Software developer Jamf recently reported on its 2020 fourth quarter earnings and some of its data showed Apple continues to pick up market share at the enterprise level.
Jamf operates a software platform for businesses and organizations to manage their Apple devices.
Nicholas Rossolillo for The Motley Fool:
Jamf’s 2021 outlook is pretty good too, as its healthcare and education software end-markets are growing quickly.
If you’re betting on Apple services as a top growth motif, this small software platform for iPads, iPhones, and Macs is worth your investing attention.
Revenue increased 32% year over year in 2020 to nearly $270 million, almost all of it in the form of recurring subscription revenue to its cloud-based platform for touchless iOS device setup, management, and security. Jamf is also a highly profitable firm, generating free cash flow of $66.2 million last year (a free cash flow profit margin of 25%).
And after using cash generated from its IPO to clean up its balance sheet, Jamf ended 2020 with $195 million in cash and equivalents and no debt.
MacDailyNews Take: To give an idea of how well Apple is doing in the enterprise, Jamf in 2015 was managing less than 4 million devices for 5,000 customers. Six years later, the company now manages over 20 million Apple devices for over 47,000 customers.
I have never heard any analyst talking about Apple’s enterprise sales. I suppose 20 million devices isn’t worth much when compared to Windows PC enterprise sales which probably number in the hundreds of millions of devices. Well, I suppose it’s a decent start for Apple making some headway into the enterprise.
The closest thing to an enterprise class product or service Apple offers is Filemaker. The concept of enterprise technology is nowhere to be found in the world of Apple. Apple in the enterprise primarily means people who buy iPhones and use them for work. MacBooks are also popular. Products like JAMF, Hexnode, and Kandji help but all in all, Apple is a prestige or inspirational or lifestyle technology company. IBM’s opinion notwithstanding.
Apple obviously still values film and music industries, and graphics arts to some extent. Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, Mainstage, etc as well as the long overdue 2019 Mac Pro, are well beyond to capabilities of amateur users.
What is disappointing is the second rate office suite, the complete lack of support for serious engineering applications, the dearth of educational software, and the intermittent lackluster support for great Mac hardware that professionals need.
That can and should change, but probably only when the iOS monopoly store is closed down. Apple got fat dumb and lazy reselling iOS apps, which funded all kinds of Timmy initiatives, but the Mac platform under his watch had seriously stagnated because the Mac App Store has competition and doesn’t print money as fast.
It should be no surprise to anyone that if Apple treats business and educational Mac users like an afterthought, they will never have the loyalty that existed in the past.
It is up to Apple to demonstrate commitment to professional Mac users. Branding random products with a “Pro” name isn’t getting it done.