30 Cloud Plus

The huge amount of technological change facing both SMEs and consumers overall can be overwhelming, but for Jules Rumsey, there’s no opportunity to slack off.

In fact, staying vigilant is the one reason he gives for making sure his business, Cloud Plus, stays ahead.

“I learn from my partners, my clients and my staff. I avidly watch and adapt to new technological advancements and I make sure I allow time to read industry journals, attend industry events and talk with technology vendor and other key industry players,” Rumsey says.

The cloud solutions business is making its third appearance on the Smart50 list in three years, and its $8.9 million in revenue in the last financial year has helped secure a three-year revenue growth rate of 98.2%.

Since being founded in 2010, Rumsey says the company has been looking to get ahead of trends in data storage.

“It’s always important to look to trends that are forming overseas as well as domestically too. Different markets develop and adopt technology at different rates and in different ways,” he says.

That approach has led to new products. By staying on top of the cyber threats facing SMEs, Cloud Plus has been able to introduce new security measures and protect consumers’ data, Rumsey says.

Operating in the cloud computing space is difficult: the competition is relentless. For Rumsey, building Cloud Plus meant focusing on IT businesses that were having trouble fully committing to the cloud and helping them get there.

Investing money personally meant Rumsey operated a lot of jobs himself, and with “precious little time for sleep”.

“It’s always hard when you’re in a sales meeting with a major new prospect and you have to excuse yourself to handle a support call,” he says.

It paid off. The company has continued to achieve revenue growth and has even expanded to Manila and Prague. With a goal for $50 million in turnover by 2020 the business has a lot of work ahead of it, but Rumsey says he can depend on his team – as long as he follows his key piece of advice.

“Lead by example and show them that you’re in the trenches with them when the chips are down,” he says.