Jamf, which develops IT management software for Apple macOS and iOS devices, has acquired classroom management system provider ZuluDesk of Emmen, Netherlands.
The current plan is to meld the Jamf Pro platform with the ZuluDesk that deals with teacher, student, and parent workflows.
The entire ZuluDesk team will join Jamf.
Jamf’s Background
This marks Jamf’s second acquisition in six months. The company acquired No Mad in September 2018 for its Mac authentication and account management abilities.
Jamf itself was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in October 2017.
The software company has a partner program for resellers and integrators, while also taking a closer look at MSPs in recent months.
The Education Vertical
Generally speaking, a growing number of MSP-centric software platforms now support Apple devices. Moreover, Apple-centric MSPs have generated M&A activity.
Evergreen Services Group, for instance, acquired Apple-centric IT service provider Interlaced LLC in 2018. It was one of Evergreen's dozen-plus investments during the year.
Meanwhile, education has shown itself to be a deeply contested market as companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple vie for various school districts. Google’s G Suite and Chromebook have been the clear frontrunners, but Apple and Microsoft both hold a healthy share of the market.
These companies are likely looking at the education market as a chance to win over the next generation of consumers. Jamf points out that it currently operates in some of the largest school districts in the United States.
