Alistair Forbes, general manager of GFI MAX Business Unit
GFI MAX sees a lot of upside in the marriage of managed services and mobile device management (MDM). The managed services software vendor is adding cloud-based MDM capabilities to its portfolio, giving its MSPs expanded capabilities in addressing the administration and security of corporate- and user-owned devices.
“GFI MAX MSPs need solutions that allow them to meet their customers’ needs and inspire confidence in the quality of service that is being provided, while also generating new revenue opportunities that generate growth,” said Dr. Alistair Forbes, general manager of the GFI MAX business unit.
Leveraging the technology gained through its acquisition of VisualMobile, GFI MAX is offering MSPs three tiers of MDM services. The lowest tier is a free service that allows MSPs to engage its customers with basic capabilities to open dialogues on mobile device management needs, capabilities and value. The other two tiers are to provide services for personal- and business-owned devices.
“As more and more digital natives enter the workforce, employees will likely have different expectations for mobile device usage at work as well as different tolerances for corporate standards or limitations. By providing a flexible mobile device management solution, MSPs can create deeper relationships with their customers while enabling them to simultaneously protect their network and avoid the risk of alienating their employees,” Forbes said.
MDM isn’t a staple in the managed service paradigm yet, but more vendors are offering mobile management capabilities through their remote monitoring and management platforms. Kaseya, AVG (Level Platforms), SolarWinds (N-able Technologies), Continuum and LabTech Software have some level of mobile device management capabilities. Some are natively built, while others are the incorporation of partner technology, such as Continuum’s work with FiberLin’s MaaS360 services.
All of the managed services vendors are expanding their capabilities, either through native development or technology partnerships. Kaseya recently announced a realignment of its development teams to concentrate resources in three technologies centers. AVG has already incorporated Level Platforms Managed Workplace into its services offerings, and more capabilities are planned.
GFI MAX, though, is expanding its resources and capabilities natively, adding backup, trouble ticketing – a rudimentary professional services automation system – and enhanced security as part of its platform. A broad view of these development efforts makes it look as though GFI MAX is looking to create a full, end-to-end managed service platform.
According to research by The 2112 Group, managed services continues to drive the lion’s share of solution providers’ revenue and profit. Solution providers report that managed services generates upwards of 60 percent margins and more than half of total revenue. Sustaining these productivity rates requires solution providers to continually expand their offerings to capture horizontal sales within existing accounts. GFI MAX is making that possible with the addition of MDM capabilities.
