We are using Microsoft Azure mainly for our test environment. Addiotanlly, we use it for our enterprise resource management as we have installed a SaaS solution.
Owner at a media company with 1-10 employees
Multiple tools available, updated often, and performs well
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure is it has everything together in one place. It is one large tool with lots of small tools that are updated often."
- "There is a need to be better on-premise solutions that are more helpful. However, I don't think that is the goal of Microsoft Azure. They want the solution to be secure cloud solutions with cloud applications. This is their main goal at the moment."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure is it has everything together in one place. It is one large tool with lots of small tools that are updated often.
What needs improvement?
I have found that if you not working with Microsoft Azure's GUI every day, it's not very user-friendly. It changes very often and fast. They are implementing new functionality. If you're not working with it every day, it always takes you additional time to get acquainted with the GUI. You always have to know all the tools because it's one software solution where you work with different kinds of tools to achieve results by implementing policies and other parameters. It would be better if they had everything in one place so that it is clear what type of operations we are doing, such as DLP. However, that's is how it is with all of the tools of Microsoft Azure at the moment.
There is a need to be better on-premise solutions that are more helpful. However, I don't think that is the goal of Microsoft Azure. They want the solution to be secure cloud solutions with cloud applications. This is their main goal at the moment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately five years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The performance of Microsoft Azure depends on whether you have good bandwidth for your data connection, if the connection is strong then the performance is good. If you have a very poor connection, then it's can be a little slow, but has been okay.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have one administrator and one system engineer that are using the solution. They are doing the administration for our solution. We're not a big company, we have 19 employees.
We haven't tried to scale Microsoft Azure. It's not necessary for us to scale it at the moment. We have started out with one issue where we needed it and for very sensible documentation, now we are using it in different kinds of projects. For example, for many types of data classifications.
If it's necessary we will increase usage. Otherwise, we will keep the same amount of usage.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support of Microsoft Azure was helpful. They were very good because they spoke the same language as we did. We both spoke German. It worked very well, we have no complaints.
How was the initial setup?
Some of the aspects of the implementation of the solution are very easy if you know which tool you have to use. It's not too complicated if you know which tool you will be using but to find the right tool to do the necessary functions sometimes takes some time. I'm not doing the setup every day. I have one engineer that it is his job. But nevertheless, I also want to do the setup to know how it's working.
I am not sure how long the implementation took for our DLP project, once we started the implementation we started to use other tools and eventually returned to the main project.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation internally.
We have one engineer that is administrating and supporting Microsoft Azure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
With every cloud solution, you have to know what you need and the cost can be fine. The price can be a little bit high depending on how you manage your costs, but overall it's still a bit cheaper than an on-premise solution but with the advantage of flexibility. You're always up to date with the software, you only need to use it. You no longer have to be concerned with the on-premise physical security. We do not need to create a data center, it's more convenient for us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Some of our customers are looking for on-premise solutions other than Microsoft Azure which is cloud-based. We help them find the solutions they need.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others thinking about using this solution is to try it out. There are features which are very good and some other features where you should watch out but that's for every solution, you have pros and cons. When you're a small company, try everything out that is offered by Microsoft because they're one of the best. Microsoft is still the market leader in a lot of fields. I would suggest using Microsoft tools if they fit the relevant use case. If the solution does not fit the use case, or you need more security or other aspects, then you can look around for other tools. additionally, on the marketplace, Microsoft provides enough other tools you could use.
I rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Associate Vice President at Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
Stable, easy to use, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "It's set up to handle any cloud requirement."
- "The security of the solution could always be much better."
What is our primary use case?
We are primarily using the solution for One Drive on Microsoft, as well as Office 365 and Microsoft Teams.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use.
It's great for ready-to-use services.
It's set up to handle any cloud requirement.
The solution is stable.
The scalability is great.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft needs to simplify its licensing, which is hard to understand currently.
The security of the solution could always be much better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using the solution for three to four years. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the product is great. Due to the fact that it is a cloud deployment, it scales well.
How are customer service and support?
I've used technical support in the past. They are okay. We've been satisfied with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are also using AWS.
How was the initial setup?
We have a team that handles the implementation.
Depending on the situation, you don't need too many people to maintain it. We always start with one resource and go from there.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is always confusing with Microsoft. It's very hard to understand.
What other advice do I have?
Due to the fact that we're using the cloud deployment of the solution, we're always on the latest version.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
I would recommend the solution to other users and organizations. Azure is the first ones to come onto the market. They have a very good solution.
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.
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December 2024

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IT Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 201-500 employees
A stable and scalable cloud computing solution that enables you to work from anywhere
Pros and Cons
- "The most important thing is we don't have to maintain any physical infrastructure. With typical conventional on-premise solutions, we have to maintain many things like the hardware, clusters, etc. With this cloud platform, you don't have to worry about all those things. We have the service always available, and this is the main advantage. I like that we use everything on our standard Active Directory on on-premises on Azure. The key advantage is that you can have the sole indication based on the cloud. This isn't possible with an on-premise Active Directory. This enables work from home and at the office because it's on the cloud."
- "It could be more flexible. If you look at all Mircosoft products, they are not up to the mark. For example, Azure Ready doesn't provide the same kind of access a domain administrator has and the kind of flexibility that they have when using Active Directory. Microsoft support could be better. Their service could also be better. For example, specific policies for templates suddenly become unavailable. When I checked, they said that certain things might be withdrawn based on customer feedback. This happened once or twice, and it wasn't available at all for five days, it just went down."
What is our primary use case?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for Infrastructure as a Service in the cloud. We're using it to get the devices registered and be Azure Ready at home or the office.
What is most valuable?
The most important thing is we don't have to maintain any physical infrastructure. With typical conventional on-premise solutions, we have to maintain many things like the hardware, clusters, etc. With this cloud platform, you don't have to worry about all those things. We have the service always available, and this is the main advantage.
I like that we use everything on our standard Active Directory on on-premises on Azure. The key advantage is that you can have the sole indication based on the cloud. This isn't possible with an on-premise Active Directory. This enables work from home and at the office because it's on the cloud.
What needs improvement?
It could be more flexible. If you look at all Mircosoft products, they are not up to the mark. For example, Azure Ready doesn't provide the same kind of access a domain administrator has and the kind of flexibility that they have when using Active Directory.
Microsoft support could be better. Their service could also be better. For example, specific policies for templates suddenly become unavailable. When I checked, they said that certain things might be withdrawn based on customer feedback. This happened once or twice, and it wasn't available at all for five days, it just went down.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for about ten months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is a scalable solution. We have close to 1,200 people using this solution at our organization.
How are customer service and support?
I have used Microsoft support before. I would give them a six out of ten. This is because we had certain glitches happen that could have been avoided. For example, they say that this is because it's a new product or the new architecture. They say things like, "it will be more stable after some time, maybe a year or two."
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and deployment were straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house team implemented this solution. We have about 15 to 20 people to install and maintain this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay yearly for the license.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this cloud computing service to new users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Microsoft Azure a nine.
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.
Sr Engineer IT at Hical Technologies Pvt Ltd
Stable, with good management capabilities and helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support has been good over the years."
- "The pricing could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We are primarily using the solution for the active directory, and Microsoft TPM.
How has it helped my organization?
The product has helped in managing laptops during COVID. It is very useful to work from home. It offers useful products like Microsoft Teams, used by 100% of our company. Due to the fact that it's all on the cloud, we don't have to be in the office to access and manage everything.
What is most valuable?
The management aspect of the solution has been good. We've been able to align it with our laptop servers and Microsoft 10 configurations.
The solution continues to improve itself.
The monitoring of the product is good.
Scalability is there if you need it.
The solution is stable.
Technical support has been good over the years.
What needs improvement?
The pricing could be better.
If you don't understand Microsoft, the initial setup can be a bit difficult. You have to be slightly technical.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about four years. It's been a while. I've had some time to get to know the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution has been excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It's reliable. It doesn't crash or free. the performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is very good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. it's not a problem.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is good. We haven't had any issues with them. We're satisfied with the level of support we get.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy if you understand Microsoft and have some experience. Otherwise, it is very difficult.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We'd prefer lower pricing. Microsoft can be costly. Due to COVID, many small companies can't handle the costs that Microsoft is charging. They need to be more flexible. If customers were going through cloud solutions, they should get more of a discount.
What other advice do I have?
We are Microsoft customers and end-users. We don't have a business relationship with the company.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We've mostly been quite please with the product and its capabilities.
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.
IT Infrastructure Architect at a non-tech company with 10,001+ employees
Secure cloud platform that is stable and scalable, and they have good support
Pros and Cons
- "There are many different components such as SaaS, PaaS, and API so every month they are releasing a few hundred new features."
- "It is constantly updating. There are weekly releases, sometimes daily releases, and there should be fewer that are consolidated into one."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for IaaS, SaaS, PaaS security, identity, and Kubernetes.
What is most valuable?
I like everything, overall.
It's a cloud platform so it's alive.
There are many different components such as SaaS, PaaS, and API, so every month they are releasing a few hundred new features.
What needs improvement?
It is constantly updating. There are weekly releases, sometimes daily releases, and there should be fewer that are consolidated into one.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for six years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a very scalable solution. It is not really the number of users we have, but rather, it is more a case of service PCs. We have 70,000 or more.
How are customer service and technical support?
My experience with technical support has been good. They are very supportive.
How was the initial setup?
It's as complex as it wants to be. There's nothing initial about it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's an OPEX model, you pay as you go, or you can reserve funds.
Pricing can always be better.
What other advice do I have?
It's a good product and I recommend it to others.
I would rate it a nine 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.
Digital Architecture Project Leader at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
A good solution with useful features and good stability, scalability, and availability
Pros and Cons
- "Active Directory is a good feature. The infrastructure features that Azure provides are also good."
- "There should be more language options for the Azure Functions apps. It supports programming languages, but there are only a few options. It could have more programming languages."
What is our primary use case?
We are a consultancy company. We provide technology solutions for our clients. We use Microsoft Azure to provide infrastructure for our clients.
What is most valuable?
Active Directory is a good feature. The infrastructure features that Azure provides are also good.
What needs improvement?
There should be more language options for the Azure Functions apps. It supports programming languages, but there are only a few options. It could have more programming languages.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It has good stability. It has an availability of 99,9%.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It has good scalability. It is an automatic process.
It is a retail solution. Therefore, we have a lot of users. We probably have direct and indirect users in thousands.
How are customer service and technical support?
I don't like their support so much. The support of Microsoft is not fast enough and should be faster. They have a lot of layers or levels. I used to get in touch with them through the Azure Portal.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. We have developed a DevOps automatic process, which makes it very fast to deploy. It takes just a few minutes.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise taking care of the intermediate layers between your business and Microsoft. They aren't good.
I would rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten. This rating is based on the general features. If they put more programming languages, I would rate it a ten. It is a good product.
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.
Network and systems administrator at a recruiting/HR firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
A stable platform with good technical support that is quick to resolve problems
Pros and Cons
- "My experience with technical support so far is very good."
- "If the price were reduced then it would be an improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use Azure for Office 365.
What is most valuable?
My experience with technical support so far is very good.
What needs improvement?
If the price were reduced then it would be an improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
For me and many other people, the general view is that Azure is very stable. We definitely plan to continue using it in the future.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution and we have thousands of users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have had to contact Microsoft support about a problem that I was having with my virtual machine, where it could not find my VM. When I called them, they solved the problem quite fast.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to Azure, we used all of our Microsoft products on-premises.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy because we didn't do anything.
What about the implementation team?
We hired an IT consultant who is experienced in setting up cloud solutions. We did not do any of the setup ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing fees depend on the number of users that we have.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, this product is very good and I can recommend it. It would be difficult to improve.
I would rate this solution 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.
Executive Officer at a government with 201-500 employees
Hosts our whole data center and has a simple setup and very good support
Pros and Cons
- "We've got multiple tools on Azure, which is a very good feature of Azure. Our Palo Alto firewall and other things are hosted in Azure. We're using Sentinel as well, which is a security tool that is being used by our SOC teams. I've also used AWS, and I find Azure to be more Windows-driven. Although Azure is newer as compared to AWS, it is growing fast. Microsoft is working towards the betterment of Azure."
- "As compared to AWS, Azure can improve its functionality. In terms of the feature list, it is still lacking a bit as compared to AWS. AWS supports lots of types of operating systems, which Azure is still catching up with. Azure is mainly focused on the Windows system, and it is not yet there in terms of integration with other operating systems like Linux, Unix. Azure is slowly catching up."
What is our primary use case?
Our whole data center is on this basically. We are UK Export Finance, so we've got financial products there. All of our servers are hosted in Azure.
We are using an Azure subscription. We are on Azure Public Cloud, but we have got our own private subscription.
What is most valuable?
We've got multiple tools on Azure, which is a very good feature of Azure. Our Palo Alto firewall and other things are hosted in Azure. We're using Sentinel as well, which is a security tool that is being used by our SOC teams.
I've also used AWS, and I find Azure to be more Windows-driven. Although Azure is newer as compared to AWS, it is growing fast. Microsoft is working towards the betterment of Azure.
What needs improvement?
As compared to AWS, Azure can improve its functionality. In terms of the feature list, it is still lacking a bit as compared to AWS. AWS supports lots of types of operating systems, which Azure is still catching up with. Azure is mainly focused on the Windows system, and it is not yet there in terms of integration with other operating systems like Linux, Unix. Azure is slowly catching up.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Azure for the last five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Lots of glitches are still there. Microsoft is constantly working to resolve those. It is a new product as compared to AWS, so, obviously, it would have some glitches. Three years ago, it was full of bugs. It is much better and stable now.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We've got around 450 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is very good. Their response is very good. At the end of the day, we're a business, and their business support is pretty good.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is quite straightforward. It is not at all hard.
We've got a third-party maintenance company that actually maintains our Azure space.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is not cheap. Its price could be a little bit less.
What other advice do I have?
It is a cloud solution at the end of the day. People can pick up any cloud solution, but Azure is renowned. Azure and AWS are the main competitors in the cloud market now. AWS comes first, and Azure comes after that. If your solution is predominantly in the Linux space, you should go for AWS. If you are primarily Windows-based, you should go for Azure.
I would rate Microsoft Azure an eight 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.

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