Leadership Thoughts: Noteworthy Blog Posts – Jan ’26

As small business owners and leaders, you carry the responsibility for the direction and success of your business.  And while Cumulus Global provides Managed Cloud Services and Cloud Forward IT service and support that help you thrive and grow, we understand your responsibilities are broader than just IT.  Here is a curated list of blog posts from trusted experts and thought leaders that we hope will inform and inspire.

Vision

• What Is Future-Proofing? How to Make Sure Your Business Thrives
  • Businesses strive to stay relevant in an ever-changing market. Future-proofing your business is a long-term business strategy for resiliency and market adaptability in a fluid and often volatile environment.
  • Electra Govoni, The Alternative Board (TAB) Boston North West

AI Strategy

• A 5-Step Strategy for Responsible AI
  • AI is changing how our businesses operate and compete. As we rely more on AI, having strong governance is essential to ensure our AI tools are used securely, ethically, and responsibly. Our use of AI should align with your company’s values and regulatory standards.
  • Allen Falcon, Cumulus Global Blog

Business and IT Strategy

• How Financial Benchmarking Can Save Your Business
  • Many businesses with $2M-$50M in annual sales overlook a critical indicator of business health – financial benchmarking. Much like a pilot’s artificial horizon, benchmarking signals when a correction is needed, and sometimes making that adjustment is a matter of survival.
  • James Wheeler, kept.pro

• Start the New Year with an Effective IT Budget
  
  • If you do not have an IT budget, there is no such thing as an “in-budget” IT purchase. Every unplanned expense adds costs and introduces uncertainty, putting profit at risk. With a budget in place, you get clarity on current spending and can plan ahead instead of scrambling. Step into the new year with more control by following this simple process that gives you a complete view of your IT.
  • Allen Falcon, Cumulus Global Blog

Leadership

• When the Plan Flops: 4 Strategies to Help Leaders Bounce Back After Upset
  • Can you point to a recent situation in your business that didn’t go the way you had hoped—and now you’re left wondering, What now? If you know yourself to be a high-performing leader, these moments can feel especially difficult. You’re used to being in control, moving forward, and making things happen.
  • Amy Mosher Berry, Visions Internships

Legal

• Data, Trust, and Accountability: Business Lessons from the Avast Settlement
  • The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent action against Avast, a widely used provider of consumer antivirus tools and browser-security extensions, illustrates how seriously regulators now treat gaps between what companies promise and what they actually do.
  • Nicholas Lipreseti, Esq. at Lipresti Law

Marketing

• How I Leverage AI in Marketing Without Losing My Authentic Voice
  • Building a Repeatable, Systematic Content Creation Process That Stays True to Your Brand.
  • Kristi Mitchell, Marketing Uncomplicated

Productivity

• Boost Your Biz with Smarter PDFs now!
  • The PDF format is preferred because it displays consistently on any device, and it’s reliable for storing important information. But not all PDF software is the same. Use the wrong one and you can have a problem with some of the functionality you’ve come to expect.
  • Mike Grossman, Mike Grossman Consulting, LLC

Cybersecurity

• 5 Cyber Threat Trends You Should Know
  • While cyber-fatigue is real, understanding the threat landscape helps you assess your risks and security posture and make informed decisions on how to prioritize security-related spending and investment.
  • Allen Falcon, Cumulus Global Blog

Help us keep the ideas flowing. As a thought leader, if you have any blog posts that you want to share, please let us know.