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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.

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.

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.

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® managed security model and 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.

AI in Google Workspace – Sheets

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Gemini AI in Sheets

Google 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 Sheets.

AI in Sheets

Google Sheets is a spreadsheet and data analysis tool built for ease of use and collaboration. Using Gemini AI in Sheets, you can build spreadsheets, summarize your data, generate formulas, and improve your data skills.Gemini in Sheets helps you build more effective and efficient sheets.

Here are 3 Gemini features in Sheets you should know:

 

Create Tables
  • Gemini in Sheets helps you build contextually relevant, formatted, and styled spreadsheets in a snap. 
Create Formulas
  • You can ask Gemini to create formulas for you, combining and nesting functions for your desired results.  
Summarize Spreadsheet Data
  • Gemini in Sheets will automatically summarize the data in your spreadsheet. You gain a better understanding of your data, creating actionable information. You can also ask Gemini questions about the summary for deeper insights.

And More …

With Gemini AI in Sheets, you can also …

  • Build and enhance spreadsheets using content in other files and your emails.
  • Use prompts to edit your sheets with actions such as adding checkboxes or dropdowns, applying conditional formatting, and sorting data.

You can ask Gemini to create formulas for you, combining and nesting functions for your desired results.  

Summarize Spreadsheet Data

Gemini in Sheets will automatically summarize the data in your spreadsheet. You gain a better understanding of your data, creating actionable information. You can also ask Gemini questions about the summary for deeper insights.

And More …

With Gemini AI in Sheets, you can also …

  • Build and enhance spreadsheets using content in other files and your emails.
  • Use prompts to edit your sheets with actions such as adding checkboxes or dropdowns, applying conditional formatting, and sorting data.

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 – Docs

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AI in Google Docs

Google 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 Docs

AI in Docs

Google Docs is an editor built for collaboration. Using simple prompts, Gemini AI in Docs helps you create professional, stylized, and structured documents with images, tables, and more. Get help refining your content, see the latest summary of your work, and ask questions to improve and finalize your document. Gemini in Docs can help you build better docs.

Here are 3 Gemini features in Docs you should know:

Create Your Doc

Gemini in Docs lets you build a stylized, structured document using content in Drive from a single prompt. Gemini in Docs helps you transform your long-form document with cover images, in-line images, stylized text, tables, and more.

Create an Image

Create unique inline and cover images with Gemini in Docs. Personalize your documents, add your branding, or elevate promotional content. With Gemini in Docs, you can also apply different styles, such as photography or watercolor.

Help You Write

Gemini in Docs can help you write. Use Gemini in Docs to:

  • Brainstorm
  • Create an outline
  • Build your first draft
  • Fix grammar and punctuation
  • Help adjust the length and/or tone of your content.

And More …

Gemini in Docs can reference files from your Drive and Shared Drives when generating responses in Docs. You can also summarize files from Drive and emails from Gmails. Access to your content empowers Gemini to help you create and refine. 

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 – Meet

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AI in Meet

Google 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 Meet.

AI in Meet

Google Meet offers business-grade video and voice conferencing designed to enhance collaboration. Gemini AI in Meet takes care of the details, enabling you to focus on participating instead of meeting management and logistics. Beyond providing a smarter meeting experience, Gemini in Met can help you look and sound your best.

Here are 4 Gemini features in Meet you should know:

Take Notes
  • In addition to generating a transcript, Gemini in Meet will automatically take notes during a meeting.
  • While a transcript captures every word spoken, notes provide a summary of discussions, highlight key points, and identify action items.
  • Notes offer a great way to share information from meetings with others and to help create minutes. Notes are placed in a Doc and save it to your Drive. Gemini also notifies you on Gmail for quick access to your notes.
Captions with Real-Time Translation
  • Gemini in Meet provides real-time captions and can translate captions into more than 65 languages, breaking down language barriers and helping everyone feel included.
Adaptive Audio
  • You can join hybrid meetings without conferencing hardware or rooms.
  • Attendees can use their laptops in any space. Gemini AI in Meet will synchronize microphones and speakers to avoid echoes, feedback, or distortion.
Show and Tell
  • Gemini in Meet includes tools to enhance your appearance and audio, with lighting and look adjustments and audio filtering/noise cancellation.

After the Meeting …

  • Gemini in Meet can create summaries of key points and identify action items. You can create custom summaries to identify information such as most discussed or “best of” topics.

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 – Drive

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AI in Workspace: DriveGoogle 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 Drive.

AI in Drive 

Gemini in Drive helps you quickly find answers and insights from across your files. Catch up with summaries of long documents, query project folders, and automatically classify your most sensitive content.

Features you should know when using the Gemini Drive

The Gemini Side Panel is available when you are looking Drive. In general, you can:

  • Specifically direct Gemini to analyze a particular folder by typing “@” followed by the folder name in your prompt (e.g., “Summarize files in @Marketing Reports”).
  • Explicitly select a folder as a source for Gemini to focus on when you ask a question or request a summary.
  • Use Gemini’s ability to understand folder content is currently focused on non-media file types like text documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and presentations.
  • Use or modify “nudges”, or suggested prompts, which are provided based on your content in Drive.
Q&A for Understanding Folder Content
  • Gemini can analyze the files within a folder (including documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and presentations) and provide a concise summary of the main points or themes. This allows you to quickly understand the content of a folder without opening each file individually.
  • Gemini can answer specific questions about the information contained within a folder. Gemini can synthesize information from multiple files in the folder to provide an answer. For instance, you could ask, “What are the main risks identified in the documents within the ‘Q3 Planning’ folder?”
  • Find specific pieces of information or quick facts related to a project or topic by analyzing the files within a designated folder.
  • Identify the overarching theme or topic of the content within a folder.
AI Classification
  • Automatically identify, classify, and protect your organization’s sensitive content with precision and scale.
PDF File Support
  • Get the gist of a long document with Gemini’s help, summarizing it, or ask Gemini complex questions about any PDF in your Drive.

File and Folder Management

  • You can instruct it to “Create a new folder” or “Create a new folder named ‘Meeting Minutes’.
  • Use Gemini to create new Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides within your Drive. Specify the name, for example, “Create a new Google Doc titled ‘Project Proposal Draft’.

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.