Macquarie Government vs WatchGuard
Macquarie Government is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that works with your existing tools. Macquarie Government targets Enterprise organizations; WatchGuard serves SMB and Mid-market. Macquarie Government includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 5 for WatchGuard (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Buyer brief
Macquarie Government is a Services firm that works with your existing tools. WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that works with your existing tools. Macquarie Government targets Enterprise organizations; WatchGuard serves SMB and Mid-market. Macquarie Government includes 3 attack surfaces in base pricing (Endpoint, Cloud, Network), compared to 5 for WatchGuard (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Identity, Network).
Macquarie Government (Services firm) and WatchGuard (MSP-channel) serve different buyer profiles. Your decision depends on whether you prioritize Macquarie Government's macquarie government is strongest for australian agencies that need sovereign socaas backed by lo... or WatchGuard's watchguard mdr is strongest for msps that already standardize on watchguard or want a managed soc....
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Australian Commonwealth and state agencies that require sovereign onshore SOCaaS and MDR | MSPs already selling WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint or Endpoint Security who want to add managed SOC coverage |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 3/6 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
- 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
- Best fit
- MSPs already selling WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint or Endpoint Security who want to add managed SOC coverage
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 3/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Macquarie GovernmentTECH-AGNOSTIC | WatchGuardTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Customer endpoint security toolsWorkstation logs | WatchGuard Endpoint SecurityMicrosoft DefenderCrowdStrike |
| SIEM integrations | Macquarie Government SIEMaaSSplunk EnterpriseCustomer SIEM platforms | WatchGuard Cloud |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: CoveredSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Not covered |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | IsolateContainCustom playbooks | IsolateContainCustom playbooks |
| IR included | Separate | ✓ Included |
| 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 | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| SaaS apps | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | Not offered | Not offered |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom government subscription and procurement model. SOCaaS, SIEMaaS and SASE pricing is not published. | Per licensed user or endpoint through WatchGuard service-provider licensing. Core MDR, Core MDR for Microsoft, Total MDR and Open MDR are separate package options. |
| Hidden cost warnings | 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. | WatchGuard publishes package requirements but not public MDR pricing, so buyers need an MSP or WatchGuard quote before cost comparison.. The package names hide meaningful scope differences: Core MDR and Core MDR for Microsoft are narrower than Total MDR and Open MDR.. Open MDR can use existing tools, but buyers still need valid third-party licenses and permissions for each monitored source.. License expiration disables Managed Services portal access and stops MDR monitoring after the grace period.. Core MDR for Microsoft data is deleted after expiration if not renewed within the grace period. |
| Data portability | Partial | Limited |
| Contract terms | SOCaaS subscription, SIEMaaS subscription, SASE for Government, Custom government procurement | Subscription, Term license, 1 year, 3 years |
| Channels | PortalEmailPhone | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Dashboards | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | ✓ |
| SOC regions | APAC | North AmericaEuropeAsia-Pacific |
| Onboarding | Not published. Macquarie Government describes customized playbooks aligned with agency security processes and integration with existing security systems. | Vendor states onboarding can be completed in hours. April 2026 release notes added direct onboarding from WatchGuard Cloud. |
| Industry focus | GovernmentDefensePublic SectorCritical Infrastructure | Managed Service ProvidersHealthcareFinancial ServicesRetailTechnology |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | 6 minutes mean time to first response on critical alerts (vendor-published, not a full MTTR metric). |
| Community view | 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. | WatchGuard has a strong MSP installed base, but WatchGuard MDR is newer and public MDR-specific review volume is still thin. Reddit discussion in MSP communities is mixed: some MSPs like having EDR, MDR, firewall and MFA in one platform, while others say the endpoint and MDR stack needs more time to mature. |
| Compliance | Essential 8ISMIRAPASDACSCDISP | ISO 27001GDPRFIPS 140-2Common Criteria |
| Certifications | NV1-cleared specialistsIndustry Security Program memberAustralian Government Strategic certified data centresPROTECTED-level secure web gateway assessmentIRAP-aligned virtual services gateway language | WatchGuard Cloud ISO/IEC 27001:2022Firebox FIPS 140-2Firebox Common Criteria EAL4+WatchGuard Endpoint Security CCN High ENSWatchGuard Endpoint Security Common Criteria EAL2+ |
| Founded | – | 1996 |
| Data retention | 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. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. WatchGuard Core MDR for Microsoft data is deleted after license expiration if not renewed within the grace period. |
| API available | – | ✓ |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Macquarie Government and WatchGuard?
Macquarie Government is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). WatchGuard is a MSP-channel that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Macquarie Government covers 3 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 5 for WatchGuard.
How do Macquarie Government and WatchGuard differ in response capabilities?
Macquarie Government supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. WatchGuard supports 3 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, endpoint isolation, network containment) and approval is configurable. Incident response is not included with Macquarie Government and included with WatchGuard.
How does Macquarie Government pricing compare to WatchGuard?
Macquarie Government pricing: Not published. WatchGuard pricing: Not published. 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.. Watch for with WatchGuard: WatchGuard publishes package requirements but not public MDR pricing, so buyers need an MSP or WatchGuard quote before cost comparison.; The package names hide meaningful scope differences: Core MDR and Core MDR for Microsoft are narrower than Total MDR and Open MDR..
Should I choose Macquarie Government or WatchGuard?
Choose Macquarie Government if: australian Commonwealth and state agencies that require sovereign onshore SOCaaS and MDR. Choose WatchGuard if: mSPs already selling WatchGuard Firebox, AuthPoint or Endpoint Security who want to add managed SOC coverage. Macquarie Government is not ideal for private-sector or non-Australian buyers that do not need a government-specific sovereign provider. WatchGuard is not ideal for direct enterprise buyers who want a mature, analyst-validated MDR service with deep public review volume.
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.