Apogee, a specialist in managed technology services for higher education, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Cumulus Technology Services Inc. Based in Ventura, Calif., Cumulus is an expert in secure cloud services for higher education, as well as an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Select Consulting Partner.
The new acquisition builds upon Apogee’s commitment to be the managed technology partner of choice for colleges and universities "that aspire to innovate and transform," reckoned a company statement. The acquisition extends the strength of Apogee managed networking and IT services into the cloud, creating new opportunities for higher education IT innovation to improve student experiences and enable institutional competitiveness.
According to a press release, the following acquired services will be integrated into the Apogee managed technology services portfolio in the coming weeks and months:
- Secure Cloud Services from Cumulus will expand Apogee’s cloud, security, and data center management expertise. Cumulus Technology Services’ extensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) cloud migration and containerization knowledge, Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) will allow Apogee to provide colleges and universities with even greater performance, scalability, resiliency, and security of their applications, infrastructure, and data.
- Cumulus Data Adapter (CDA) integrates and synchronizes institutional ERP systems like Ellucian Banner with learning management systems (LMS) like Canvas by Instructure with a secure, easy-to-deploy tool that greatly improves IT administration efficiency and student life. Offered as a managed service, CDA is yet another essential tool that addresses the big pain point of data synchronization between ERPs and LMSs, streamlining student data integration challenges for IT and improving the student experience for class registration and attendance.
- Security services from Cumulus strengthen Apogee security experience and expertise, enabling the delivery of battle-tested college security assessments; ransomware incident response preparedness that includes short and long-range plans, budgeting, technology selection, implementation, and staffing; and disaster recovery plans.
Candace Jones, vice president, Business and Administrative Services, Pasadena Area Community College District, asserted:
“Cumulus Technology Services offers a broad range of consulting services that are tailored to higher education customers. Their wealth of experience supporting institutions of all sizes coupled with their strong AWS expertise and knowledge allows institutions to quickly realize their technology goals.”
Terms of the acquisition agreement are confidential, but integration of the entities is underway. Established in Austin, Texas in 1999, Apogee’s comprehensive managed services portfolio includes managed campus networks and IT services, residential networks (ResNet), campus engagement, and video.
Apogee's CEO Scott Drossos remarked:
“Apogee’s commitment to empowering colleges and universities to do and achieve more is the driving force behind the acquisition of Cumulus Technology Services. I am thrilled to welcome this team of higher ed experts to Apogee. We have the services, talent, and scale to be a catalyst for change and guide higher education customers on their digital transformation journey. I look forward to extending the Apogee managed services portfolio into the cloud and hybrid cloud to enhance the security and performance of higher ed applications, data, and infrastructure.”