Cloud directory provider JumpCloud eyes a bite of the Active Directory pie as it raises a fresh $159 million
Why not... just use Azure AD and Intune?
JumpCloud, a US-based vendor that provides a cloud-based directory service (which it touts as a "full cloud replacement for Microsoft Active Directory") has closed a $159 million series F round led by Silicon Valley VC firm Sapphire Ventures that more than triples the company’s valuation to $2.56 billion.
JumpCloud has grown strongly by focussing on SMEs that are not already full Microsoft shops -- i.e. with AWS, G Suite, Linux, macOS or other non-Windows platforms as core parts of their infrastructure.
Users can deploy its platform as an all-in-one-place home for software management, system and security policies, device and password management, etc. as well as Apple mobile device management (MDM) and single sign-on (SSO) across all platforms. The company now claims nearly 5,000 customers spanning 100+ countries, 1,300 MSP partners, and an impressive 149% net revenue retention rate as it adds services.
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“IT teams have a strategic responsibility to ensure work gets done securely and efficiently. The pandemic accelerated their need for an infrastructure platform that is not limited by legacy domain-based approaches, or requires multiple point solutions,” said Rajat Bhargava, CEO and co-founder.
The company bats back the challenge that users might as well just use Azure AD and Intune by noting that the former "was created as an adjunct to Active Directory" and is ultimately "an extension to on-prem identities to control Azure resources and web applications" while claiming Intune "while it extends to macOS and Linux, it struggles with all of what an IT administrator may want to do with those non-Windows platforms."
“We’re delighted to partner with Rajat and the JumpCloud team on their mission to transform the identity market with their industry-leading cloud directory platform,” said Casber Wang, vice president at Sapphire Ventures and JumpCloud’s newest board observer. “By unifying access to identity, device, and cloud infrastructure resources into one single, secure platform, JumpCloud has established itself as the preferred platform for the IT admin community. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of JumpCloud’s journey.”
With Mac management long a core part of its strategy JumpCloud also recently pushed out a new device management offering with Zero Touch Enrollment for Macs, allowing IT admins to automate mobile device management (MDM) enrollment and device deployment that lets Macs be set up and configured automatically upon first bootup — eliminating the need for IT admins to handle each device individually prior to sending it to the employee who will eventually use it. Its IAM and device management platform starts at $15/user per month.
