Apple MDM vendor Mosyle gets into asset management

Service providers who cater to Apple in the enterprise space continue to explore new ways to differentiate their offerings in the fast-expanding sector. This might be why Mosyle has acquired asset management software provider Assetbots.

The acquired firm will continue to be led as an independent company by founder Chad Burggraf, but will be supplemented by its strengthened relationship with its new owner, Mosyle. 

Bringing asset management into Apple MDM

The deal, for an undisclosed amount, sees Mosyle’s Apple device MDM solutions expanded with the future introduction of cost-effective asset management tools, which can help users track and monitor assets such as IT equipment, printers, users and more. This solution apparently has strong automation to help track item lifecycles, giving IT a good bird’s eye overview of the condition of their equipment; that should allow for more accurate purchasing and management.

The focus, according to statements from both firms, will be to become a leading asset management platform across small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and schools, which is where Assetbots has focused its efforts on. 

Making complex things simple

Mosyle CEO Alcyr Araujo says he pursued the deal because he recognized the quality of the software, the simplicity of the user interface, and the feature set. “Their obsessive goal of creating extremely high-quality software with unparalleled simplicity and affordability, …immediately made me want to be part of their mission and growth,” he said in a statement.

“The total alignment on the vision of creating the highest quality tools on the market, while also achieving simplicity and affordability made Mosyle a perfect home for Assetbots,” said Burggraf, also in a statement. “Their proven success in achieving that combined with their scale and resources will allow Assetbots to do the same for Asset Management software for schools and SMBs.”

It’s worth noting that the acquisition seems to reflect an evolution in the relationship between the two firms. In May, Assetbots published a report explaining how to sync assets through Mosyle. Two additional reports explaining additional integrations between the services followed.

Some of the benefits include fast two-way sync between both services, along with robust security, compliance and scalability. It also explains that Mosyle customers will be able to subscribe to Assetbots’ services at a highly preferential rate. “Mosyle and Assetbots will continue to work together to create even more benefits for common customers,” the companies said.

Apple’s enterprise ecosystem continues to mature

For many, the world of software-driven asset management might seem a little, well, niche. But the evolution taking place across Apple’s third-party enterprise ecosystem is noteworthy. 

Vendors in the market already recognize the benefits of the platform they work within, both in terms of Apple’s expanding market share in global business and within the frame of resilience, security, and privacy. All these factors mean they and their clients can expect better business resilience, which is never a bad thing.

While many across Apple’s developer ecosystem bemoan some of the impacts of the company’s walled garden approach, all of them also recognize the benefits of playing within a rock-solid, highly secure environment already suited to the emerging needs of digitally transformed businesses. 

In this multi-platform, multi-device, distributed world, it makes sense that every endpoint be secure by design, while the ability to effectively manage devices using Apple’s existing APIs and the software built by device management firms is a highly sellable commodity. 

Bigger fish in a growing pond

While it is true that vendors in the Apple enterprise space are competing against each other, it also means the market in which they compete is expanding, not shrinking. At this point, the fish get to continue getting bigger while swimming in a larger pond.

And while many who are deeply invested in the Windows enterprise ecosystem might want to ignore it, opportunity knocks for Apple as CIOs and CISOs come under intense pressure to explain away the damage done by the recent Microsoft/Crowdstrike disaster. “Windows is the most fragile platform,” is not a headline designed to instill confidence in any business leader making a purchasing decision. It’s the kind of lede that leaves those fish gasping.

Some will consider switching ponds. 

Is Apple the future of business? 

This really is a continuation of the trend. As Araujo put it earlier this year: “While Apple devices have always been the device of choice for modern companies, very large industrial and traditional service companies are now embracing the technology. This should continue for the coming years, and Macs will ultimately become the leader in the enterprise for all businesses.” 

Step by step, the Apple enterprise ecosystem is evolving to serve a diversity of business needs to replace existing suppliers across the fading Windows-centric enterprise IT space. 

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