Macquarie wins Netskope APJ managed services award

Macquarie Technology Group has been named Netskope's Managed Service Provider of the Year for Asia-Pacific and Japan, recognising work by its Government and Telecoms units.

The award comes less than six months after Netskope and Macquarie Telecom announced a partnership focused on networking, cloud and AI security for Australian customers. Under the arrangement, Netskope's Security Service Edge platform was integrated with Macquarie Telecom's software-defined wide area network offering to deliver a Secure Access Service Edge service.

It also follows growth in Macquarie's work with Netskope through Macquarie Government, which serves federal and state agencies. That partnership has focused on compliance and cyber security requirements for government data, networks and staff.

Among the projects cited was a federal government Zero Trust deployment the companies described as one of Netskope's largest in Australia. It was designed to lift cyber compliance and strengthen protection for government systems and information.

The award reflects broader demand in Australia for combined networking and security services as organisations shift more workloads to the cloud and look at how to use AI tools without exposing sensitive data. Businesses and public sector bodies are also facing tighter regulatory requirements while IT teams remain under pressure.

Partnership growth

For Macquarie, the Netskope relationship is part of a broader push to expand security offerings across its telecoms and government divisions. It has argued that customers want fewer standalone products and more integrated services that can manage access, network traffic and data protection within a single framework.

That approach is often grouped under the SASE model, which combines networking and security controls delivered through cloud-based architecture. Vendors and service providers have been competing to position themselves in that market as customers look for alternatives to older perimeter-based security systems.

Macquarie linked the award to customer demand for cloud-first security tools, particularly as AI adoption creates new data governance challenges. The joint service is intended to give customers more visibility into how data is accessed and used across cloud, on-premises and hybrid environments.

Marija Harris, Group Executive, Macquarie Telecom, said the recognition showed the market was ready for a new approach.

"This recognition from Netskope is a strong signal that the market is ready for a new approach to networking and security. One that removes complexity without compromising performance or protection," Harris said.

"In just six months, we've seen incredible momentum, from a fast-growing pipeline, to customers actively embracing this model to support cloud and AI adoption. Together with Netskope, and across the broader Macquarie Technology Group, we're helping organisations across Australia move faster, stay secure, and build with confidence for what's next," she said.

Government focus

The government business has been central to the partnership's early growth. Federal and state agencies in Australia have increased spending on cyber defences as ransomware, supply chain vulnerabilities and concerns about data sovereignty remain high on the public sector agenda.

Macquarie Government has positioned itself around sovereign infrastructure and security services for agencies that must meet local compliance rules. The Netskope alliance extends that offering into secure access and Zero Trust security, now a priority for departments reassessing how staff, contractors and systems connect to sensitive applications.

"We have formed a true partnership that combines Netskope's market-leading SASE platform with Macquarie's sovereign security capabilities that has transformed the way government users and applications are secured," said Aidan Tudehope, Managing Director, Macquarie Government.

"This award recognises the enhanced security, resilience and compliance we're providing to Canberra as government entities navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape," he said.

Regional signal

For Netskope, the award highlights the role of local service providers in extending its reach across Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific and Japan market. Security vendors have increasingly relied on managed service providers and telecoms partners to package their software with network services and ongoing support.

The regional scope is notable because it places Macquarie among a broader set of partners across APJ, not just in Australia. It also underlines the commercial importance of managed services in security markets where customers often prefer outsourced monitoring and policy management over building large internal teams.

Tony Burnside, Senior Vice President and Head of APAC at Netskope, said Macquarie had played an important role in the company's performance in Australia.

"Our collaboration with Macquarie Technology Group has once again been instrumental to Netskope's success in Australia last year, and this award is testament to their contribution," Burnside said.

"Together, we are helping more Australian organisations migrate to a SASE security framework, which we believe is the right path forward to build strong resilience in the AI era, while safely enabling innovation and transformation," he said.