PDQ.com acquires SimpleMDM, moves into Apple device management 

Windows IT management company PDQ.com announced the acquisition of SimpleMDM, an Apple device management company that uses an intuitive cloud interface. Financial details of the deal were not released.

The acquisition moves PDQ.com into new territory: Mac and iOS software management. With its existing capabilities centered only around Windows, the deal positions PDQ.com to become an efficient all-around systems administration solution.

Keeping machines updated is crucial to their optimal performance. Inventories must be kept in tandem with the apps enterprises deploy, the version upgrades they make, and the patches they manage. Moreover, an update should reflect across all machines, no matter how many there are. PDQ.com, before the acquisition of SimpleMDM, could do this only for Windows.

SimpleMDM covers the entire spectrum of Apple systems management. The device enrollment and account setup are hassle-free, the company says, promising a support engineer is always available within 30 minutes.

Adding Apple device management via acquisition

PDQ.com already has a strategy in place on how to use SimpleMDM’s capabilities. According to CEO Dan Cook, the combination of these two entities will enhance PDQ’s existing relationships with system admins to keep “all types of devices healthy and up-to-date.” The entire SimpleMDM ecosystem — including its employees, customers, and products — will become part of PDQ. Such a holistic takeover, Cook said, will fast-track growth for PDQ.com.

The Windows software deployment and inventory reporting capabilities of PDQ have two highly regarded software management platforms that it runs for about 19,000 organizations: PDQ Deploy and PDQ Inventory. PDQ’s solutions cover the entire enterprise app set-up spectrum, and they work with startups and multinational corporations alike.

Organizations that use PDQ’s services to keep their machines updated include the University of Utah, NASA, Coca-Cola, BMW, HBO, 3M, and others. PDQ aims to make the management of its solutions as convenient as possible; users can download prebuilt packages, target specific machines, and deploy them on their schedules.

The Apple device management from SimpleMDM works much like PDQ.com’s does on Windows; the only difference is that it works for Apple devices only. The software works with the same efficiency, SimpleMDM says, no matter how many devices are deployed.

SimpleMDM’s client base of 3,000 targets macOS, tvOS, and iOS devices. Its best-known clients include Rosetta Stone, Rip Curl, FedEx, Simplehuman, Deloitte, Discovery, and Weyerhaeuser.