LogMeIn Jumps into Cloud Identity Management with AppGuru

Perhaps the biggest buzzword in IT these days is BYOD, which of course stands for "bring your own device." The trend has emerged as more employees find they can be more productive using their own tablets or PCs than what is provided by their organizations.

"Bring your own cloud," a term not floated as much as BYOD, is also a popular step many employees use when they want an application or infrastructure faster than IT can approve or deliver it. That's fueled the success of Software as a Service (SaaS) providers such as Salesforce.com, NetSuite and Workday, while also embraced by entrenched app software vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle and SAP.

To help IT pros manage and take control of the influx of these various cloud apps, a number of providers help centralize access to them. Among them are CA, Centrify, Intel and its McAfee division, Okta, Ping Identity, SailPoint, Simplified, Symantec and VMware. The latest to jump into the so-called Identity Management as a Service pool is LogMeIn, supplier of popular namesake online meeting and collaboration service, the scaled-down join.me and the Cubby cloud file sharing and synchronization service.

LogMeIn last week launched the preview of AppGuru. The service, which includes an Identity as a Service component, lets IT centralize management of employees using cloud services, aimed at reducing the risk of data loss and coming up against compliance violations.

Citing a recent study by Edge Strategies, LogMeIn said 70 percent of companies report active use of cloud apps introduced by employees, while only 22 percent are equipped to manage them, and 43 percent acknowledge they have no control over those apps. LogMeIn said AppGuru uses identity management to centralize control of these various services.

"Today's IT pro isn't looking to impede the use of employee-introduced technology, and they fully appreciate the benefits of the cloud," said LogMeIn CEO Michael Simon in a statement. "AppGuru is designed to help these IT professionals embrace the new app centric world, and redefine their role as business partner in a cloud-enabled workplace."

AppGuru's console provides a centralized interface to manage multiple cloud apps, while creating letting IT pros establish policies and have a simple way of onboarding and cutting off employees. It also lets them manage cloud licenses and can leverage Microsoft's Active Directory to provision users.

LogMeIn said it will offer AppGuru later this year either as a standalone service or integrated with the rest of its portfolio. Testers can request an invite to preview it at the AppGuru side. The company has not disclosed pricing.  

Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on 05/30/2013 at 12:49 PM