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Himanshu  Rana - PeerSpot reviewer
Delivery Service Engineer at Hanu Software
MSP
Centralized code repository facilitates collaboration and visibility and scalability allows for handling large code volumes and deployment needs
Pros and Cons
  • "Azure DevOps is effective for repository management and code collaboration. We can create branches, differentiate between code versions, save and review code later, get PR approvals, and more. All these features are valuable."
  • "Another area is the Azure monitoring agent for Citrix machines. There's room for improvement there too."

What is our primary use case?

We use Azure Repos for most things. It integrates with Azure Boards. 

It's good for the ticketing part and for saving the Azure Repos. We use Terraform.

How has it helped my organization?

Azure DevOps integrations with other tools have streamlined our workflows.

The centralized code repository is a major part. We store code and collaborate, and everyone can see what others are doing and what code they're adding. We can review the code and make changes if needed. 

The same code used for implementation is visible to other team members, allowing them to contribute. Additionally, the Azure board interface helps create tickets and assign workloads, keeping everyone informed about progress.

What is most valuable?

Azure DevOps is effective for repository management and code collaboration. We can create branches, differentiate between code versions, save and review code later, get PR approvals, and more. All these features are valuable.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in customer service and support. Sometimes, I create a ticket for a specific issue, and they tell me it's not relevant to that ticket. 

They ask me to create a different one, basically saying they can't help with the current one. It's a communication gap. We're troubleshooting, so we don't always know the exact issue. They should let us stick with the same ticket and maybe assign a different engineer if needed. These areas definitely need improvement.

Another area is the Azure monitoring agent for Citrix machines. There's room for improvement there too.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure DevOps
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure DevOps. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for four months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a very refined tool from Microsoft, so there haven't been any problems with stability for us.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is great. We can add as much code as we need, and the deployed code volume can also be scaled. 

The scalability comes in the sense of creating virtual machines using IaaS, which works really well within the suite.

I'm on the DevOps team, and around 25 to 30 of us in the team itself use Azure DevOps. So, overall, there are a lot of end users in my company. 

How are customer service and support?

The customer service and support are good, but there are some issues when we're doing a deployment and need clarification. They're not very helpful there. Maybe there's a separate team for that. 

But in general, for project creation and work, after everything is deployed, Microsoft can help with a general support ticket. But they won't help with the planning phase. They're more like big management. So, there's a gap in the assistance we need for new project deployments.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

For ticketing, we use ServiceNow. Both solve the same problem in that regard. And for code repositories, we use GitHub. So, it's not an all-in-one solution like Azure DevOps, which has a lot of features bundled together.

Since Azure DevOps offers everything in one place, it feels more convenient. It does a bit of everything. So it's a good option because it replaces various individual tools and provides all their services in one package.

How was the initial setup?

It is very straightforward. It was easy for me to deploy. 

The deployment depends on the workloads we have. For example, deployment for setting up Azure DevOps or the application itself isn't the same.

It takes a lot of time to get the setup ready. 

Regarding setup, connecting it to Visual Studio was smooth on both Mac and Windows. Integrations are quite good. 

Deployments depend on the workload. We create virtual machines using Terraform, so it's usually fast, especially when downloading repos from Azure Repos.

What about the implementation team?

Smaller tasks like deploying a prepared code for a single service wouldn't require additional engineers. Many workflows can be handled by one person. 

Architecture is different, as the architect designs the infrastructure, which needs to be followed.

What was our ROI?

ROI depends on the cost optimization we can achieve. Sometimes, clients use heavier resources than they actually need. So it depends. 

If the environment is fully optimized, there can be significant savings, leading to a good return on investment. But they would also be paying for partner management. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

For Microsoft, it can get expensive when you need heavy-duty machines. But compared to on-premises solutions or the hardware we used before, it's still much more convenient for us. So even though it can be pricey, the benefits outweigh the cost in our case.

Maybe some more flexible payment options could improve the pricing. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Akhilendra Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
Engagement Manager at Capgemini
Real User
Efficient operations, highly secure, and responsive support
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Azure DevOps has helped the developers a lot and we are deploying process changes very frequently and simultaneously. A lot of my team members that are developers are updating the code in parallel using Git. Additionally, Microsoft Azure DevOps is providing a very good approval mechanism. Overall it is benefiting by creating efficiency in production deployment and applications, our new releases are running well. The security of secured is good."
  • "We are facing a lot of issues in the development of containerized solutions. We are facing a lot of challenges in this area. They could make the process simpler."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Azure DevOps for continuous integration and continuous deployment.

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Azure DevOps has helped the developers a lot and we are deploying process changes very frequently and simultaneously. A lot of my team members that are developers are updating the code in parallel using Git. Additionally, Microsoft Azure DevOps is providing a very good approval mechanism. Overall it is benefiting by creating efficiency in production deployment and applications, our new releases are running well. The security of secured is good.

What needs improvement?

We are facing a lot of issues in the development of containerized solutions. We are facing a lot of challenges in this area. They could make the process simpler.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure DevOps for approximately four years.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support from Microsoft Azure DevOps is good. Whenever we have raised a ticket with priority, we had a very good response from the technical team. My experience with Microsoft support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

The integrations of Microsoft Azure DevOps are good and the implementation is not difficult. The testing of the solution went well.

What was our ROI?

I have seen a return on investment from using Microsoft Azure DevOps.

What other advice do I have?

We have spread the knowledge about Microsoft Azure DevOps to a lot of our customers. We have organized a lot of training sessions because we are Microsoft's gold partner. That is why we promote all the tools and technologies which are part of Microsoft and we're also using them.

I rate Microsoft Azure DevOps a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Azure DevOps
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure DevOps. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Jeremy Chen - PeerSpot reviewer
Installation Engineer at CTCI
Real User
Stable, scalable, and good for source code control and task management
Pros and Cons
  • "Most of the features are very valuable for us, especially the source code control and task management."
  • "The main issue that I have is the connection speed. Sometimes, the response is too slow. I am based in Taiwan, and I am not sure if it is because of broadband or something else. Its initial configuration is also a little bit difficult."

What is our primary use case?

We are trying to move our entire DevOps cycle to Azure DevOps. It includes test management, source code control, and some parts of CSED.

It is deployed on the cloud, so we always have its latest version.

What is most valuable?

Most of the features are very valuable for us, especially the source code control and task management.

What needs improvement?

The main issue that I have is the connection speed. Sometimes, the response is too slow. I am based in Taiwan, and I am not sure if it is because of broadband or something else.

Its initial configuration is also a little bit difficult.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. Currently, we have around ten users. We hope to increase its usage.

How are customer service and technical support?

I didn't have to get in touch with them. I didn't have any technical issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have used Jira and TFS. Microsoft Azure DevOps is very useful in terms of management. We are trained to be the users of the DevOps services, but with Jira and TFS, we also had to manage the server, which we didn't want. We wanted to eliminate this kind of effort and just wanted to publish our own developments without having to manage the server.

How was the initial setup?

It is a cloud solution, so there is no installation. Its initial configuration takes some time and is not very easy. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Engineer (Retail Group) at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
MSP
A comprehensive, easy-to-use, stable, and well-integrated solution that does everything in the development life cycle
Pros and Cons
  • "All features are good. Pipelines feature is great, and Boards and Artifacts features are also really good. It is really good at what it does. It is very comprehensive, and it has some really great aspects to it. It is very easy. It is probably one of the easiest to use DevOps tools in the industry, and it is well integrated."
  • "The administrative capabilities of the tool need a huge improvement. Its Wiki and reporting also need a lot of improvement. Their support can also be better."

What is our primary use case?

It is used for development and life cycle management within the company. We use the SaaS version. It is called Azure DevOps services.

How has it helped my organization?

It has absolutely improved the way our organization functions from a development lifecycle point of view. It has enabled teams to be more Agile and flexible.

What is most valuable?

All features are good. Pipelines module is comprehensive, Boards and Artifacts modules are also really extensive.

It is really good at what it does. It is very comprehensive, and it has some really great aspects to it. It has a easy to use UI. It is probably one of the easiest to use DevOps tools in the industry, and it is well integrated.

What needs improvement?

The administrative capabilities of the tool need a huge improvement. Its Wiki and Reporting functions also need a lot of improvement. Their support can also be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it ever since it was created in 2012

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable because it is on the cloud. We have a very large user base and they're all IT-related. The users are engineers, product managers, and management. It is the entire IT organization.

How are customer service and technical support?

We use their technical support a lot. We have internal support, but we will also reach out to Microsoft to resolve problems. Their support is very good, but there is always room for improvement. It depends on the subject area. Sometimes, they have people who are not as well versed as others.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We've been pretty much on the Microsoft products. We used to use Team Foundation Server, which was a Microsoft product. Before that, it used to be Visual Source Safe. We also used to be on PVCS, SVN and CVS.

How was the initial setup?

Being a SaaS solution, there is no setup.

What about the implementation team?

It was implemented in-house as we have a high level of in-house expertise in the ALM space.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This area is very different for each and every organization and I would recommend that they research cost and pricing for their situation.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No, we did not evaluate any other options since we are heavily tied to the Microsoft stack. However over time, we have adopted other platforms (Java, Node, Python and others) since Azure DevOps is cross platform compatible with Linux, Windows, iOS and Andriod.

What other advice do I have?

If you're looking for a cross-platform solution that end-to-end does everything in the development life cycle, this would be a very good solution for you. If you're looking for a more siloed product that is specifically focused on one particular area of the lifecycle, this is definitely still an option, but you should also evaluate other options as well (Atlassian, IBM Rational,  MIcro Focus ALM, GitHub etc) for completeness.

I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps a solid eight out of ten. It is really good at what it does, but it also has some solid areas of improvement that are needed. Once they have addressed those, it could be hard to beat.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
DevOps Engineer at Simprints
Real User
The least expensive of the competitors in this class continues to develop and benefits Microsoft users
Pros and Cons
  • "Azure is an advantage when working with other Microsoft solutions."
  • "Azure has not yet advanced to the performance level of the other major competitors and is missing integration with important technologies."

What is our primary use case?

I took a part-time job doing a mentorship to guide the students on how to use cloud computing on the AW and Azure cloud resources. For that project, we go through each and every service on cloud computing that is part of the service platform. The new technology is called server-less technology. The goal of the mentorships is showing students how to fundamentally use these resources and explain the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing over on-premises solutions.  

What is most valuable?

Currently, I do not know if there is really a single feature that stands out as the most valuable. If you consider our use case and that we were using Azure essentially as a teaching tool, it was the tool itself that was valuable.  

I do not have in-depth experience with Microsoft Azure, but it is like other services such as AWS. Currently, the number of services are increasing on Azure actually at a faster rate than with Google Cloud. If you are working with Microsoft products like Office 365 the best cloud solution would be on Azure services. The cost is also better than AWS.  

Microsoft has also built an association with other cloud products for helping to migrate your licenses to the cloud. This works out well if you have a substantial investment in licensing for Microsoft products on-premises. Being able to bring that license to the cloud is a good transitionary solution.  

What needs improvement?

I have been running reports on the availability of the major competitors in the cloud services to use as a demonstration in webinars and comparison of services. The most available solution on the cloud in user availability by minutes is Google Cloud. Google is the number one solution and the second one is AWS. The third one is Microsoft Azure.  

Compared to the availability of the other two major cloud solutions, Microsoft Azure needs to make an improvement in their availability. This report suggests that the Azure team needs to do some major changes to match the availability of the other services and make the product more competitive.  

In DevOps (software development and IT operations), server-less architecture and QNX platform integrations are things that need to be added to Azure. Currently, I am not sure that this is the case. But previously, I have had experience trying to use Azure with service and integration with the QNX platform and it is not as good as Google Cloud. Azure has improved its current set of data services on the cloud. But Google Cloud is doing more right now to bring those technologies and make them available to developers or enterprise solutions. So, QNX integration needs polishing.  

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the product for only the last two months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not experienced any issues with stability.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In general, I have seen no real issues with scalability. It is a cloud platform and scalability should usually be available on demand.  

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Google Cloud on one of my previous projects but currently, we are using the on-premise solution. So we are hosting everything locally on-premises. We do not have any current cloud provider for the business as a whole. We are using AWS for security and backup for the production environment but mostly we rely on the on-premise solutions at the moment.  

We use the S3 compute instance of AWS only. We do not use any other AWS services. We just use VM's that we create on the S3 instance.  

How was the initial setup?

Setup is not so much of an issue as the product is on the cloud. The services are essentially on demand for the product. What you do with the services is what may take more time and consideration.  

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am not comfortable sharing the details of cost because there may be different pricing schemes, but compared to AWS, Azure is less expensive. So in the pricing in this class of services, Azure is good. It can work well for small to medium enterprises. But this solution is may not be good for those who are not enterprise-level users. Small cloud computing providers have better pricing than the bigger cloud computing providers like AWS and Microsoft Azure and may be a better choice for non-enterprise use.  

Still, Azure is priced better than AWS. Price may not be the only thing to consider.  

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have had the opportunity to use a variety of different solutions and it has not really come down to a situation where one is replaced with another. There is an ongoing evaluation of the products as newer technology including the most well known, like AW, Google, and Azure. AWS is the most expensive cloud hosting. In my estimation, that is the best product right now, but things are changing quickly.  

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps as an eight-out-of-ten. It is not quite up to the level of other offerings in some ways but it is improving all the time.  

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1850940 - PeerSpot reviewer
Freelance at Self
Real User
Great automation with version control and expands well
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is automation with version control."
  • "It is essential that you get buy-in from the top management down to everyone in the pipeline."

What is our primary use case?

The main use of this solution are to combine software development and IT operations. Also, we use it for automation with version control and microservices. Automation is a core principle for achieving DevOps success and CI/CD is a critical component. 

The application of continuous delivery and DevOps to data analytics has been termed DataOps. DevOps focuses on the deployment of developed software, whether it is developed via Agile or other methodologies. ArchOps presents an extension for DevOps practice, starting from artifacts, instead of source code, for operational deployment.

How has it helped my organization?

This solution has offered lots of improvements. The most important improvement was to provide continuous delivery with high-quality software. It helps with version control with automation using CI/CD components. It also helps to develop software using the agile methodology. 

The ability of different disciplines (development, operations, and infosec) to achieve outcomes has been great. Increased focus on test automation and continuous integration methods are helpful. It helps release new features continuously into large-scale high-availability systems while maintaining a high-quality end-user experience.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is automation with version control. 

DevOps initiatives can create cultural changes in companies by transforming the way operations, developers, and testers collaborate during the development and delivery processes. We can release new features continuously into large-scale high-availability systems while maintaining a high-quality end-user experience. 

Adopting DevOps will also help eliminate the old and monotonous way of agile activity among big IT teams like network, Storage Team, Linux/Unix, Windows, etc.

What needs improvement?

It’s commonly observed that you cannot just change a company’s culture on command. You can influence the culture, shift it, and while it can evolve over time, it’s nearly impossible to just instruct all employees to simply change the way they think and act about specific things. 

The culture of any organization starts at the top of the leadership hierarchy and trickles down throughout, filling every empty space. It is essential that you get buy-in from the top management down to everyone in the pipeline. 

In order to do this, all involved need to understand the advantages the shift is going to have on the organization and on the team members.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for the last two years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We didn't use any solution before.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also looked at AWS.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1374663 - PeerSpot reviewer
Application Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A user-friendly DevOps server with a useful backlog item creation feature
Pros and Cons
  • "It's very user-friendly, and the documentation is good. The most valuable feature is backlog item creation, where we pick features and other things. The burndown chart created for projects to be maintained by the development teams is also useful."
  • "Integration and plugins for other tools could better. Like if you want to integrate the DevOps with other tools that are in the market. This could be for the engineering tools to check code quality, application security tools, and DevOps dashboard tools."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Azure DevOps to maintain our project. We create a project in a good DevOps, and then we add the backlog items. The product owner adds the backlog items, and then the development team. The repository is also built into that. We have a private Git report for the project. Under reports, we can create a repository for the big projects and maintain the source code. 

Developers can commit and make a full request. For example, configure Jenkins, reconfigure Jenkins with the repository credentials, and then use it for linking. We don't use the pipeline available to us, and we use Jenkins for CSC.

How has it helped my organization?

In our organization, Microsoft Azure DevOps helps senior leadership go in and check the project status and how much effort has been put in by the development team. They can also pick, choose, and add features to be used by the development team. It's like a backlog management tool that helps improve and support projects. 

What is most valuable?

It's very user-friendly, and the documentation is good. The most valuable feature is backlog item creation, where we pick features and other things. The burndown chart created for projects to be maintained by the development teams is also useful. 

What needs improvement?

Integration and plugins for other tools could better. Like if you want to integrate the DevOps with other tools that are in the market. This could be for the engineering tools to check code quality, application security tools, and DevOps dashboard tools. 

They could also make the implementation easier. The test plan also has basic features that are not user-friendly. It should also have integrations with test automation tools. We need a test plan, automation testing, and EA-based testing.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft Azure DevOps for more than four years.

How are customer service and technical support?

We haven't got any issues with the technical support area.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Licensing cost per user is approximately $11 to $15. We have about 400 users, but not all are active. We have around 200 to 300 active users.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to new users if it's a simple project. If you want JIRA, you'll need to have JIRA software for backlog management. 

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Microsoft Azure DevOps an eight.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Software Architect at EML
Real User
Easy to implement, good CD pipeline, and very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is quick and easy."
  • "The functions have too much dependency right now, so it makes it really, really hard to upgrade and make a change in the code."

What is our primary use case?

We normally use DevOps. On the application, everything has gone DevOps, however, we don't use the functions. All applications developed there have gone under Azure or AWS. We normally develop them to be able to not be dependent on anything, so if we want to deploy them in another environment, we can deploy them easily. If we want to use it in Azure, we use it in Azure. If we want AWS, we use it in AWS.

What is most valuable?

I like the CD pipeline. It's the most valuable feature for us. It's so easy to integrate into the CD/CI environment. I mostly love that one.

The initial setup is quick and easy.

What needs improvement?

The functions have too much dependency right now, so it makes it really, really hard to upgrade and make a change in the code. 

If you want to use the DPR it's a bit harder due to the fact that it's only 30 days.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the solution for a year and a half at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the product has been good so far. I can't say that I've witnessed glitches. There aren't bugs. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable, as far as I can tell.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We don't have any issues with the scalability of the solution. If we need to, we're able to scale.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've never contacted Microsoft for technical assistance. 

We are Microsoft partners. We have several Azure experts on our development team, and we have a tech that came from the US and did the training for us. We have a very strong understanding of the product and therefore we don't need help with troubleshooting or anything of that nature.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We also currently use AWS, however, I prefer Microsoft's solution as it's a bit easier to use overall.

How was the initial setup?

We did not find the initial setup to be complex. The implementation is straight forward. 

Deployment is quick and typically only takes a few days or so.

We have ten people that handle maintenance. They are in different parts of the world. We have two in Australia, for example, and two in the USA.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost can get pretty high if you aren't paying attention to what you are doing.

What other advice do I have?

We're partners with Microsoft.

I'd highly recommend Microsoft, and I recommend it more than any other solution. Everything is very simple and straightforward. The only worry for some organizations may be the cost. You need to be really, really careful.

I'd rate the solution overall nine out of ten. I think it's really, really great. If the functions were a bit better, I'd give it a full ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure DevOps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure DevOps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.