicate … to send and receive messages.  Email can and should be a tool for collaborating.  A tool that places your communication within the context of your relationship with the senders and recipients.  A tool that makes it easier to move from sending/receiving to sharing.

People Widget

Over the next two weeks, Google is rolling out the People Widget across Google Apps platforms.  The widget highlights content and communications from colleagues, friends, and family, placing your communications within a broader context.

The widget, which will appear next to your inbox provides context for the sender of each email.  More than seeing who the sender is, the People Widget lists any recent email conversations and joint calendar events.  It also provides on-click access to chat, initiate a new email conversation, schedule a meeting, or update the sender’s information.

For more information, visit the Official Gmail Blog.

If you are interested in trying Google Apps, contact us or complete our 12 Minute Assessment.

 

Freshen Up Your Existing Google Sites

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Google Sites now supports the ability to apply a site template’s theme to any existing site. This does not apply the entire template to your existing site, just the template’s theme.

Using this capability, you can spruce up the theme of existing Google Sites without changing the structure or layout.

Click here to learn more.