Like a Big Mac and a large fries, IT service franchises now go hand-in-hand with managed services. The latest example: Expetec Technology Services — an IT services franchisor in 20 states and Canada — has embraced the ConnectWise managed services platform. The move comes roughly one week after the Fast-Tek franchises announced plans to leverage Kaseya and SecureMyCompany’s managed services. The bottom line: If break-fix franchises are embracing managed services, surely more sophisticated solutions providers need to do the same.

Think about the trends for the moment. Big distributors (Ingram Micro, Tech Data), big retailers (Best Buy, Circuit City) and break-fix franchises all are deploying managed services foundations. Solutions providers that don’t figure out a managed services strategy soon could wind up locked out of the bidding process for new customer deployments, particularly in the government and higher education markets — where clients are increasingly demanding managed services models from their IT partners.