Critical Start vs Macquarie Government
Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Macquarie Government is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Critical Start targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Macquarie Government serves Enterprise. Critical Start includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 3 for Macquarie Government (Endpoint, Cloud, Network).
Buyer brief
Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that works with your existing tools. Macquarie Government is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. Critical Start targets Mid-market and Enterprise organizations; Macquarie Government serves Enterprise. Critical Start includes 5 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network), compared to 3 for Macquarie Government (Endpoint, Cloud, Network).
Critical Start (Pure-play MDR) and Macquarie Government (Services firm) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Critical Start's technology-agnostic mdr with tbr deterministic alert auto-resolution, 100+ integrations, ot/ics s... or Macquarie Government's macquarie government is strongest for australian agencies that need sovereign socaas backed by lo....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack | Australian Commonwealth and state agencies that require sovereign onshore SOCaaS and MDR |
| Price | Not published | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 6/6 actions · Configurable | 3/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack
- Price
- Not published
- Response authority
- 6/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- Australian Commonwealth and state agencies that require sovereign onshore SOCaaS and MDR
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Critical StartTECH-AGNOSTIC | Macquarie GovernmentTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Positive | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | CrowdStrikeSentinelOneMicrosoft DefenderPalo Alto Cortex | Customer endpoint security toolsWorkstation logs |
| SIEM integrations | Microsoft SentinelSplunkSumo Logic | Macquarie Government SIEMaaSSplunk EnterpriseCustomer SIEM platforms |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateKill processContainDisable accountsQuarantineCustom playbooks | IsolateContainCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | Separate |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ✓ Included | ~ Limited |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | + Optional | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | ≤1 hour | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom enterprise pricing (annual subscription, tiered by coverage depth) | Custom government subscription and procurement model. SOCaaS, SIEMaaS and SASE pricing is not published. |
| Hidden cost warnings | No public pricing at all, requires sales call for any ballpark. OT/ICS monitoring and vulnerability management are separate purchases on top of base MDR. Full IR/DFIR requires separate CIRT engagement, not included in MDR contract. Annual contract commitment typically required with no published minimum seat count | The service is explicitly built for Australian Commonwealth and state government agencies, so private-sector and non-Australian buyers may not be eligible or may not fit the operating model.. Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, MTTD/MTTR, service credits or formal MDR SLAs.. SOCaaS is closely tied to Macquarie Government SIEMaaS, Splunk, sovereign hosting, SASE and gateway services; model migration work if replacing the service later.. Buyers should document which automated response actions are allowed by default and which require agency approval.. Log retention, ingestion, secure cloud, SASE and CTI options can materially change the total contract scope. |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Annual, Multi-year | SOCaaS subscription, SIEMaaS subscription, SASE for Government, Custom government procurement |
| Channels | EmailPortalPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | ✓ | – |
| SOC regions | North America | APAC |
| Onboarding | 5-10 business days to first detection value (vendor-stated). 4-6 weeks for full enterprise onboarding. Vendor claims 2.66-day median TTFV for Microsoft Sentinel specifically. | Not published. Macquarie Government describes customized playbooks aligned with agency security processes and integration with existing security systems. |
| Industry focus | Financial ServicesHealthcareManufacturingTechnologyGovernmentProfessional ServicesRetailTransportation | GovernmentDefensePublic SectorCritical Infrastructure |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | 60 minutes or less median time to resolution for ALL alerts regardless of priority | Not published |
| Community view | Gartner Peer Insights 4.8/5 (53 reviews). PeerSpot 9.4/10, skewing large enterprise. Glassdoor 4.3/5 (140 reviews, some concerns about RIFs and turnover). IDC MarketScape Major Player (Emerging MDR, 2024). Praised for TBR noise reduction and SOC analyst accessibility. Criticized for onboarding communication gaps, missing Slack integration and opaque pricing. | Macquarie Government has strong vendor-controlled evidence for Australian government sovereignty, 24x7 SOC operations, SIEMaaS, threat intelligence and SASE integration, but little independent MDR-specific buyer-review signal in public communities. Government buyers should use procurement references to validate analyst quality, response authority, onboarding effort and Splunk/log-volume cost exposure. |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001 | Essential 8ISMIRAPASDACSCDISP |
| Certifications | SOC 2 Type IIISO 27001MISA (Microsoft Intelligent Security Association)Microsoft Solutions Partner for Security | NV1-cleared specialistsIndustry Security Program memberAustralian Government Strategic certified data centresPROTECTED-level secure web gateway assessmentIRAP-aligned virtual services gateway language |
| Founded | 2012 | – |
| Data retention | CORR platform provides API access and data export (CSV/XLSX). Specific retention periods not publicly documented. | SIEMaaS pages describe sovereign local hosting and storage of up to seven years of security and event information. Public pages do not publish default retention for SOCaaS contracts or export terms. |
| API available | ✓ | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Critical Start and Macquarie Government?
Critical Start is a Pure-play MDR that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Macquarie Government is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). SLA commitments differ: Critical Start offers ≤1 hour, Macquarie Government offers Not disclosed. Critical Start covers 5 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 3 for Macquarie Government.
How do Critical Start and Macquarie Government differ in response capabilities?
Critical Start supports 6 autonomous actions (account disable, custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, file quarantine, network containment, process termination) and approval is configurable. Macquarie Government supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable.
How does Critical Start pricing compare to Macquarie Government?
Critical Start pricing: Custom-quoted pricing. Macquarie Government pricing: Not published. Watch for with Critical Start: No public pricing at all, requires sales call for any ballpark; OT/ICS monitoring and vulnerability management are separate purchases on top of base MDR. Watch for with Macquarie Government: The service is explicitly built for Australian Commonwealth and state government agencies, so private-sector and non-Australian buyers may not be eligible or may not fit the operating model.; Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, MTTD/MTTR, service credits or formal MDR SLAs..
Should I choose Critical Start or Macquarie Government?
Choose Critical Start if: mid-market to large enterprises wanting technology-agnostic MDR that works with their existing security stack. Choose Macquarie Government if: australian Commonwealth and state agencies that require sovereign onshore SOCaaS and MDR. Critical Start is not ideal for sMBs or budget-conscious organizations, enterprise-focused pricing not published. Macquarie Government is not ideal for private-sector or non-Australian buyers that do not need a government-specific sovereign provider.
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.