AffinityMSP vs Telstra Purple: Which IT Partner Is Right for Your Business?

The Challenge of Choosing the Right IT Partner

When technology touches every part of your business, choosing the right IT partner can feel overwhelming. Do you go with a provider that offers sheer size and reach, or one that provides flexibility and personal attention?

Two names often compared in Australia are AffinityMSP and Telstra Purple. While both are respected managed service providers (MSPs), they serve different business needs.

In this guide, we’ll look at AffinityMSP vs Telstra Purple side by side, breaking down their strengths, limitations, and what type of business each suits best.

Telstra Purple: Scale and Enterprise Reach

Telstra Purple is Australia’s largest technology services business, built from Telstra Enterprise and a series of acquisitions. With thousands of consultants across Australia and beyond, it focuses on big transformation projects for enterprise-level organisations.

Pros of Telstra Purple

Scale and resources: With a large pool of consultants, Telstra Purple is designed for global or nationwide projects.
Broad expertise: Services cover networking, workplace modernisation, cloud transformation, analytics, and security.
Okta identity management: Through its partnership with Okta, Telstra Purple provides enterprise-grade tools for single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and identity lifecycle management.
Compliance-first approach: Solutions are aligned with frameworks such as ISO 27001 and NIST, important for highly regulated sectors.

Cons of Telstra Purple

Enterprise-first model: Their solutions are often designed for large organisations, which can feel too complex for mid-sized businesses.
Less personal support: With large-scale delivery models, support may feel process-heavy and less tailored to individual needs.
Cost considerations: Enterprise solutions often come with enterprise-level pricing, which may not align with businesses seeking cost efficiency.

AffinityMSP: Agility and Personalised Service

AffinityMSP is a fully Australian-owned MSP with a focus on mid-to-large enterprises. Rather than delivering massive transformation projects, Affinity specialises in making IT feel like an extension of your business — responsive, cost-effective, and business-aligned.

Pros of AffinityMSP

Responsive support: Known for fast resolution times and proactive monitoring to keep downtime low.
Flexible support models: Businesses can choose casual support, structured time-blocks, or full-service IT coverage depending on their needs.
Comprehensive cybersecurity: Covers endpoints, patching, monitoring, disaster recovery, and backups — providing complete protection without unnecessary complexity.
Microsoft ecosystem expertise: As a Microsoft partner, Affinity helps businesses unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365 and Azure, while also offering private cloud, WAN optimisation, and VoIP services.
High-touch relationships: Affinity builds strong client partnerships and often acts like an internal IT department rather than an external vendor.

Cons of AffinityMSP

Not global in scope: Affinity doesn’t operate at the same international scale as Telstra Purple.
Best fit for mid-to-large enterprises: While capable of scaling, Affinity’s sweet spot is organisations that want enterprise-grade IT without enterprise-level overheads.

Identity Management: Okta vs Microsoft 365

One key difference in the AffinityMSP vs Telstra Purple comparison lies in identity and access management.

Telstra Purple: Uses Okta, a global leader in identity management, to deliver centralised SSO and MFA solutions across enterprise systems. Ideal for businesses with complex application environments.
AffinityMSP: Leverages Microsoft 365 and Azure Active Directory for identity management, offering seamless MFA, conditional access, and role-based controls within a familiar environment. This approach is often more cost-effective and user-friendly for businesses already invested in Microsoft.

Support Experience: Enterprise vs Personal

How support is delivered can make or break your IT experience.

Telstra Purple: Support is delivered through enterprise frameworks and SLAs, which can sometimes feel distant for mid-sized businesses. The benefit is standardisation and consistency across large organisations.
AffinityMSP: Support is high-touch and personal, with fast response times and proactive communication. Many clients describe Affinity as “feeling like part of our internal IT team.”

Side-by-Side Comparison

Category	Telstra Purple	AffinityMSP
Scale	Thousands of staff, global delivery	Australian-owned, local expertise
Service breadth	Networking, cloud, analytics, security, workplace	Managed IT, cloud, cybersecurity, consulting
Identity management	Okta-based SSO, MFA, lifecycle management	Microsoft 365 & Azure AD solutions
Cybersecurity	Identity-focused security approach	Full-stack protection: endpoints, networks, backups
Support style	Enterprise SLAs, structured processes	Rapid, high-touch, personalised support
Flexibility	Enterprise-level engagements	Casual, time-block, or full-service plans
Cost model	Enterprise-level pricing	Predictable, cost-effective managed plans
Best fit	Large, complex, global organisations	Mid-to-large enterprises seeking agility

Which One Is Right for You?

Ultimately, the AffinityMSP vs Telstra Purple decision comes down to your business needs:

If you are a large enterprise with complex, global IT requirements, Telstra Purple’s scale and Okta partnership may be a strong match.
However, for the majority of growing and mid-to-large Australian businesses, AffinityMSP often proves to be the better fit. With faster response times, flexible service models, and IT that feels like part of your team, Affinity delivers enterprise-grade outcomes without the enterprise-level overheads.

The AffinityMSP Advantage

Both providers bring value to the table. Telstra Purple excels in enterprise-scale projects and global reach, while AffinityMSP provides responsive, flexible IT services that grow with your business.

For many Australian businesses, the deciding factor is simple: with AffinityMSP, you get enterprise-grade IT without the enterprise-level complexity or cost. IT becomes a driver of growth — not another layer of red tape.