The most successful companies in the world aren’t choosing between building or buying technology. From fast food and finance to media and manufacturing—leaders are scaling faster by outsourcing execution.
They’re choosing Managed Services: a long-term partnership that accelerates adoption, scales delivery, and keeps internal teams focused on what matters most.
They’re not buying more tools. They’re buying outcomes.
Here’s how it works—and why it matters for agriculture.
- McDonald’s → AI-Powered Drive-Thrus with IBM
What they did:
In 2021, McDonald’s sold McD Tech Labs to IBM to scale AI voice ordering at the drive-thru—rather than building it in-house. IBM now runs the system as a Managed Service, continuously improving the AI and integrating it into McDonald’s operations.
Why it matters:
McDonald’s chose not to become a tech company. They partnered with one—and focused on the customer experience instead.
Lesson for agriculture:
Agribusinesses don’t need to build platforms from scratch to compete. Just like McDonald’s, they can tap into proven agronomic models, software, and data—delivered by a partner with deep domain expertise. The result? Faster launches, less internal strain, and better grower outcomes.
- Netflix → Cloud Infrastructure Managed by AWS
What they did:
Netflix outsourced its entire infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS) to scale global content delivery. Netflix still owns the customer experience—but AWS handles the infrastructure.
Why it matters:
Netflix didn’t want to manage servers. They wanted to innovate. Managed Services gave them the freedom to do both.
Lesson for agriculture:
Managing agronomic models, APIs, data pipelines, and compliance frameworks in-house slows progress. A Managed Services partner can help ag businesses scale and innovate faster—without burning internal resources.
- Major Banks → Digital Transformation with Infosys
What they did:
Global financial institutions like Bank of America and J.P. Morgan Chase turned to providers like Infosys and Accenture to lead multi-year digital transformations. These engagements include ongoing platform support, user adoption, compliance, and upgrades—all delivered as a service.
Why it matters:
Banks operate in one of the most highly regulated, high-stakes sectors. Yet they embraced external partners to scale faster and focus on what differentiates them.
Lesson for agriculture:
Ag businesses are navigating similar complexity—legacy infrastructure, emerging compliance requirements, and growing data pressure. You don’t need to modernize alone. Partnering with an ag-specific Managed Services provider accelerates transformation without increasing internal overhead.
Why This Matters for Agriculture
The agricultural sector is evolving—fast. Carbon markets, CI scoring, traceability, and compliance are reshaping what it means to stay competitive. But execution and adoption, not intent, remains a barrier.
Instead of building or buying another tool, Managed Services offers a more scalable solution through:
- Enterprise-ready infrastructure
- Fully staffed execution teams
- 159 validated agronomic models
- 50 million acres of data
- White-labeled delivery systems
- 30–50% lower internal overhead
- Faster time to value
At Farmers Edge, we’ve spent 20 years building, integrating, and evolving agriculture technology. Now, we deliver it as a service—so you can scale without adding complexity.
Netflix didn’t run its own cloud. McDonald’s didn’t build AI in-house. The world’s fastest companies didn’t do it alone.
So why should agriculture?
