A detailed comparison of two major Australian Managed Service Providers.
Feature
Datacom
Somerville Group
Overall Score
3.1
3.4
Type
Global Enterprise
Education & Enterprise
Employees
5000-6000
200-400
Founded
1965
1983
Headquarters
Sydney, NSW (NZ HQ: Auckland)
Melbourne, VIC
Revenue
Private
Private
Salary Range
$75,000 - $160,000
$70,000 - $145,000
Specialties
Managed Services, Cloud Infrastructure, Data Centre, Application Development
Education IT, Managed Services, Cloud, Apple Solutions
Certifications
Microsoft Partner, AWS Partner, Cisco Partner, VMware Partner
Microsoft Partner, Apple Partner, Cisco 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
Good work-life balance Stable employment Government focus
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
Below-market salaries Can be bureaucratic Limited career progression
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
Work-life balance Stable Government work
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
Both Global Enterprise and Education & Enterprise 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.