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Florida-based Cloud Computing Concepts (C3) was in an ideal posi- tion to weather COVID-19, as a bou- tique cloud computing provider serv- ing organizations nationwide. Shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic, C3 announced it had achieved VMware Cloud Verified status, signaling to customers and partners that they offer services underpinned by VMware’s industry leading cloud solutions. Through C3, customers have access to a full set of VMware Verified capabilities including virtual desktops, virtual servers, remote backup and disaster recovery. These services are pro- vided out of datacenters strategically located in Miami, Fla.; Cleveland, Ohio; and Las Vegas, Nev. Following this announcement, C3 was named for the third time to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies. And shortly after, C3 received further recognition with a Visionary Spotlight Award from ChannelVision for cloud computing. “The fact that we’re still growing and receiving recognition in our 10th year of business — and during a global pandemic — speaks volumes about our offerings and operations,” said C3 CEO Rick Mancinelli. Mancinelli was especially proud of the way his team responded to the pandemic. “We immediately adapted to the work from home movement and re-shaped the way we do business in the U.S. and globally. As a result, we are in a particularly strong position to help customers succeed.” One key pivot for C3 during the COVID-19 crisis has been a shift to security. According to Mancinelli, se- curity has emerged as a key offering in the company’s portfolio. “Enterprise networks are now ex- tending down into homes and going places they’ve never been before,” Mancinelli said.“There are all sorts of new threats, attacks and exploits that are concerning people. For instance, we’ve already helped remediate at least three major ransomware attacks related to work from home. And more attacks are expected in 2021.” At the same time, many organiza- tions — smaller ones in particular — are having difficulty shielding end users from sophisticated attacks. Companies are struggling to set up virtual private networks (VPNs), and suffering from weaknesses inherent to in-home networks. “Using a virtual desktop and a hosted PBX together helps us to mitigate most work from home se- curity concerns,” Mancinelli added. “We don’t have to worry about VPNs, misconfigurations or security related issues or anything like that because the security and the connectivity are baked into our offerings. You truly can work from anywhere, on almost any device at almost any time.” Mancinelli provided some insight about where they are seeing the most success. “Our partners have done really well in the professional services areas, so accounting, insurance, finance and legal,” he said. “Healthcare is another market that we’re targeting as well. There was some initial drop-off during COVID-19, as elective care and elec- tive surgeries were put on hold. But a lot of that has come back, as well. In addition, government and education have both been strong for us.” Partners appreciate the fact that C3 can offer a variety of services under one brand — providing a one- stop-shop for numerous needs. “We can offer pretty much the whole package,” said Mancinelli. “We can do virtual desktops, cloud servic- es, PBX, collaboration, conferencing, and so on — everything customers need to work safely, securely and efficiently. While a lot of other firms similar to ours are bundling together solutions from various providers, we can provide them internally and at a very attractive price point.” At this point, C3 is in a strong po- sition heading into 2021. By the end of 2020, the company will have added 50 percent more staff, and accord- ing to Mancinelli, the organization is anticipating further growth during the course of the next year. “We’re looking to grow through acquisition,” Mancinelli said. “That will be one of our top priorities in 2021. So, keep an eye out for us. We’re hungry, we’re ready to expand, and we’re looking for new partners to help drive deals.” o C3 Eyes Continued Growth and Expansion in 2021 2021 Directory | CHANNEL VISION 57 PROFILE