We primarily use the solution for backups and ASO.
Director at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
Responsive technical support with a good pricing model and useful disaster recover capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "There is the potential to scale."
- "In a month, there is a plan to increase pricing, which is something we are not looking forward to."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The ASO is great.
We enjoy the disaster recovery aspect of the solution, which is very interesting, as we pay when it is on. When it's off we don't pay.
There is no effort investment. We just pay what is being replicated, that's all.
There is the potential to scale.
The stability is good.
We've found the technical support to be responsive.
What needs improvement?
In a month, there is a plan to increase pricing, which is something we are not looking forward to.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've worked with the solution since it was first released. We've used it for a while.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable compared to if you are going to employ it in-house. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. t's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. If you need to expand it, you can.
We are in Mauritius. Mauritius is a very small country. We have about 1.2 million inhabitants. We are not that big of a country. I have about 25 clients using it.
How are customer service and support?
We are an indirect reseller. We do have the CSP, the cloud service provider, in Mauritius, with whom we purchase. When we have an issue, we deal with them. They do have engineers that provide support as well.
That said, if there are any big troubles then we contact Microsoft directly. So far, our experience has been very positive. The callback is within 20 minutes. It's fine.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not simple. You need to be trained. It's not like it's just ready to be implemented - you need to be trained in what you are doing.
The deployment is quick and only takes about one day.
What was our ROI?
We do get an ROI from the disaster recovery aspect of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is great, as we only pay for what we use.
That said, the prices are about to increase in the next month.
We do have some clients in South Africa and some clients in Germany, however, we've noticed that the pricing for Germany is less expensive than South Africa. South Africa has a new data center, which is likely why the price is a bit high.
What other advice do I have?
We implement the solution. We are silver resellers.
We are using the latest version of the solution.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
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.
IT manager at Electrolux Home Products
Maintains the infrastructure so we don't have to
Pros and Cons
- "Azure is very flexible."
- "Any time you use a cloud service, there are increased security risks. If you want more security, you have to have private hosting."
What is our primary use case?
The use case for Azure is maintenance. Azure maintains the infrastructure so we don't have to, and that's the best use case for any cloud-based application.
What is most valuable?
Azure is very flexible.
What needs improvement?
Any time you use a cloud service, there are increased security risks. If you want more security, you have to have private hosting.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Azure for about five or six years.
How are customer service and support?
In general, I think Microsoft support is strong.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Azure could be cheaper. Of course, if you ask anyone, they'll always say it could be cheaper. We are paying monthly.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Azure nine out of 10. I would recommend it to others.
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.
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December 2024
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IT Engineer at United Nations
Responsive technical support, scales applications well, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "One of the features I have found to be valuable is the scale set feature."
- "There needs to be better data security. There are organizations that do not want their data to be submitted to Microsoft, they should have strong encryption."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for multi-factor authentification while sorting out the identities. We want to use this solution for as many applications for the authentification process.
What is most valuable?
One of the features I have found to be valuable is the scale set feature. We have been able to get good results scaling up and down our applications. Additionally, the dashboard is fuctional.
What needs improvement?
There needs to be better data security. There are organizations that do not want their data to be submitted to Microsoft, they should have strong encryption.
In the future, Microsoft should increase its data center percentage in Africa.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution has been stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found the scalability of the solution to be good. We have approximately 4,000 people using the solution in my organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
If we are having a hard time finding a solution to an issue the technical support has been very quick to respond.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward for me since I have done it before, for people new to installing it could experience some difficulty.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution does not offer very many free services which can become expensive. We are on an annual license.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Unit Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Kubernetes service and API management are the most valuable, and it has very good stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
- "Kubernetes service and API management are the most valuable."
- "It should have a better hybrid-cloud central analysis. Their support service also needs to be improved. Our main concern is support calls. Our issue is basically related to the technical functionality of the services that we use. It doesn't behave as expected, and support often fails to solve the problem."
What is our primary use case?
We use it to extend our own data centers and banking scenarios for banking solutions.
How has it helped my organization?
It provides us with access to technology that's not available in any other form. It only exists in the cloud. In order to keep our solutions modern, we have to do it through the public cloud.
What is most valuable?
Kubernetes service and API management are the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
It should have a better hybrid-cloud central analysis. Their support service also needs to be improved. Our main concern is support calls. Our issue is basically related to the technical functionality of the services that we use. It doesn't behave as expected, and support often fails to solve the problem.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is pretty stable. It has very good stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. There are no issues with scalability.
We have a maximum of 200 users. They include internal developers and other types of profiles.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support service needs to be improved.
How was the initial setup?
It is complex because the solutions are complex. It depends on how you want to do the setup. For our business scenario, it is complex because there are a lot of security rules that are involved in it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is competitive with other public cloud providers, and its price is very close to different cloud providers. There is not a noticeable difference between different cloud providers. Otherwise, it would be a risk for them to have services that were much more expensive than their competition. They're pretty much neck to neck on pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others to go for the closest possible platform as a service. Do not go for infrastructure as a service; go for platform as a service.
I would rate Microsoft Azure a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Deputy Manager - Radio Frequency Planning at RF-SMART
A cost-effective solution with high uptime and zero downtime
What is our primary use case?
We have deployed the NMS network monitoring system in Azure. We can monitor the network through it. There is no need to deploy an NOC (Network Operations Center) in my country. If we use Audiovi and Airspace there and install the NMS network element and Microsoft, everything is configured in Azure. Configuration is done remotely from anywhere. By entering Azure, we monitor the NMS network.
What needs improvement?
The stability could be improved.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution’s scalability is good.
I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and user-friendly.
What was our ROI?
Azure offers a trial version, which you can use for free before proceeding to payment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using the free version.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to use it. This solution is cost-effective, with high uptime and zero downtime.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jul 30, 2024
Flag as inappropriateUseful for PaaS, web services, databases, and AD
Pros and Cons
- "The tool's most valuable features are SQL servers and Managed Instance databases."
- "Microsoft Azure needs to be simplified to make it better understood for users."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for PaaS, web services, databases, and AD.
What is most valuable?
The tool's most valuable features are SQL servers and Managed Instance databases.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Azure needs to be simplified to make it better understood for users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Microsoft Azure's stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the tool's scalability an eight out of ten. My company has ten users.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't contacted the tool's technical support. My Microsoft partner takes care of it.
How was the initial setup?
I rate Microsoft Azure's deployment a seven out of ten. It takes around half an hour to complete. You need two resources to handle the deployment. I am involved in its maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
A Microsoft partner helped us with the deployment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the tool's pricing a six out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
Our workflow has been good since using Azure Data Factory. There are previews of new features available, which I am happy about. I rate the product an eight out of ten.
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.
Managing director at antarymain solutions
A scalable and stable tool that provides various valuable features under one roof
Pros and Cons
- "I get all the features under one roof."
- "The subscriptions are complicated."
What is our primary use case?
We use the email accounts and SharePoint. We want to use the AI and OCR services, but we do not have many use cases.
What is most valuable?
I get all the features under one roof.
What needs improvement?
The subscriptions are complicated. The process is not user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for almost one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool’s stability is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The tool is scalable. Around 30 people use the solution in our organization. We are trying to get projects from Europe and North America. Once we get more projects, we will be scaling up.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It took me around one week to set up the product. I did the deployment myself since I am into IT.
What was our ROI?
The return on investment is good because everything is in the cloud. We save a lot on infrastructure costs and server costs.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I pay a yearly subscription fee for the solution. The pricing is normal compared to other service providers. I can increase or decrease my subscription based on my organization's needs.
What other advice do I have?
We are into data management. We do a lot of data consumption and data validation. We need a lot of virtual solutions and storage solutions to process data. I would recommend the solution to others. Overall, I rate the tool a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT/OT Specialist at Cell Engineering Pty Ltd
Reliable Cloud Platform With Global Presence That Offers Comprehensive Services
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very straightforward solution that provides a wide range of services."
- "I would recommend some enhancement regarding integration features."
What is our primary use case?
We use it internally to manage all of our clients, but it also helps us connect with different customers located globally.
What is most valuable?
It is a very straightforward solution that provides a wide range of services. I highly appreciate its help availability. If there is any issue in operating, it only takes to Google a solution and it can be easily fixed.
What needs improvement?
I would recommend some enhancement regarding integration features.
For how long have I used the solution?
Our company has been utilizing Microsoft Azure for five to six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It offers good scalability.
How are customer service and support?
Our experience with their customer service is satisfactory. We find it valuable that numerous essential information are readily accessible.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was seamless and very fast. It took a few hours to complete the whole process.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment process was efficient and fast. Due to the complexity and extensive range of services and configuration options, it took a significant number of IT professionals to execute the task.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft Azure provides a reliable cloud platform and comprehensive services so it would be a great choice for first-time users. I am rating it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
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Updated: December 2024
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