LogMeIn Cubby: A Dropbox, Box Alternative for MSPs?
LogMeIn (Nasdaq: LOGM), the remote access and remote management software specialist, is gearing up to counter Box, Dropbox and other cloud-based storage and file management services. But here's the big twist: LogMeIn's offering, called Cubby, could have implications for MSPs from the start. Here's why.
Thousands of MSPs already use LogMeIn's solutions for remote control, systems management, data backup, business collaboration and on-demand customer support. Now along comes Cubby, which moved to an open beta earlier this month. The concept: Allow users to store files in the cloud and/or synchronize those files across all their devices — PCs, notebooks, smartphones and tablets.
I have not heard how LogMeIn's Cubby team plans to engage MSPs and channel partners — but it's a good bet such a move is coming.
Educate Your Customers
On the one hand, it's safe to say thousands of MSPs are Dropbox and Box users. And there surely are Microsoft SkyDrive users in the channel, especially as some partners begin to promote Office 2013 and Office 365.
But I suspect most MSPs have yet to have a file sharing and content management conversation with their end-customers. Most MSPs are busy discussing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trends with customers. Perhaps it's time to shift the conversation to Bring Your Own Application (BYOA), since so many businesses are signing on to cloud-based file sharing services with little or no planning our external management in place.
Or think of it this way: More and more customer conversations involve the total user experience. To deliver a great experience, MSPs need to stretch their expertise from mobile devices and mobile apps to on-premises infrastructure to cloud applications. The best MSPs offer end-to-end systems and applications management — striving to “delight” end-users along the way.
As part of that strategy it's time for MSPs to include file sharing, content management and data leakage prevention in customer conversations. With those realities in mind, I suspect Cubby will be the next service that LogMeIn promotes to MSPs.
LogMeIn: One Company, Multiple MSP Services
Perhaps the most interesting part, as reported by TechCrunch: Existing LogMeIn or Join.me users can use their same credentials to register for Cubby — a new account doesn’t need to be created. Let's assume LogMeIn will use the same approach for MSPs, essentially giving IT service providers a single dashboard for managing a growing range of LogMeIn services.
That's my theory and I'm holding to it. We'll be sure to update our perspectives once LogMeIn officially announces pricing and a partner strategy for Cubby.
