A detailed comparison of two major Australian Managed Service Providers.
Feature
Datacom
Macquarie Technology Group
Overall Score
3.1
4.1
Type
Global Enterprise
Enterprise / Cloud
Employees
5000-6000
500-800
Founded
1965
1995
Headquarters
Sydney, NSW (NZ HQ: Auckland)
Sydney, NSW
Revenue
Private
$379.4M
Salary Range
$75,000 - $160,000
$85,000 - $170,000
Specialties
Managed Services, Cloud Infrastructure, Data Centre, Application Development
Data Centre, Cloud, Managed Services, Government Cloud
Certifications
Microsoft Partner, AWS Partner, Cisco Partner, VMware Partner
AWS Partner, Microsoft Partner, VMware Partner
Green Flags
Privately held — no PE pressure, no quarterly earnings Low offshoring (~20%) — most work delivered locally Genuine work-life balance in most teams Rarely does mass layoffs — stable employment Largest locally-owned IT company in Australia
ASX-listed (ASX: MAQ) — financial transparency Highest-rated MSP on Glassdoor (4.1/5) Strong focus on cloud and security Good culture and employee satisfaction
Red Flags
Below-market salaries (A$85-95K average vs A$128-138K market) Career stagnation — 'dead man's shoes' culture Internal politics favour tenure over talent Graduate program used as cheap labour pipeline Manager quality varies wildly between teams
Smaller scale — less exposure to enterprise projects Limited international presence Can be bureaucratic in some teams
Worker Pros
Stability — private ownership means no restructuring cycles Work-life balance is genuinely good Local delivery — your job isn't being offshored Good graduate programs with real mentorship
Highest-rated MSP on Glassdoor Strong cloud and security focus ASX-listed transparency Good culture and employee satisfaction
Worker Cons
Salaries are 20-30% below market rate Career progression is slow — 'dead man's shoes' Manager quality varies wildly — your experience depends on your boss Innovation is limited by risk-averse culture Internal politics favour loyalty over competence
Smaller scale — less enterprise exposure Limited international presence Some teams can be bureaucratic
Both Global Enterprise and Enterprise / Cloud have strengths and weaknesses. Your choice depends on your priorities — 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.