Managing your business's IT infrastructure is just as important as producing your goods, regardless of whether you're a tech mogul or a small LLC that makes most of its revenue through eCommerce.



This is exemplified through Target's data breach in 2013, where over 40 million customers' personal information was compromised due to a vulnerability in their IT infrastructure, resulting in significant revenue loss, lawsuits, and regulatory fines.

Despite the belief that small businesses are immune to cyber attacks, they are actually prime targets. Proper tech management not only provides security but also gives a competitive edge. This may explain why IT spending has steadily risen among SMBs over the past decade.

Cumulus Global, a managed cloud service provider, helps companies create strategies to improve their new and existing cloud solutions. With 15 years of service under their belt, Cumulus Global assists SMBs in increasing efficiency and maximizing the value they get from their cloud infrastructure and services.

Born from a successful IT consulting firm, Cumulus Global specializes in cloud hosting, providing contract CIO services to SMBs. After seeing a need for better email security and compliance solutions, Allen Falcon (CEO of Cumulus Global) spun off Cumulus Global and partnered with Postini, an enterprise cloud-based email protection provider. Leveraging the power of cloud delivery to provide enterprise-class services to SMBs, Cumulus Global became a Google partner after Google licensed Postini to provide spam and virus protection for Gmail.

Today, Cumulus Global delivers managed cloud services to small and midsize entities, including commercial, local, and regional government, and K-12 education. With only nine full-time employees, the company has been named an Inc Power Partner, trending more than $9 million in revenue.

Allen Falcon, the CEO of Cumulus Global, believes in forward thinking and prioritizing customer demands to stay one step ahead of current trends. Rather than following what people say will be the next big thing, he suggests looking at the aftermath of using AI, which he believes can create problems for companies mainly in information and technology licensing. While AI is popular in pop culture, small-to-medium-sized businesses are more interested in using the cloud for better security, redundancy, and cost management.

Cumulus Global plans to expand its cloud management services by introducing new service tiers that offer customized services according to clients' capabilities, security requirements, and data management requirements.

 The company also provides remotely-managed on-premise services, allowing customers to focus on their business without having to manage the IT infrastructure themselves. Additionally, Cumulus Global is in the early-rollout stages of offering co-managed services, which reduces the need for an in-person technician and is cost-effective for clients.

One of the most significant trends we are observing is the increasing adoption of multicloud strategies. Organizations are no longer relying only on one provider, but are distributing their workloads across multiple clouds to avoid vendor lock-in and to optimize their performance.

Furthermore, edge computing is gaining traction. With the advent of IoT devices and the need for real-time data processing, businesses are looking to reduce latency by bringing computing resources closer to the data source. This will likely lead to a greater demand for hybrid cloud infrastructures, which combine on-premises data centers with public and private clouds.

Also, the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning is going to play a big role in automating cloud operations. We will see more AI-driven tools that can help with resource management, security, and performance optimization. This shift will allow organizations to focus more on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day maintenance tasks.

Security will also remain a top priority as cyber threats continue to evolve. Cloud service providers will need to enhance their security measures to protect sensitive data. Expect to see improvements in encryption, identity and access management, as well as compliance automation to meet regulatory requirements.

Serverless computing is becoming more popular. This eliminates the need for managing infrastructure and allows developers to focus solely on code. It's a more cost-efficient way to run applications and can scale automatically with usage, making it appealing for startups and established companies alike.

Sustainability is entering the cloud computing conversation. Providers are making promises to run on renewable energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Companies are being held accountable for their environmental impact, and leveraging a green cloud strategy could become a competitive advantage.
The future of cloud computing is expected to be characterized by multicloud strategies, edge computing, enhanced security measures, AI automation, serverless architectures, and a focus on sustainability. All these factors will drive innovation and create new opportunities for businesses to leverage the power of the cloud. It will be an exciting time for cloud professionals and those who are willing to adapt to this rapidly evolving landscape.

Cumulus Global's still around, peddling the same old cloud services. Fifteen years in, and they're just now launching co-managed services? Talk about a slow burn. And their 'forward thinking'? More like following AI's hype train. SMBs deserve better than this 'innovation' at a snail's pace.