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5 Cyber Threat Trends You Should Know

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5 Security Cyber Threats You Should Know

Earlier this week, we shared CrowdStrike’s 2025 Global Threat Report which identified five (5) cyber threat trends that 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.

5 Cyber Threat Trends

Here are the 5 cyber threat trends you should know.

1 China on the Rise

Cyber attacks originating in China – both nation-state and organized crime – jumped 130% over the prior 12 months. At the enterprise-level, China-nexus attackers focus on telecommunication systems. For most businesses, the increase in attacks on unmanaged devices should be of concern. 

Unmanaged devices lack detection and response capabilities that allow attackers to lurk, monitor, and capture credentials for greater access to your systems, applications, and data.

2 Hands-On-Keyboard Attacks are Making a Comeback

The best way for cyber attackers to avoid modern malware protection, such next-gen endpoint protection and managed detection and response (MDR) services, is for the attacker or a surrogate to use the keyboard. These manual, interactive attacks are up 27% over the prior year.

We may imagine hands–on-keyboard attacks as movie-like scenarios of corporate spies posing as custodians sneaking onto computers while avoiding the security guards making their rounds. In reality, the hands-on-attack may be your employee responding to somebody they think is IT support or a vendor helping them solve a problem.

3 Rapid Ransomware Reach

The speed at which cyber attackers can launch ransomware attacks after an initial breach is accelerating. From breach to spread, attacks are up to 32% faster than previously known.

This speed gives cybersecurity systems less time to identify behaviors and patterns that identify the cyber attack, weakening the effectiveness of the protections.

4 AI for Evil

With the help of AI, certain types of cyber attacks have jumped 220% over the prior year. Cyber attackers are using generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) technologies to power more-effective attacks.  

Using GenAI, attackers create more realistic fakes – emails, documents, phone calls, and videos – to trigger responses and reactions that enable and facilitate access and breaches.

At the same time, cyber attackers are using security vulnerabilities in the platforms and tools businesses use to build AI agents, just as they use vulnerabilities in web, application, and office productivity platforms.

5 Cloud Attacks Gain Altitude

Cloud intrusions – successful cyber attacks on cloud systems and services – jumped 136% during the first half of 2025 compared to all of 2024. These attacks vector through compromised identities, improper security configurations, API vulnerabilities, lax security and permissions governance.

Steps You Can Take

To ensure your security footprint protects your business appropriately:

  • Conduct IT and Security Assessments that benchmark your security posture.
  • Prioritize your risks based on the nature and size of your business, industry standards and expectations, and regulatory requirements.
  • Level our Security CPR™ model and services to plan, prioritize, and implement appropriate security and business resilience solutions that:
    • Address your prioritized risks as your budget allows
    • Protect from the most common and the most damaging/costly types of attacks.

We Will Help

Plan Now; Act Soon. Our Cloud Advisors are here to assist. We will:

  • Review your current systems and services and prioritize your risks. 
  • Help you prioritize, plan, and budget for security changes and improvements that may be necessary or preferred
  • Deploy and co-manage your security solutions to keep you protected.

Schedule time with one of our Cloud Advisors now to begin your security review and improvements.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

AI in Google Workspace – AI Ultra for Business

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Google AI Ultra for BusinessGoogle Workspace is a comprehensive and secure platform that empowers organizations to be more productive, collaborative, and creative. This series explores the power of AI built within Google Workspace across each of the workspace apps. In this post, we cover the Google AI Ultra add-on for Google Workspace.

Google AI Ultra for Business

Google AI Ultra for Business is an add-on for existing Google Workspace Business and Enterprise subscribers, offering enhanced capabilities.  Beyond the highest access to the Gemini app, Google AI Ultra for Business delivers advanced tools for deep reasoning, images, and videos.

Here are 4 reasons to consider Google Ultra for Business:

1 Gemini App
  • Dive deep with the most capable models, including Gemini 2.5 Pro and Deep Research.
  • Deep Think, with the ability to explore multiple scenarios and answers before responding, is coming soon.
2 Video Generation
  • AI Ultra for Business includes advanced filmmaking tools:
    • Veo 3 — Professional video production tool
    • Flow — Create cinematic scenes using Veo 3
    • Whisk — Image and text to 8-second videos, using Veo 2

3 Project Mariner

  • Research prototype for streamlined human-agent interaction
  • Allows AI agents to handle multiple tasks concurrently
  • Coming soon, initially to the US only

4 Individual YouTube Premium

  • Upgrade your video game with an individual YouTube Premium plan.

And More …

Google AI Ultra for Business also includes higher access and usage limits for:

  • Gemini App
  • Image Generation
  • NotebookLM
  • AI Credits (12,500 credits per month)
  • Storage (30 TB across Photos, Drive, and Gmail

We Will Help

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable managed cloud services. We work to ensure that you get the most value from the IT and cloud services you need and want, without overspending, to best support your business objectives.

Unsure of where to start? Check out our IT Assessment or schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor. We will help you adapt while keeping your IT services secure and cost-effective.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

AI in Google Workspace – AppSheet

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Gemini AI in AppSheetGoogle Workspace is a comprehensive and secure platform that empowers organizations to be more productive, collaborative, and creative. This series explores the power of AI built within Google Workspace across each of the workspace apps. In this post, we cover AI in AppSheet.

AI in AppSheet

AppSheet is an add-on for Google Workspace and a Google Cloud service that empowers Google Workspace users to create custom apps and automations without writing code.

In addition to simplifying workflow creation and connecting your business data, AppSheet provides controls needed to remain secure and compliant.

Gemini AI in AppSheet helps you create and refine apps and better access and refine your data and information.

Here are 3 Gemini features in AppSheet you should know.

1 Create an App
  • Bring app ideas to life by simply describing them. Gemini AI in AppSheet can transform those concepts
    into a fully functional app for you to edit or publish.
2 Extract Information
  • Currently in preview, Gemini AI in AppSheet lets you populate forms and reports directly from images. Snap a photo of a receipt, invoice or document to capture data and match it to the right fields.
3 Connect External Services
  • Also in preview, AppSheet apps can connect to hundreds of Google Cloud and third-party services without custom code.

And More …

You can also:

  • Embed Gemini-powered AI tasks directly within your AppSheet automations.
  • Extract information from PDF files.
  • Automatically categorize information as it is input.
  • Route and prioritize items based on categorized content to streamline workflows.

We Will Help

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable managed cloud services. We work to ensure that you get the most value from the IT and cloud services you need and want, without overspending, to best support your business objectives.

Unsure of where to start? Check out our IT Assessment or schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor. We will help you adapt while keeping your IT services secure and cost-effective.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

AI in Google Workspace – Vids

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Gemini AI in VidsGoogle Workspace is a comprehensive and secure platform that empowers organizations to be more productive, collaborative, and creative. This series explores the power of AI built within Google Workspace across each of the workspace apps. In this post, we cover AI in Vids.

AI in Vids

Vids is a relatively new addition to the Google Workspace family of apps. Google Vids is a cutting-edge video creation platform, powered by AI.

Gemini AI in Vids helps you generate your first draft and land your message with AI voiceovers. You are empowered to create polished videos in less time so you can tell more engaging stories.

Here are 3 Gemini features in Vids you should know.

1 Create Your Story
  • Create your video storyboard with suggested scenes, scripts, stock media, music, and more to jumpstart video storytelling. Start with only a prompt and a file from your Google Drive.
2 AI Voiceovers
  • Use Gemini in Vids to give your videos a fresh voice by choosing from a variety of preset, professional- sounding voiceovers.
3 Read-Along Teleprompter
  • Record your talk track with confidence using the teleprompter embedded directly in Vids’ recording studio, so you can stay on message.

And More …

You can also

Create Clips from Prompts
  • Turn ideas into video clips by providing a descriptive prompt.

We Will Help

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable managed cloud services. We work to ensure that you get the most value from the IT and cloud services you need and want, without overspending, to best support your business objectives.

Unsure of where to start? Check out our IT Assessment or schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor. We will help you adapt while keeping your IT services secure and cost-effective.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

Act Now! Windows 10 Support ENDS in 4 Months

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Windows 11

Don’t get caught off guard! Support for Windows 10 officially ends on October 14, 2025. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide software updates, technical assistance, or critical security patches and fixes.

Continuing to use Windows 10 will dramatically increase your exposure to significant risks. Without security updates, your systems become prime targets for cyberattacks, ransomware, and data breaches. You risk costly downtime, loss of sensitive information, and severe compliance issues. 

Proactive planning and action are not just recommended, they are critical for your business continuity and security.

Know Your Windows 10 Options

We agree with Microsoft’s recommendation to upgrade all eligible systems to Windows 11. We also understand you may have budget constraints or compatibility issues with older software.

You can check if your PCs will run Windows 11 using Microsoft’s PC Health Check app. If your PC will not run Windows 11, you have options other than buying new devices.

Extended Security Updates (ESU): 
  • Microsoft will offer an ESU subscription providing critical security updates for Windows 10 for up to three years. While pricing details are not yet available, ESU programs for Windows 7 were more than $100 per device annually. We expect the Windows 10 ESU program will be more expensive. 
  • This option serves as a temporary bridge but doesn’t address underlying hardware or software compatibility.
Virtual Desktop Services: 
  • Using virtual desktop services, such as Azure Virtual Desktop, allow you to use your existing PCs to access a robust and secure Windows 11 environment. Virtual desktops work well for hybrid team members and to mitigate the cost of upgrading multiple devices.
  • Connect with one of our Cloud Advisors to explore this option.

Windows 11 Upgrade Help

Plan for Your Windows 11 Transition

Regardless of the strategy you choose, proactive planning is crucial for a smooth and secure transition. Follow these steps to ensure you’re ready:

Assess Your Current IT Environment
  • Use Microsoft’s PC Health Check app to determine which devices can run Windows 11, which can be upgraded, and which require replacement. If you use Windows 10 in embedded systems, check with your vendor.
  • Confirm which of your business-critical applications and tools are compatible with Windows 11. Identify necessary software upgrades or migrations.
Prepare Your Budget
  • Accurately map the cost of upgrading and/or replacing devices. Keep in mind that older systems, even if upgraded now, may soon require replacement.
  • Identify any software upgrade costs.
  • Keep in mind any fees for tech support or professional services. You may need or want help transferring applications and data to new devices or setting up virtual desktops.
Develop Your Transition Plan & Data Strategy
  • Plan your timing and procedures for upgrades, purchases, and migrations. Focus on preventing data loss during migration and consider staging your rollout in phases to minimize disruption.
  • Crucially, ensure all critical data is securely backed up before upgrading or migrating systems. 
  • Remember to allow time to test critical software on Windows 11 before upgrading.
Train Your Team
  • Provide resources and help your team become familiar with the Windows 11 interface and new features.
  • If you are upgrading your business software for compatibility, you may want to provide additional training on new functionalities and capabilities.
  • Stay Informed: Monitor Microsoft’s official updates and announcements. Keep current with regarding Windows 10 end of life and Windows 11 developments.

Cumulus Global Will Help

Plan Now; Act Soon.  As with any major upgrade, we expect demand for PCs, laptops, and technical services will increase as the deadline nears. Waiting may result in delays and missed deadlines. Losing Windows 10 support can result in costly business disruptions.

For assistance, schedule a brief, free call with one of our Cloud Advisors to discuss your assessment, plan, and upgrade needs, priorities, and budget.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

AI in Google Workspace – Chat

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Gemini AI in ChatGoogle Workspace is a comprehensive and secure platform that empowers organizations to be more productive, collaborative, and creative. This series explores the power of AI built within Google Workspace across each of the workspace apps. In this post, we cover AI in Chat.

AI in Chat

Chat in Google Workspace provides direct messages, group chats, and spaces. Chat makes work collaboration and project management easier.

Gemini AI in Chat is your real-time assistant and partner for team collaboration. Use it to stay on top of active conversations by summarizing recent messages, finding specific details, and capturing action items. With on-demand summaries in the Chat home view, AI in Chat gives you a single place to catch up on every conversation.

Here are 4 Gemini features in Chat you should know.

Chat Summaries
  • Located in the home view for Chat, Gemini AI in Chat provides you on-demand summaries of each active conversation. 
  • You can catch up quickly in one place and focus your attention where it’s needed most.
Action Items
  • Gemini AI in Chat can analyze conversations and automatically identify and list action items. Stay organized and ensure that decisions and tasks are clearly understood and assigned. 
  • You can ask for a general list of action items or ask to see action items specifically for a particular person.
Contextual Question Answering
  • You can ask Gemini AI specific questions about a conversation or a shared file directly within Chat. This gives you quick retrieval of information without manually scrolling back through messages.
  • For example, if someone mentioned a timeline extension or a project decision, you can ask Gemini, “What did [person] say about the timeline extension?” or “What’s the decision on the project discussed?” 
Automatic Language Translation
  • Google Chat, using Gemini, will automatically detect and translate messages in over 120 languages to your preferred language and keep the original message for review. 

And More …

From the side panel, Gemini AI in Chat functions as an AI assistant and content generator. You can use AI in Chat to:

Draft Messages
  • Get AI assistance to compose messages, replies, or even brainstorm ideas directly within the chat interface.
Reference Shared Files
  • Gemini AI in Chat can analyze shared Google Workspace files (like Docs or Slides) linked in a chat and provide summaries or answer questions about their content.
  • You get immediate context about shared documents without needing to open each file separately.

We Will Help

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable managed cloud services. We work to ensure that you get the most value from the IT and cloud services you need and want, without overspending, to best support your business objectives.

Unsure of where to start? Check out our IT Assessment or schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor. We will help you adapt while keeping your IT services secure and cost-effective.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

AI in Google Workspace – Slides

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Gemini AI in SlidesGoogle Workspace is a comprehensive and secure platform that empowers organizations to be more productive, collaborative, and creative. This series explores the power of AI built within Google Workspace across each of the workspace apps. In this post, we cover AI in Slides.

AI in Slides

Google Slides are a collaborative tool for communicating ideas. Gemini AI in Slides helps bring your presentations to life. Create visually stunning unique images, generate new slides, get help writing slides content and talk tracks, and catch up with quick summaries.

Here are 5 Gemini features in Slides you should know:

Generate Slides and Presentations
  • Use Gemini AI to transform ideas into slides and full presentations. 
  • Start your presentation from scratch by giving the AI a prompt or describing your presentation in a few sentences. 
  • Gemini will generate an outline and a first draft of slides, complete with titles, bullet points, and even suggested layouts.
Generate Images
  • Gemini AI in Slides uses advanced image generation models (like Imagen 3) to create original images directly within your presentation. Describe the image you need and the AI will generate it. Create unique visuals without searching for stock photos.
Summarize Presentations
  • Get up to speed quickly with automatic presentation summaries provided by Gemini in the side panel of Slides.
Generate Speaker Notes
  • AI in Slides can assist in creating speaker notes for individual slides and can provide an executive summary for your entire presentation. You get clear talking points quickly and efficiently.
Design Suggestions and Customization
  • Gemini AI suggests visually appealing layouts and designs for your slides and with a consistent and professional look. 
  • Transform a plain block of text into a more structured format like a timeline or a diagram.

And More …

You can also use Gemini AI within Slides for …

Contextual Content Creation
  • Gemini in Slides can reference your existing Google Drive files (PDFs, Docs, etc.) or even Gmail emails to help you generate new slides or extract relevant information.
Remove Image Backgrounds
  • This feature allows you to easily remove the background from images you’ve added to your slides, making it simpler to integrate visuals seamlessly into your design.
Rewrite/Summarize Text
  • Gemini AI helps you refine your slide content. Select text and ask the AI to rewrite it for conciseness, to expand on a point, or to change the tone. 
  • You can also use Gemini AI in Slides to summarize longer blocks of text into digestible bullet points for your slides.

We Will Help

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable managed cloud services. We work to ensure that you get the most value from the IT and cloud services you need and want, without overspending, to best support your business objectives.

Unsure of where to start? Check out our IT Assessment or schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor. We will help you adapt while keeping your IT services secure and cost-effective.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

Managed Cloud or Traditional IT Services: Pros and Cons

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Managed Cloud ServicesIT Services for small and midsize businesses have evolved over the years. The technologies and IT systems we use are more capable and complex. We face new and ongoing challenges related to collaboration and security. Our IT is a critical component of our business infrastructure. 

The management and support of our information technology and services need a more sophisticated approach to match our business and technology needs. Traditional IT services have their Pros and Cons. Managed Cloud Services offer new opportunities, especially for smaller businesses.

Traditional IT Services

Traditional IT services fall into two main categories: Break-Fix and Managed Services.

Break-Fix

As the name implies Break-Fix is a reactive service. When you have a question or problem, you call for assistance. You pay an hourly or per-incident rate or use a bank of prepaid hours. 

Pros

  • Break-Fix is often affordable, particularly if your IT systems are relatively new and stable. If you have few or occasional problems, you only pay for the services you need.

Cons

  • Break-Fix is reactive. When something goes wrong, your business is likely disrupted until your IT resource can respond, diagnose, and correct the issue.
  • Your costs are unpredictable. 
    • A problem may be a quick-fix or may require significant time to research and resolve.
    • Most break-fix firms charge more per hour or per incident for emergency and off-hours services.
  • You are more likely to have problems. You are not paying your IT firm to monitor your systems and services. You are not likely to identify issues before they become problems that disrupt your business.
  • Impact of disruptions. Beyond the cost of the fix, disruptive ITproblems impact your business in other ways.
    • You may not be able to respond to customers or meet client expectations
    • Your cashflow can suffer if you are unable to invoice or process receivables
    • Your reputation may suffer if you are seen as unreliable
  • Conflicting Interests. While no reputable IT firm wants their clients to have problems, break-fix IT firms rely on service and support calls for their revenue. 
Managed Services

Managed Services provide a wide range of IT administration, management, and support services for a set monthly fee.  Often positioned as a full or partial outsourcing of your IT services, Managed Services provide an active approach to IT services.  Managed Service Providers (MSPs) actively monitor and manage your environment to prevent problems that can disrupt your business. 

Pros

  • Managed Services are proactive. MSPs will focus on best-practice configuration, administration, and security to prevent and mitigate problems.
  • Your costs are predictable. Most MSPs will charge a fixed monthly fee for the set of services they provide. MSPs typically base fees on the number of devices, services, and systems/applications they manage and support.
  • You are less likely to have problems. Good MSPs will identify and address issues before they become disruptive problems.
  • Your MSP is aligned with your interests. MSPs do better when their clients have fewer problems that require intervention. The business model for MSPs relies on efficiencies and economies of scale. Fixing problems is more costly than preventing them, so good MSPs focus on prevention.

Cons

  • Costs. Managed Services appear to cost more than break-fix services.
    • Monthly fees can range from $150 to over $250 per user per month. While this is a budgetary issue for many, and for small businesses in particular, the benefits of well-managed IT services will outweigh the costs.
    • Many MSPs require clients to migrate to a standard set of systems and components. Replacing network and systems infrastructure can add significant costs to the onboarding process.
  • Access. To obtain their economies of scale, most MSPs focus on businesses with 20 or more employees. Very small businesses (VSBs) – those with fewer than 20 people, solopreneurs, and solo practitioners often struggle to access MSPs and their services.

Managed Cloud Services

Managed Cloud Services are similar to Managed Services, but focus on cloud-based services to better meet the needs of small and midsize businesses. While Managed Services focus on your IT “things” – computers, servers, networks, etc., Managed Cloud Services focus on your people – the tools they need to succeed in their roles.

While Managed Cloud Service Providers (MCSPs) will still monitor, manage, and support your technology infrastructure, computers, and on-site systems, our focus is moving as much as possible to the cloud. Reducing on-premise systems dramatically reduces the resources we need to support your business, allowing us to meet your IT needs more cost-effectively.

Pros

  • Your costs are lower. Leveraging cloud services simplifies your IT environment and reduces the resources needed to support your business. Monthly charges for Managed Cloud Services often run 30% or more below traditional managed services.
  • Your costs are predictable. You will pay a fixed monthly fee for Managed Cloud Services based on the scope of services provided.
  • You have fewer problems and disruptions. Leveraging cloud-based solutions reduces the number of things that can have problems. Providing business resiliency and continuity with cloud solutions is more cost-effective.
  • Better access to services. MCSPs leverage cloud solutions to achieve economies of scale that enable affordable services for SMBs, VSBs, and sole practitioners.
  • Your MCSP is aligned with your interests. MCSPs do better when you do better. 

Cons

  • Reliance on vendors. Your MSCP cannot fix a Microsoft 365 outage or issue. With some cloud solutions, your alternatives may be limited. Even so, cloud outages are typically shorter in duration than local IT issues and are not bound by the availability of parts or technicians for on-site work. 

How Does Cumulus Global Help?

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable Managed Cloud Services, Cloud Forward IT Service and Support, and Security CPR™ Managed Security services.  We focus on how your IT services can best help your business thrive and grow without overspending.

Schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor to discuss your challenges, needs, and priorities.  We will help you assess, plan, and execute the right IT services for your business and your budget.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

AI in Google Workspace – NotebookLM

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Gemini AI in NotebookLMGoogle Workspace is a comprehensive and secure platform that empowers organizations to be more productive, collaborative, and creative. This series explores the power of AI built within Google Workspace across each of the workspace apps. In this post, we cover AI in NotebookLM

AI in NotebookLM

NotebookLM is a research and learning assistant, powered by Gemini, that helps you navigate and understand your information more effectively. Its responses are accurate, relevant, and tailored to the specific context of your inquiry.

Here are 4 Gemini features in NotebookLM you should know:

Source Grounding
  • NotebookLM bases its responses solely on the sources you provide (e.g., PDFs, Google Docs, website URLs, YouTube videos, audio files). This significantly reduces “hallucinations” and ensures the AI’s output is directly relevant to your material. Every response is accompanied by citations, allowing you to easily verify the information against your original sources.
Audio Overviews/Podcast Generation
  • Use NotebookLM to transform your source material into an engaging audio “podcast” with two AI hosts discussing the content. This allows for “listening and learning on the go” and can help in digesting complex information in a more accessible format. With interactive mode, you can “join” the conversation and ask questions of the AI hosts.
Precise Question Answering
  • NotebookLM can understand nuances in your questions. It’s like having a helper who can instantly recall specific details from a vast library of information and give you relevant answers to different types of questions, however simple or complex they may be.
Conversational AI for Deeper Understanding
  • Interact with your uploaded sources via chat interface. Ask direct questions about your documents, explore connections between different sources, or even ask the AI to explain complex concepts in simpler terms. Gemini AI in NotebookLM acts as a personalized research assistant, helping you delve deeper into your material.

And More …

You can also use Gemini AI within NotebookLM for …

Intelligent Summarization and Information Extraction

NotebookLM excels at summarizing complex documents and extracting key information. You can generate:

  • Overviews/Briefing Docs: High-level summaries for quick digestion.
  • FAQs: Automatically generated frequently asked questions based on your content.
  • Timelines: Capture sequential information contained within your documents.
  • Study Guides:  Create study materials, including short-answer questions, answers, and glossaries.
Idea Generation and Content Creation 

Beyond summarization and Q&A, NotebookLM assists with creative tasks and content generation.

  • Brainstorm new ideas based on your research.
  • Generate scripts, outlines, or other structured content from your notes.
  • Receive suggestions for improving your writing style or structure.

We Will Help

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable managed cloud services. We work to ensure that you get the most value from the IT and cloud services you need and want, without overspending, to best support your business objectives.

Unsure of where to start? Check out our IT Assessment or schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor. We will help you adapt while keeping your IT services secure and cost-effective.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.

Microsoft Recall: Tool or Trouble?

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Windows RecallWindows 11 now includes Recall, a productivity feature that lets you search and find information you have previously seen on your screen. Like most productivity tools, increased capabilities and benefits come with new risks to consider.

What is Windows Recall?

Windows Recall takes a snapshot of your screen every few seconds and when your screen content changes. Contextual information derived from the screenshots is saved as well. You can use an explorable timeline or semantic-powered search to find the content you remember having seen.

Pre-Requisites

In order to use Recall, you PC must meet stringent technical requirements, including:

  • A certified Copilot+ PC that meets the Secured-Core Standard and includes a 40 TOPs Neural Processing Unit (NPU).
  • At least 8 logical processors, 16GB RAM, and 256 GB of local storage

In addition, you must 

  • Enable Device Encryption or BitLocker to encrypt local storage
  • Enroll in Windows Hello Advanced Sign-in Security with at least one biometric sign-in option for physical device security

Is Recall Secure?

Recall relies on several security measures.

  • The data is stored locally on your computer and is NOT shared with Microsoft or any other parties.
  • You must be able to log in securely to your local machine
  • Your local storage must be encrypted
  • You can ask Recall to filter out automatically filter out information that may be sensitive
  • You can manually block specific websites from being captured in snapshots
What are the Risks?

Recall can capture account information, passwords, and other sensitive information. 

A cyber attacker with access to your device and identity can access and exfiltrate the information.

What Should You Do?

Our recommended best practice is to disable Recall by policy.

If, however, you want your team to be able to use Windows Recall, set the following policies:

  • Limit your exposure by limiting:
    • The amount of time that snapshots can be saved on the local disk
    • The amount of local storage available for snapshots
  • Create a list of websites and apps that will be filtered from snapshots
    • Include any and all internal systems with sensitive, protected, or confidential information

In addition, you should have security protections in place to minimize the risk of user account breaches and compromises. In line with our Security CPR™ model and managed security services, we recommend these protections include:

  • Enhanced email threat protection against email-based cyber attacks
  • Nex-Gen endpoint protection
  • Multi-Factor Authentication enforces for all systems and applications with sensitive data (preferably all systems and apps)
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for managing access and permissions to applications and data, including information within Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace

How Can Cumulus Global Help?

At Cumulus Global, our priority is ensuring that you have productive, secure, and affordable managed cloud services. We work to ensure that you do not overspend on services and to focus your IT dollars on the capabilities and services you need.

Check out our IT Assessments and schedule a meeting with a Cloud Advisor. We will help you adapt while keeping your IT services secure and cost-effective.

About the Author

Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global.  Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America.