CareSuper, a major Australian superannuation fund, has decided to move away from VMware Cloud on AWS and transition its infrastructure to Microsoft Azure. Macquarie Cloud Services will manage the migration process.
This move highlights a broader industry trend: large-scale financial institutions are prioritizing greater flexibility, improved transparency, and more robust digital strategies to keep up with evolving technology. When you’re responsible for managing billions in assets for hundreds of thousands of members, sticking with outdated or restrictive cloud solutions simply isn’t an option anymore.
CareSuper, which oversees more than $57 billion for over 573,000 members, is not simply migrating workloads. It’s rethinking its entire IT framework. The transition includes rehosting and refactoring hundreds of applications and petabytes of data into a fully managed Azure Local Edge environment. According to CareSuper CTO Simon Reiter, the shift isn’t just about cost or performance today. It’s about choosing a platform that won’t age out in five years.
What sets this project apart is Macquarie Cloud Services’ unusual commitment: assuming full financial risk for the migration. That means CareSuper isn’t paying for the project up front. Instead, the success of the transition dictates value—something rarely seen in enterprise IT transformations. Reiter described the deal structure as a clear signal of confidence and alignment between both parties.
Macquarie’s Azure strategy is anchored in platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings, database modernization, and building a new Azure landing zone tailored to CareSuper’s needs. But the broader story here may be what’s happening around AWS. According to Macquarie’s Head of Azure, Naran McClung, more organizations are quietly stepping away from AWS due to cost pressures and architectural limitations. He believes the real advantage isn’t just moving workloads, but helping clients evolve them once they’re in the right place.
With Macquarie holding the elite Azure Expert MSP status for four years running, and showing consistent growth in its Azure division, the deal with CareSuper suggests a market where loyalty to hyperscalers is fading—and value-driven flexibility is gaining ground.
