Cloud Sherpas Protects, Preserves Enterprise Data with Enhanced Google Apps Admin Product

3,000 IT Pros (Serving 300,000 Workers) Now Using SherpaTools Application as Google Apps Presence Grows in Enterprise Market

ATLANTA, GA – May 11, 2010 – Cloud Sherpas, a leading Google Apps Solution Provider, today announced an upcoming premium feature set of its SherpaTools application for Google Apps admins. One of the “Original 50” apps in the Google Apps Marketplace, SherpaTools extends the IT management capabilities within Google Apps. While in beta, SherpaTools has remained free for all Google Apps domains. The company will continue to offer a free version of the product, and will soon introduce a paid version as well. However, companies that buy their Google Apps licenses directly from Cloud Sherpas will continue to receive the premium features at no cost.

The new, premium features in SherpaTools help enterprises protect and preserve end user data. Google Apps admins can now delegate access to fellow IT staff, such as help desk workers, without providing the company’s master username and password credentials. Using a dedicated pin number, a help desk worker can reset an end user’s password, for example, but he or she would not have access to a broader spectrum of employee data. The Access Control List feature is a significant addition to SherpaTools. Particularly for larger companies, limiting access to employee data is a critical security measure.

An equally valuable new, premium feature in SherpaTools involves the ability to quickly and easily preserve the data assets of terminated employees. In general with Google Apps, all of an employee’s data assets (spreadsheets, presentations, emails, etc.) are deleted once he or she is removed from the system. Admins get around the issue by suspending rather than deleting a user from the system. The admin then goes into the employee’s account and manually removes/archives/reassigns the data files they want to keep. This is time-consuming and highly discretionary process, leaving companies exposed to the loss of potentially valuable data. With SherpaTools, IT admins can automatically delegate all of a terminated employee’s files to his or her manager or another user in the system. This saves time and helps to ensure that important data is not lost.

Since launching in March, approximately 2,100 businesses have signed up to use SherpaTools. These companies serve nearly 300,000 workers. Among the 2,100 businesses, over 250 have at least 100 workers; 50 have over 1,000 workers; three have more than 10,000 employees; and two have upwards of 30,000 employees. Many of these are global deployments.

“SherpaTools success is consistent with the rise of Google Apps in the enterprise,” said Michael Cohn, founder and VP of Marketing and Product Management at Cloud Sherpas. “Large, global businesses realize the significant cost and performance benefits associated with Google Apps. Likewise, they want more IT admin functionality. That’s where SherpaTools comes in. We’re 100% focused on making life easier for Google Apps admins. We think SherpaTools is a great fit for the largest companies and busiest IT pros.”

Google Apps brings simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools to organizations, but sophisticated IT departments need more management functionality than Google offers “out of the box.” SherpaTools addresses this need by providing Google Apps administrators with more flexibility in the way they manage end-user profiles and settings, shared contacts and groups.

Using SherpaTools is easy. Google Apps administrators can easily add SherpaTools to their domain through the Google Apps Marketplace (http://bit.ly/SherpaTools). Since SherpaTools relies on Google Apps as the OpenID identity provider, users don’t need to create an account or remember a new password – they simply log in with their existing Google Apps credentials.

SherpaTools is the only cloud-based application to extend Google Apps’ IT management capabilities. The application works with Premier, Education and Partner editions of Google Apps. For companies licensing Google Apps from Google rather than Cloud Sherpas, there is a fee to use SherpaTools’ Premium edition. The cost is based on the size of the organization.

About Cloud Sherpas
Cloud Sherpas (www.cloudsherpas.com) is a cloud computing systems integrator and application developer. As a Google Apps Authorized Reseller and leading Google Enterprise partner, we have migrated hundreds of thousands of users from legacy, on- premise messaging systems to Google Apps and Google App Engine, helping organizations adopt cloud computing to innovate and dramatically reduce their IT expenses. SherpaTools for Google Apps (www.sherpatools.com) enhances the functionality and ease-of-use of Google Apps for both administrators and end-users and is available in the Google Apps Marketplace (http://bit.ly/SherpaTools).

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Cloud Sherpas Appoints New CEO to Lead Next Phase of Company Growth

Leading Google Apps Solutions Provider Also Secures Series A Financing, Accelerating Company Plans to Migrate Enterprises to Google Apps Platform

ATLANTA, GA – May 3, 2010 – Cloud Sherpas, a leading Google Apps solutions provider, today announced the appointment of Jon Hallett to Chief Executive Officer. Hallett takes over for founder Michael Cohn, under whose leadership Cloud Sherpas achieved profitability. Cohn remains with Cloud Sherpas as Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. Cohn was responsible for focusing Cloud Sherpas on Google Apps before a formal reseller program existed. In two years he and his team helped hundreds of thousands of enterprise employees move to Google Apps by selling the licenses, migrating users and enhancing the usability of Google Apps through Cloud Sherpas’ SherpaTools product.

Hallett steps in to accelerate Google Apps enterprise adoption and to help Cloud Sherpas’ achieve its growth targets. He brings a background in IT services and on- demand infrastructure, and extensive experience raising capital and scaling businesses. Hallett will focus on increasing revenue, profit margin and customer orientation, while extending Cloud Sherpas’ leadership position in the Google Apps channel market.

In related news, Cloud Sherpas completed a Series A financing round. The funding event, to which investors oversubscribed, netted Cloud Sherpas around $1 million. Hallett’s personal investment vehicle Hallett Capital was the lead investor. Hallett’s appointment occurs at a time of remarkable growth for Cloud Sherpas. Over 1,800 organizations representing more than 500,000 employees now use Cloud Sherpas’ products and services. Customers span every geographic region and vertical market including manufacturing, retail, state and local government, real estate, healthcare and technology. Underscoring the company’s commitment to customers, 100% of clients renewed their Google Apps license at the time of their annual renewal date.

Cloud Sherpas’ success mirrors that of Google Apps. The platform, which brings simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools to organizations, is used by over two million businesses as a substitute for products from Microsoft, IBM and others.

Hallett is a technology industry veteran who founded or led multiple successful consulting, SaaS and managed services companies. Prior to Cloud Sherpas, Hallett was Executive Chairman at Northridge Systems, a provider of collaboration solutions to large and midmarket enterprises, where he helped architect a company strategy that led to market-leading growth and profitability; he remains chairman of the board. Previously, Hallett was an independent board member and CEO advisor at Vocalocity, a fast- growing VOIP-centric SaaS company; he continues to serve as an independent director. Hallett also was a company director and turnaround executive at IT solutions firm mindSHIFT Technologies, where he helped drive 400% improvement in revenue while taking the company to positive cash flow. Earlier he held executive management positions at AppNet (acquired by CommerceOne) and was CEO at NMP, a consulting, SaaS and managed services company, at which he returned over 20x invested capital to his institutional investors.

“We have aggressive plans to expand our national footprint and help more companies realize the cost and productivity benefits of Google Apps,” said Hallett. “The additional capital allows us to accelerate these plans, including continued development of SherpaTools and other vertically oriented products so companies can more fully leverage Google Apps. The market opportunity couldn’t be more exciting as we are seeing some of the largest GroupWise, Notes and Exchange loyalists abandoning their on-premise solutions for the cost and feature benefits that Google Apps provides. I look forward to helping them take advantage of the platform, and to leading Cloud Sherpas in its next phase of development.”

About Cloud Sherpas

Cloud Sherpas (www.cloudsherpas.com) is a cloud computing systems integrator and application developer. As a Google Apps Authorized Reseller and leading Google Enterprise partner, we have migrated hundreds of thousands of users from legacy, on- premise messaging systems to Google Apps and Google App Engine, helping organizations adopt cloud computing to innovate and dramatically reduce their IT expenses. SherpaTools for Google Apps (www.sherpatools.com) enhances the functionality and ease-of-use of Google Apps for both administrators and end-users and is available in the Google Apps Marketplace (http://bit.ly/SherpaTools).

SherpaTools Now Available in the Google Apps Marketplace

We’re excited to announce that SherpaTools for Google Apps, the new IT management application from Cloud Sherpas, has been added to the Google Apps Marketplace™, launched this evening.

As revealed by Google, the Marketplace is an online storefront for Google Apps™ products and services. Over two million Google Apps users can now easily discover, purchase and deploy integrated business applications, including SherpaTools.

For Cloud Sherpas, the Marketplace is a great way to reach customers. As an original member of the Google Apps reseller program, we can tell you that IT managers and business users absolutely love the communication and collaboration capabilities provided by Google Apps. We’ve migrated tens of thousands of users to Google Apps and the community is very hungry for products that extend the platform’s rich tool set.

SherpaTools is a terrific example. The application provides IT managers and business users with previously unavailable admin and corporate directory functionality. Thus far the response has been tremendously positive. It doesn’t hurt that SherpaTools is the only 100% free, cloud-based IT management add-on to Google Apps.

For Cloud Sherpas, this is just the beginning. As more companies embrace the cloud, Google Apps will grow in popularity, and products like SherpaTools will ride the wave. For now we’re pleased to be joining “a rich ecosystem of integrated apps that work seamlessly with Google Apps,” as noted by Scott McMullan, Google Apps Partner Lead for Google Enterprise. We look forward to helping more companies realize the productivity and cost-savings associated with the use of the Google Apps Marketplace.

SherpaTools beta now open to all Google Apps Premier, Education and Partner domains

Cloud Sherpas is pleased to welcome the Google Apps community into the SherpaTools for Google Apps beta program. There’s no longer a need to sign up and wait for an invitation — if you have a Google Apps administrator account, you can log in right now!

To start, visit this help page on SherpaTools.com to learn how to configure your domain for Single Sign-On (Remember – SherpaTools only works with Google Apps Premier, Education and Partner edition). Configuring single sign-on will allow you to access SherpaTools as long as you’re logged in to Google Apps. As a result, SherpaTools will never handle your administrator credentials. Once you’ve configured your domain, browse to sherpatools.appspot.com to log in.

Thank you to all of our beta program participants who have provided invaluable feedback during the development process. We’re excited to open the app up to a larger audience and look forward to receiving your feedback as well. Enjoy!

Cloud Sherpas to Present at Google I/O 2010 Developer Sandbox

Cloud Sherpas was invited to present at the upcoming Google I/O conference on May 19-20. We’re thrilled to be part of the Developer Sandbox and look forward to sharing our experiences developing applications with Google App Engine, Google Web Toolkit (GWT), and Google APIs with the community.

If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time to take advantage of the early bird price. Sign up before 4/16 and it’s only $400 — a great bargain for a killer conference. Click here to register.

Do More with Google Apps – 3 Must-have, Add-on solutions!

Cloud Sherpas to host Webinar featuring OffiSync, ScheduleOnce and SherpaTools

On Thursday, December 10th, Cloud Sherpas will be hosting a webinar featuring OffiSync, ScheduleOnce and SherpaTools, three must-have add-ons to Google Apps. This is an exciting opportunity for both end-users and administrators of Google Apps to learn about ways to enhance their Google Apps experience.

Sign up here to reserve your spot!

The webinar will open with a brief presentation of the first SherpaTools module for Google Apps, Directory Manager. This tool from Cloud Sherpas allows Google Apps administrators to easily manage the User Profiles and Shared Contacts directory in Google Apps. We will then hear from the leaders of OffiSync and ScheduleOnce who will speak and answer questions about their solutions. OffiSync offers a best-of-both-worlds functionality platform between Microsoft Office and Google Docs, and ScheduleOnce is a meeting scheduler for Google Apps that streamlines the scheduling process and finds common meeting times quickly and efficiently.

If you’re a Google Apps administrator, or if your business or organization has adopted Google Apps, don’t miss this great opportunity to learn how you can do more with Google Apps. Sign up today!

Migrate from GroupWise to Google Apps

Cloud Sherpas to host webinar on migrating enterprise messaging and collaboration to the cloud

Businesses are responding to the value proposition of Google Apps in a big way. According to a tweet by Dave Girouard, President of Google Enterprise, more than 5000 businesses signed up for Google Apps last Thursday alone!

For those of you Novell GroupWise users considering the switch, we welcome you to join our webinar on Thursday, December 3rd from 2:30-3:30pm EDT. During this one-hour event Cloud Sherpas will share our specialized approach for migrating GroupWise enterprises to Google Apps. You’ll also hear Jay Kenney, CIO of Lincoln Property Company, tell his story of migrating his GroupWise users to Google Apps, and have an opportunity to ask questions. As a business executive or IT professional of your organization, you don’t want to miss this webinar — reserve your spot today.

Update: The slides from the GroupWise webinar are now available:

Introducing SherpaTools for Google Apps

A new platform that delivers enhanced management and end user features to organizations that have #gonegoogle

As Cloud Sherpas continues to help businesses and organizations adopt Google Apps, we have found that many customers, regardless of location or industry, request a common set of additional management controls and end user features for their Google Apps environment. Until now, the response to most of these inquiries was that organizations had to develop custom applications that work with Google APIs to achieve their goals.

Today Cloud Sherpas announces the start of a beta program for SherpaTools for Google Apps, a new platform that enhances the functionality and ease-of-use for administrators and end-users. Delivered as a service and requiring no installation or updates, we invite Google Apps administrators to signup for the beta program, free of charge, and instantly take control of their domain.

The first module in SherpaTools is Directory Manager, which today enhances an organization’s ability to effectively communicate by granting administrators greater autonomy and management control over both User Profiles and Shared Contacts. Coming soon is an automated bot that retrieves data from your directory from any device connected to Google chat. Also on the horizon is a Compliance and Reporting module that will provide scheduled reports, automated alerts and powerful privacy and content sharing controls.

SherpaTools is the easiest, most cost-efficient way to extend Google Apps in your organization. The suite addresses many common use-cases to provide a more user-friendly and self-directed Google Apps experience. Take one of the limited spots in our beta program and see for yourself the benefits of SherpaTools for Google Apps.

To view a quick, 3 minute video overview and to learn more about SherpaTools for Google Apps, please visit www.sherpatools.com.

Jeff Miller Speaking at the Cloud Computing Expo

Cloud Sherpas is proud to announce that our own Director of Professional Services, Jeff Miller, has been invited by the Cloud Computing Conference & Expo to lead the seminar, Migrating Collaborative Applications to the Cloud. The upcoming event held between Nov. 2-4 invites the cloud computing community (developers, software professionals, IT managers, CIOs, etc.) to Santa Clara, California to examine the latest resources, ideas, and examples being introduced by their colleagues. Jeff will draw upon both his extensive experience as an IT executive as well as his time at Cloud Sherpas to address a frequently complicated stage in migrations: the migration of collaborative applications. We look forward to both his seminar and the conference as a whole. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

Cloud Sherpas Adds Industry Veteran to Meet Increasing Demand for Google Apps in the Enterprise

Company to Host Seminar Focused on Lotus Migrations to Google Apps

Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) July 14, 2009 — Cloud Sherpas, a leading Google Apps™ systems integrator and application developer, is pleased to announce the addition of Jeffrey Miller to its management team. Jeff will lead the professional services practice at Cloud Sherpas, driving successful deployments of Google Apps in enterprise accounts.

“We are delighted that Jeff has joined the Cloud Sherpas team to focus on our Google Apps business,” said Michael Cohn, CEO of Cloud Sherpas. “His unique perspective on the business decisions facing CIO’s today will drive tremendous value for our clients and the company as a whole.”

Jeff brings over 15 years experience managing enterprise knowledge management and information collaboration technologies. Most recently, he successfully led the migration of over 30,000 Lotus Notes/Domino users to the cloud. Jeff led the design, implementation, operations and support of both the legacy on-premise Lotus infrastructure and the new cloud environment.

“I am extremely excited to join the Cloud Sherpas team,” said Miller. “Google is ushering in a new era of enterprise information technology with Google Apps, and Cloud Sherpas is on the forefront of the ecosystem delivering exceptional customer service and a unique set of products that make Google Apps more valuable to enterprise customers.”

One group of IT decision makers in particular is taking a closer look at Google’s cloud computing solution. “It’s no surprise enterprises running Lotus Notes/Domino are looking for alternatives,” says Miller. “The cost savings and IT simplification benefits of Google Apps can’t be ignored.”

In response to market demand, Cloud Sherpas is hosting a seminar on Thursday, August 13, focused on exploring the business and technical advantages of migrating a Lotus Notes/Domino infrastructure to Google Apps. The event will take place at the Google Atlanta office in conjunction with Ferris Research, BinaryTree and Google.

Visit www.cloudsherpas.com/leaving-lotus to register for Leaving Lotus — Making the Switch from Lotus Notes/Domino to Google Apps. And follow @cloudsherpas on twitter for updates on how you can participate in a live Q&A session via twitter with the panelists on the day of the event.

About Cloud Sherpas

Cloud Sherpas (www.cloudsherpas.com) is a cloud computing systems integrator and application developer. As a leading Google Enterprise partner, Cloud Sherpas helps organizations leverage Google Apps and Google App Engine to dramatically reduce IT expenses. The company delivers deployment, change management, support and development services to commercial, enterprise and educational institutions seeking to adopt cloud computing.

Cloud Sherpas is a Google Apps Authorized Reseller and enterprise deployment partner. The company also supports cloud computing solutions from EMC/Decho, TriCipher and other best-in-breed vendors.

Google, Google Apps and Google Apps Authorized Reseller are trademarks of Google Inc. Lotus, Notes and Domino are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.

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