A detailed comparison of two major Australian Managed Service Providers.
Feature
Kinetic IT
Rackspace Technology
Overall Score
3.9
3.0
Type
Government / Enterprise
US Cloud MSP
Employees
400-700
14000
Founded
1998
1999
Headquarters
Melbourne, VIC
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Revenue
Private
$3.0B
Salary Range
$80,000 - $160,000
$50,000 - $140,000
Specialties
Managed Services, Government IT, Cloud, Service Management
Managed Cloud, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, DevOps
Certifications
Microsoft Partner, ITIL, ISO 20000, ISO 27001
AWS Premier Partner, Microsoft Partner, Google Cloud Partner, ISO 27001
Green Flags
Strong employee satisfaction Good work-life balance Government stability Perth-based Γ’β¬β less competition for talent
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
Government contract dependency Limited private sector exposure Can be risk-averse in some teams
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
Strong employee satisfaction Good work-life balance Government contracts provide stability Perth market is less competitive
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
Government contract dependency Limited private sector exposure Risk-averse culture in some teams
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 Government / Enterprise 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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