A detailed comparison of two major Australian Managed Service Providers.
Feature
Accelerate IT
Rackspace Technology
Overall Score
3.5
3.0
Type
SMB Focus
US Cloud MSP
Employees
50-100
14000
Founded
2008
1999
Headquarters
Sydney, NSW
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Revenue
Private
$3.0B
Salary Range
$70,000 - $145,000
$50,000 - $140,000
Specialties
Managed Services, Microsoft 365, Cloud, Security
Managed Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, DevOps
Certifications
Microsoft Partner, AWS Partner, Fortinet Partner
AWS Premier Partner, Microsoft Partner, Google Cloud Partner, ISO 27001
Green Flags
Good work-life balance Stable employment
Pioneer of 'Fanatical Support' β differentiated managed cloud support model Strong multi-cloud expertise across AWS, Azure, GCP Good for early-career cloud engineers seeking certification support Private equity backing provides capital for growth
Red Flags
Small scale Below-market salaries
Financial distress β loss of founder leadership, multiple restructurings Below-market compensation across most roles PE ownership creates margin pressure and cost-cutting mentality Massive layoff cycles (2022: 10%, 2023: 15%, 2024: ongoing) Awful Glassdoor rating (3.0) β among worst of major MSPs Business model disruption from hyperscalers going direct to customers
Worker Pros
Work-life balance Stable
Strong multi-cloud managed services expertise Fanatical Support training instills good customer service habits Cloud certification support and exam coverage Good for early-career cloud engineers building a resume
Worker Cons
Small scale Below-market pay
Financial instability β multiple layoff rounds and loss of founder CEO Below-market salaries across all roles PE ownership drives constant cost-cutting and margin pressure Hyperscalers (AWS, Azure) going direct β squeezing Rackspace's business model
Both SMB Focus and US Cloud MSP have strengths and weaknesses. Your choice depends on your priorities β whether that's career growth, salary, work-life balance, or technical exposure.
Use the side-by-side comparison tool for a deeper look, or check out individual profiles for detailed employee reviews.
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