Will MSPs Ever Monetize BYOD? What About Laptop Management?

Managed services providers (MSPs) have been trying to monetize bring your own device (BYOD), with a focus on smartphones and tablets as  tablet and smartphone shipments rise. But would they be better off focusing their BYOD monetization efforts elsewhere?

Laptop management offers an opportunity that is ripe for managed services, and some mobile device management vendors that have focused on smartphones and tablets are shifting their attention to these devices that have already had a stronghold in so many businesses.

Yesterday, MSPmentor spoke with Fiberlink about how laptop management has been altering perceptions of BYOD. Fiberlink Product Management Director Chuck Brown said the acronym should be changed to bring your own technology (BYOT) to include laptops.

"I think that the bottom line is laptops are not going away, regardless if it's Windows or Mac," he said. "They play a useful purpose."

Fiberlink isn't the only company pushing laptop management. AirWatch CEO John Marshall noted during a general session at AirWatchConnect 2013 that AirWatch will focus heavily on laptop management, adding that need for laptop management will grow in the next few years.

Indeed, Ted Hulsy, vice president of marketing at eFolder, a company that offers branded cloud backup, BDRs, cloud file sync, replication, and email security solutions for MSP, penned a guest blog for MSPmentor covering six requirements for managed laptop services.

But Fiberlink Director of Channel Development Francois Daumard noted that the the same old challenge for the channel still remains in BYOD: "The channel still does not know how to monetize BYOD."

If MSPs are struggling to monetize BYOD, how will an increased focus on laptop management affect the outcome? MSPmentor will continue to stay on top of the discussion.