Mergers and Acquisitions, IT management, Content

Apple Acquires Mac, iPhone Remote Management Software Provider Fleetsmith

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Apple has acquired Fleetsmith, a developer of remote monitoring and management (RMM) and mobile device management (MDM) software for Apple Mac, iPhone and iPad devices, the technology giant confirmed today.

This is M&A deal number 258 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2020. See the complete M&A deal list here.

The big question: Will Apple embrace and support Fleetsmith's MSP partners? The Fleetsmith Partner Program in 2o19 was open to all MSPs and IT consultants who need to manage a fleet of Macs, iPhones, iPads or Apple TVs, according to a blog at the time.

Still, it's unclear if that Fleetsmith partner program still exists. A 2019 page describing the program has since been removed from Fleetsmith's website.

Apple Acquires Fleetsmith: RMM and MDM Software Details

Fleetsmith's software is priced in three tiers:

  • Free for basic intelligence-gathering services.
  • Free for advanced managed services scaling up to 10 devices.
  • $8.25 per device per month when you scale beyond 10 managed devices.

Key Fleetsmith rivals in the Apple RMM and MDM software market include Addigy, Jamf and Kandji. Also, most of the major RMM software providers focused on small business MSPs now offer at least some level of macOS device support.

Fleetsmith was venture backed before Apple acquired the company. Indeed, Fleetsmith in early 2019 raised $30 million in Series B funding led by Menlo Ventures with participation from Tiger Global Management, Upfront Ventures, and Harrison Metal. Fleetsmith was co-founded by  former IT and security leaders from Dropbox and Wikia.

Apple Acquires Fleetsmith: Executive Perspectives

In a blog today about the sale to Apple, Fleetsmith CEO Zack Blum, CSO Jesse Endahl and CTO Kenneth Kouot wrote:

"We started Fleetsmith to balance the management and security needs of IT with the experience users love about Mac, iPad, and iPhone. We’re proud of the incredibly talented team we’ve built, and that we’ve stayed true to our mission: to make powerful, secure Apple fleet management available to everyone.

We’re thrilled to join Apple. Our shared values of putting the customer at the center of everything we do without sacrificing privacy and security, means we can truly meet our mission, delivering Fleetsmith to businesses and institutions of all sizes, around the world.

To our community of customers and everyone who has been part of our journey so far, thank you! We look forward to continuing to deliver Fleetsmith to existing and new customers. If you’d like to give Fleetsmith a try, visit fleetsmith.com and we’d be happy to connect with you."

ChannelE2E is checking to see if or how Apple plans to support MSP partners as part of the acquisition.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.