Jamf adds to education market reach with purchase of European firm

Jamf, a Minneapolis-based provider of management tools for Apple products, said Tuesday it acquired ZuluDesk, a Dutch distributor of Apple gear to schools and universities.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

The move expands Jamf's reach in the education market. The company already distributes and helps customize Apple products for 8,000 schools, chiefly in the U.S. ZuluDesk, based in Emmen, Netherlands, has a customer base of more than 6,000 schools.

"We believe that ZuluDesk's success in creating an education technology solution that leverages iPads, Apple TVs and applications designed for teachers and parents give Jamf an expanded set of capabilities," Dean Hager, chief executive of Jamf, said in a statement.

Jamf said users of its Jamf Pro products will benefit from the acquisition as the products use ZuluDesk technology to launch teacher and parent apps. ZuluDesk, for instance, makes an app that lets teachers prepare lesson plans and message students directly on Apple devices.

Jamf, which was started in 2002, has been owned by Vista Equity Partners, an investment firm that owns several technology firms, since October 2017. The company has experienced several years of very fast growth. Last week, Jamf announced that 2018 revenue grew 30 percent, which would be approximately $150 million based on previously published data for 2017.

The firm's last acquisition came in September, when it bought Orchard & Grove Inc., makers of the NoMAD suite of Mac-based administration products.

Evan Ramstad • 612-673-4241