We use Windows Server for endpoint security because there is an application we have working on it called Trend Micro.
Solutions Architect at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Reliable, responsive support, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "Windows Server performance is very good for backups."
- "The initial setup is simple for some but difficult for others."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Windows Server performance is very good for backups.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for approximately six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Windows Server is a stable solution.
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Windows Server
November 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Windows Server is very good.
We have five people in my organization using this solution. We plan to increase the usage in the future.
How are customer service and support?
The support we have received from Microsoft has been quick.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple for some but difficult for others.
What about the implementation team?
We have two technicians that do the maintenance and deployment of the Windows Server.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I paid for a license to use Windows Server. It is a subscription-based license and it is purchased annually.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Windows Server a nine 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.
Project Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A user friendly solution
Pros and Cons
- "The performance of Windows Server is good."
- "The solution is old so it is not user friendly. I assume that he newer versions would be better than our current one."
What is our primary use case?
We login and run our personal and business applications on Windows Server. We have 50 users in our organization.
What is most valuable?
The performance of Windows Server is good.
What needs improvement?
The solution is old so it is not user friendly. I assume that he newer versions would be better than our current one.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Windows Server for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Windows Server is stable, we have had no issues.
How was the initial setup?
The solution has been installed for many years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay a license to use Windows Server.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Windows Servers to others who would like to start to use it. I would rate it an 8 out of 10.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Windows Server
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Windows Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Simple to set up, reliable, and has very little downtime
Pros and Cons
- "The product can scale."
- "The performance could be a bit better."
What is our primary use case?
The solution helps fulfill customer requirements. We use it for applications.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable. There isn't a lot of downtime.
The product can scale.
The initial setup is very easy.
What needs improvement?
There was one instance in which, during an installation, I got an error I could not easily resolve.
The performance could be a bit better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for around ten years or so.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We've found the stability to be reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze. there are no bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is possible. If you need to expand it, you can do so.
We have about 15 customers on the solution right now.
How are customer service and support?
I've never really had a problem with the solution, and I've worked with it for many years, I've never had to contact technical support in the past.
How was the initial setup?
With ten years of experience under our belts, we've handled implementations many times over. It's not a problem at all for us. We find the process very straightforward, very simple.
We have five or six engineers on our team that are able to easily handle deployment and maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
We can handle the implementation process for our clients.
What other advice do I have?
We are both a customer and a consultant.
I'd recommend the solution to others.
I started to work as an engineer and I started working with the server in 2012. I've seen many user requirements met by this server, which is why I can confidently recommend it to others. It helps resolve a lot of issues with the infrastructure.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Senior Software Consultant at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Simple to set up and use
Pros and Cons
- "The feature that I have found most valuable is the Active Directory. I have had good experience with Windows Server."
- "The Active Directory synchronization on Azure. This is something which was not easy to do. Using Azure Active Directory, I was trying to sync and this was not straightforward. This process could be more simplified."
What is our primary use case?
I just use Windows Server to install third party software, things like data integration tools and BI tools. One of the uses was to set up an on-prem Active Directory. So these kinds of things.
What is most valuable?
The feature that I have found most valuable is the Active Directory. I have had good experience with Windows Server. I haven't had any issues
What needs improvement?
In terms of what could be improved, I would say the Active Directory synchronization on Azure. This is something which was not easy to do. Using Azure Active Directory, I was trying to sync and this was not straightforward. This process could be more simplified.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for the past eight, nine years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
In terms of the maintenance it requires, maybe there are some regular updates. We do make some backups as well. But this is a lab environment, we don't have much sensitive information stored here.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Windows Server is easy to scale.
We have 15 people using it.
How are customer service and support?
I do have experience with Microsoft support in general, but not related to Windows Server.
In general, my experience with Microsoft support is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
If we are talking about Windows like Windows 11 or Windows 10 versus Mac OS? For personal use, I believe Mac is overall simpler and has a better user experience. It is a little bit more robust. I just prefer the way the application installations are done and services are managed within the Mac OS.
But for work, I cannot compare Mac OS to a Windows Server. I can compare Mac OS to Windows 10 or Windows 11.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was a simple one. It took maybe an hour.
What about the implementation team?
I did it by myself and we had a bunch of engineers as well, who were working on it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is a fair price. For Microsoft overall, we have a subscription with Office. So there is also a bundle for Windows.
The price is good. It is cheaper than Mac OS. In this case, it's better in terms of price.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Windows Server because it's just easier to use for some people than Red Hat. That's the main thing - it is easier to use and maintain versus other operating systems within the Linux space.
On a scale of one to ten, let's be generous and give Windows Server an eight.
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.
DevOps Strategist at a marketing services firm with 1-10 employees
User-friendly for the admin guys
Pros and Cons
- "Windows Server is easy to use. It's user friendly for the admin guys."
- "Windows should add some more compatibility tools to Windows Server."
What is most valuable?
Windows Server is easy to use. It's user-friendly for the admin guys.
What needs improvement?
Windows should add some more compatibility tools to Windows Server.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Windows Server ever since it was first released.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Windows Server is quite stable.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't had any issues with Microsoft support thus far.
How was the initial setup?
Installing Windows Server is quite easy. I'm not exactly sure how long it takes to deploy. My team does that. We have a team of two to three Windows admin guys who manage the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Windows Server nine out of 10. I would recommend it to others.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager
A trusted brand with a stable product and good reliability
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft is a trusted brand and I enjoy working with it."
- "The graphical user interface could be better. It's a little dated."
What is most valuable?
The product is stable. It's reliable.
Microsoft is a trusted brand and I enjoy working with it.
What needs improvement?
The graphical user interface could be better. It's a little dated.
I do not like Microsoft's intrusive policies.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've used Windows Server for quite a long time. We've used it since around the 2012 version at least.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is relative. Certain services are better handled by the Microsoft system. For example, the active directory. Microsoft Hyper-V, we use in many, many cases. However, with Linux systems, we don't have the ability to use some features of these systems. For example, with the authentication server, we use the Windows Server in most cases. If we do that, it's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 100 people, more or less, on the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have technical support. We pay in order to have access to them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm also familiar with Linux, although I prefer Windows.
How was the initial setup?
I wasn't a part of the initial setup. It was already in place when I arrived at the company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I was not involved in the acquisition of the solution, so I do not have exact details about the pricing.
We do pay for technical support. We have that until December and then we will need to re-subscribe.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are a public company, a government company, and, due to legislation, most of the time, we can't simply choose a vendor. If we need to acquire a contract solution, we make a technical study where the features are evaluated and the final specifications are always based on features, not on vendors, or manufacturers.
What other advice do I have?
We are service providers. We are implementers and sometimes we do the plans of the implementation.
We are a customer of Windows Server. Our company has an active contract for technical support as well.
We use the current version and past versions too in a hybrid environment.
The local infrastructure is hybrid in the sense of we maintain a large spectrum of systems. For example, legacy systems are on the same infrastructure as a Windows Server 2019, for example. Basically, legacy systems are on the same network as the most recent system.
I'm note of a Windows guy than a Linux guy. I like this product.
I'd rate the solution at 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 System Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Plenty of functionality, stable, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of this solution are its performance, flexibility, and functionality."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for many purposes, such as managing user accounts in Active Directory, storage, hosting applications, and remote server access.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of this solution are its performance, flexibility, and functionality.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for approximately 16 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are five people using the solution in my organization.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I am currently still using Windows 10.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and it took 45 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation myself and we have one engineer that does the maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is expensive, and there are many price options available, such as monthly or perpetual licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution.
I rate Windows Server a ten 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.
Information Systems Infrastructure Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
User-friendly, easy to install, priced well, but the security should be improved
Pros and Cons
- "It's user-friendly."
- "The security is not good."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for business applications.
What is most valuable?
It's user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The security is not good. Windows Server has never been secure. You have put firewalls in place and do other things such as installing anti-virus software to secure Windows, otherwise, it won't work well.
Windows will never be secure, but it should be.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for several years from 2008 to version 2015. We use it extensively.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is fair. It's okay.
How was the initial setup?
It is very easy to install.
It doesn't take very much time at all, it's very easy, just click until it's finished.
What about the implementation team?
I completed the installation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is priced very well and we pay an annual license fee.
It's not very expensive when compared to Linux.
What other advice do I have?
We plan to continue to use this solution and would recommend it to others who are interested in using it.
I would rate Windows Server a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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