What is our primary use case?
We are creating a blockchain link to facilitate payments from one bank to another.
What is most valuable?
The solution is pretty simple for me to use. It has all the necessary services.
What needs improvement?
One area of improvement is GUI. It could be better because other service providers don't offer the same level of user-friendliness compared to Microsoft.
Another area of improvement is the setup and price. I would like to see improvements in pricing. I believe the setup process can be made easier. Currently, it can be a bit complex when it comes to Azure. Although it provides excellent security, scalability, and reliability, the cost and setup can be challenging for me. Additionally, the timing of certain processes may need improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for two years. We use the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, it's good. However, the challenge is that if you want to make any small changes, you need to reconsider a lot of things because it's a service. That's one problem. I need to use a lot of APIs and DSP services to implement those changes.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Currently, we have customers from finance industries using this solution.
We have plans to increase our usage further. However, before increasing usage, I need a few sessions and training, including workshops from Microsoft for Blockchain as a Service. Currently, I rely heavily on online forums and support, but I need more guidance from Microsoft. It's a challenge for me.
How are customer service and support?
I have used the customer service and support. It's pretty good, but there are a few concerns regarding the cost; they didn't help me much in that aspect.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward. The only concern is monitoring the health changes in the network, which can be a bit challenging. I need to create more metrics for that, but overall it's not that complex. It's good.
Moreover, cost is a major concern to use it really. Customers have mentioned that it can be expensive sometimes compared to others.
What about the implementation team?
The setup takes a bit of time because there is no specific product support for the blockchain. The other components work, but not all the nodes are the same. That's one more challenge.
So, the solution is deployed for the customer, but I think it's the manager who understands how fast it should be processed. That's one key consideration.
The blockchain can handle less than one million transactions in three seconds. So, those are the factors we have taken into consideration. I have also considered the side chain. In terms of the framework, it can be achieved. And regarding the network I'm creating, it's not very complex, but it provides a lot of security features to help protect the application.
It is a multi-cloud solution. The solution will be in the cloud. For deployment and maintenance, I require a dedicated technical staff because there are security considerations and various factors to be taken into account for deploying small features. That's why I need assistance in those areas.
What was our ROI?
I have witnessed ROI in a few regions. The most significant return is happening globally. That's why I chose it. It offers high security, scalability, and a good global rate of adoption. That's where the value lies.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding the license, it's a paid service. So licensing is not a concern.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would give the solution a seven out of ten. Because I have been working with open-source solutions as well, and they are quite good, especially in terms of cost. But when it comes to security, I would give Microsoft Azure a ten. They excel in providing robust security measures.
The advice would vary depending on their specific use cases. My recommendation is, if security is a top priority and they require extensive built-in features, then I highly recommend using Microsoft Azure because it provides a strong foundation for those aspects.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.