Prateek Agarwal - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager at Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Dynamically scales our enterprise application up and down, and security features give our users confidence
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability is the most unique feature. Whenever our user count is high, and utilization of our application results in high use of resources, Microsoft Azure automatically scales our application so that users can access it without any issues or errors. Microsoft Azure gives you the flexibility to scale your applications up and down at any moment. It is quite easy and impressive."
  • "Customer services and support should be improved. If a user faces challenges in accessing Microsoft Azure, the support team takes time—it could be 24 to 48 hours—to resolve them. We need solutions in four to five hours. And there are business-critical issues where we need an immediate resolution."

What is our primary use case?

We have deployed our enterprise application on Microsoft Azure and we are using it for our day-to-day operations and management of that application. The application has millions of users, mainly from the EMEA region, and serves our clients as well as our internal users.

How has it helped my organization?

Previously, we had legacy applications hosted on-premises, and that setup was very limiting for our users. When we migrated our application to Microsoft Azure, users gained the flexibility to access the application from anywhere and at any time.

The benefit from the business perspective is that with a large user base, the users are very happy. The feedback from our end-users is that there are no issues in accessing the application. It can be opened anywhere. Also, the timely updates and the security features make it very effective in protecting against vulnerabilities, security threats, and any third-party attacks. Users feel very secure when using our application.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very 

  • reliable
  • scalable
  • secure.

The scalability is the most unique feature. Whenever our user count is high, and utilization of our application results in high use of resources, Microsoft Azure automatically scales our application so that users can access it without any issues or errors. Microsoft Azure gives you the flexibility to scale your applications up and down at any moment. It is quite easy and impressive.

Additional features that we have found to be very useful are the data security and capacity management.

Azure also provides features such as storage, computing, and networking in the cloud. It offers a wide range of services, such as financial analytics, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Firewalls, and these help our application to run smoothly.

The built-in Microsoft Firewall secures our application in a very unique way.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft Azure for more than three years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is perfect. We have found no issues yet when using Microsoft Azure.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our concurrent user count is more than 1,000. Our users include product owners and project managers, as well as our consulting and marketing teams. It is used 24/7.

We plan to increase our usage of the Microsoft Azure platform. Our project requirements are quite large as we are now moving to data analytics and big-data analytics. We need to procure services from Microsoft like financial analytics and Power BI.

How are customer service and support?

Customer services and support should be improved. If a user faces challenges in accessing Microsoft Azure, the support team takes time—it could be 24 to 48 hours—to resolve them. We need solutions in four to five hours. And there are business-critical issues where we need an immediate resolution.

Otherwise, the technical support is good. They are understandable and they are familiar with the product.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We did not have a previous cloud-based solution. We had legacy applications on-premises.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is quite easy. Azure's consulting and business team is very effective and helpful. They helped us understand the product's features. They provided us with a clear roadmap for migrating our application to Microsoft Azure, for the services they offer, and for how the business could be run successfully.

The deployment took about three months. Our implementation strategy was simply to work with the vendor.

We initially assigned five to six people for the end-to-end deployment. After the initial implementation, when the Microsoft team left, we needed some resources who could handle the management of the Microsoft Azure platform. Those resources are in place in case our application goes down or there are issues that require them to directly contact the Microsoft team. But all the support and security updates are managed by Microsoft.

What about the implementation team?

Microsoft has its own solution architects and consulting team to help you. That makes it easy as it doesn't involve third-party integrators and saves us the money we would be charged for third-party services.

What was our ROI?

We have definitely seen a return on investment because our previous, on-premises, legacy application was very limited for our users and clients. Since migrating to Azure, we have clear visibility into our application and users can use it from any location. Our return on investment has been very positive.

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

The pricing and licensing are quite good. We had no issues with them because they were clear about the pricing, subscription, the number of users, and how much the charges would be per month. 

Pricing depends on the services you are using from Microsoft Azure. Also, some services are only deployed in the U.S. region, while others are available in the Asia-Pacific region.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated AWS and GCP, but Azure's features and services matched our requirements better.

AWS had similar options, but their prices were higher, and they didn't have the same regional availability. The bandwidth and the data-processing charges were quite high with AWS, compared to Azure.

What other advice do I have?

I highly recommend this solution to any prospective buyer. If you are using other Microsoft applications like Microsoft 365, Power BI, Data Factory, or Azure Migrate, you will definitely find it useful. Azure is fully integrated with other Microsoft applications, as well, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft SQL Server. Microsoft Azure is an all-in-one solution.

We are feeling very secure hosting our application on Microsoft Azure because Microsoft is a global giant and provides excellent solutions and services.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user

The scalability is the most unique feature. Whenever our user count is high, and utilization of our application results in high use of resources, Microsoft Azure automatically scales our application so that users can access it without any issues or errors. Microsoft Azure gives you the flexibility to scale your applications up and down at any moment. It is quite easy and impressive.

AlanGulle - PeerSpot reviewer
Data SME at Sparta Global
Real User
Highly secure, fully integrated, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "The application services are the most valuable in Microsoft Azure. I'm not using them directly but I am using the function and the web applications. I don't need to pay a lot for the maintenance. I do not need to have a DevOps employee."
  • "The documentation can be outdated and is not as clear in Microsoft Azure as it is in AWS or Google."

What is our primary use case?

We deploy all of our projects in Microsoft Azure. We are a startup company. We have been since the beginning deploying our code in Azure cloud. We are actively using the full capabilities of two cloud services.

What is most valuable?

The application services are the most valuable in Microsoft Azure. I'm not using them directly but I am using the function and the web applications. I don't need to pay a lot for the maintenance. I do not need to have a DevOps employee. 

I am familiar with Google, and everything I was doing was in Google. I had to control my back proxies and do my own configuration files. With Microsoft Azure, it is all easy.

What needs improvement?

The documentation can be outdated and is not as clear in Microsoft Azure as it is in AWS or Google.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

It's easy to monitor, there's no problem with the code in their development. We had some stability issues, it was not the fault of Microsoft Azure, but it was the mistakes of the developers. It was easy to monitor it in Azure.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Azure is highly scalable.

On only one web application I created with one service plan I can connect 10  projects. Imagine one machine can run 10 projects at the same time because whatever the project has more requests or demands, it will scale its machines and auto-scale down. This is why it makes it affordable. I can control which project is demanding more computing power or storage power.

We have approximately 50 people using this solution in my organization. It is mainly back and front developers.

We are drastically increasing our usage because last year we were running 13 projects, and now 19 projects. In 2022 we are trying to double our team.

How are customer service and support?

The support could improve. For example, Python is needed for Microsoft Azure,  and the lack of documentation for the community is a problem. If you are a Python developer Microsoft Azure released an update to Python at the end of May 2021. Theoretically, I can use it with Python, but if I have a problem I need to call a Microsoft engineer to solve it. It takes some time. However, I did receive very good support from the Microsoft engineers to make my system production-ready, but language support for Python and other languages is coming late.

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

I have used other solutions, such as Google and AWS.

When comparing these solutions to Microsoft Azure, AWS has better documentation, Google's cognitive services, and predictions give better results, and Microsoft Azure has the best UI. If you want to reach the database of Google, there is no such SQL manager UI. Microsoft Azure UI is easy to use and has great tools.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment's easy and the pipelines are easy from the Azure DevOps, everything is integrated and it has good security. The overall setup is extremely easy.

What about the implementation team?

We have a team in London that is maintaining the solution. We have 450 backend developers at this site and approximately five people are looking after all the maintenance and admin roles. We have database and developers administrators that are giving access to the people for the production maintenance. 

What other advice do I have?

I am very happy with the solution.

Thanks to the training I have received from Microsoft Azure, which cost £60,000, I'm up-skilling all my team for the certification, databases, and machine learning tool. Every month I'm receiving approximately £1,000 from the training credit for the up-skilling.

It is simple to start with Microsoft Azure if you know the application life cycle. You can try so many things without any cost because of the serverless system. You will not be charged for any request at the beginning. For example, you are creating a function application in Azure the first 10,000 requests are free. It is great because you can anyone a developer to test anything.

They're not using very heavy machine learning systems, the system is generally cheap. For example, they are giving a free month trial and a developer can't finish it personally if they do not use a large computing machine.

At the moment they are adding new features faster than I expected. For example, they have Python support but five years ago there wasn't any Python support. They were slow at the beginning but now it updates very quickly. For example, the community services for the low code, no code power platforms, and the power platforms.

I spoke to my developers, machine learning engineer, data engineer, and data scientists and told them please use the auto ML or the community services better. As a London business user site team, we can create all the virtual agents and AI builders with the no code platform for the machine learning models for the power applications. The auto ML is very powerful and you don't need to be an expert in machine learning.

I 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.
PeerSpot user
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March 2024
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Cloud solution architect at 0
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Offers invaluable services, spanning IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS offerings, ensuring flexibility and scalability for diverse customer needs
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable solution because it depends on the workload you expect. Based on that data, you can configure how many users it can handle."
  • "One key area for improvement is the Azure load balancer. Currently, it only supports virtual machines (VMs) running in the same virtual network (vNet) on the backend. They should definitely support machines or IPs running on-premises (prem) or in other Azure VNets. GCP and AWS already support that. So, Azure Load Balancer should support that as well"

What is our primary use case?

In any general use case, if we want to run any application on our own virtual machines, that's Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). If we want to use a readily available managed service in Azure, like Azure Storage, Azure Security Center, or Logic Apps, those are Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings.

This is because they're provided on the platform, and they manage them. We can run our data and applications on them. If we're using a complete application as a service provided by vendors, like Office 365 (including the email service), that's considered Function as a Service (FaaS) because we're not configuring anything on our end – we're just using it.

I'm involved in all kinds of services, whether it's IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS. It depends on the specific customer requirement.

How has it helped my organization?

We implemented Azure for our infrastructure needs. Our core components include virtual machines, virtual networks, network security groups (NSGs), load balancers, public IPs, and private IPs. For private endpoints, those are more specific to Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings.

Additionally, we utilize a hub network with a firewall, DNS server, and Active Directory server (AD). This aligns with the enterprise landing zone concept, where a connectivity subscription with a hub network that includes a firewall, DNS, AD, Azure Monitor, etc., would be implemented.

These shared services reside in the hub network if we have on-premises servers or other large assets running in Azure.

For management purposes, we have a separate subscription – the management subscription – which includes Log Analytics workspace and other data monitoring tools. Finally, the landing zone itself would house our workloads and applications.

What is most valuable?

We rely on many security features to manage our Azure cloud environment. It's a kind of framework we follow. First, there's posture management with compliance by following specific regulations. Then, for specific services, mainly Azure Defender and Azure Sentinel are important. They use the latest threat intelligence to identify threats and vulnerabilities. 

On top of that, there are policies to ensure your security posture is maintained, followed by firewalls, Azure Defender, and Azure Sentinel for threat intelligence and response.

All these services are managed services and they are auto-scalable.

What needs improvement?

In Azure, there are so many things. Especially when dealing with different regions. Suppose we are far from a region and using it over the internet, then probably more Edge Zones in nearby cities would help. This would give easier access with no delay or latency.

Right now, the problem in many remote areas is they may have low-bandwidth internet connections. This can make it difficult to access large services that require more bandwidth to download data and such. So, if the service were closer, it would be faster to access. At least they could access it easily.

Again, there are many other suggestions from a technical perspective on different services. But this is just from a user's perspective, and user demographics can create challenges. Other users with very good access might not have latency or other issues, but they might have operational challenges.

For example, let's say ExpressRoute. It's very expensive and mainly available for enterprise customers. Suppose individual users want that kind of dedicated connectivity over a service provider like Airtel or Vodafone and have an ExpressRoute from their phone, but is there any availability for a lower-cost option?

Because it's very expensive as well, if there were any such services available at a lower cost, then that would really help customers, especially SMBs, to have more consistent and reliable applications.

The main improvement I expect is capacity improvement. For example, live streaming applications require a lot of backend computing power. During events like football matches, millions of requests can occur per second. Existing services might not be sufficient to handle this. 

We need to know the maximum scalability based on data center capacity limitations. In some cases, we have to deny customer requests due to insufficient capacity. So, improved scalability is a key area for development, and I'm sure other cloud providers face similar challenges.

There are a lot of services already in Azure, but from a regular user's perspective, improvements can be made to specific services and features. For example, in Kubernetes, initially, it was limited. You could only create a Kubernetes cluster in one subnet. 

If all the IPs in that subnet were used, you couldn't expand that subscription. That was an issue, but it's been addressed. Now, you can increase the number of nodes by creating a new node pool in the same cluster with additional subnets. Improvements like this feature-based approach can be applied to many services. 

Another key area for improvement is the Azure load balancer. Currently, it only supports virtual machines (VMs) running in the same virtual network (vNet) on the backend. 

They should definitely support machines or IPs running on-premises (prem) or in other Azure VNets. GCP and AWS already support that. So, Azure Load Balancer should support that as well because being able to provide support is a very basic requirement or a valid request from any customer. These kinds of feature requests can be improved from a cloud service provider's perspective.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Azure storage for five to six years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution because it depends on the workload you expect. Based on that data, you can configure how many users it can handle.

Managed services are definitely more efficient than IaaS and offer a performance-centric approach.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution because it depends on how the user manages it. But any services we choose in Azure are inherently scalable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Nothing is truly complex unless your solution or requirement itself is complex.

The deployment time depends on my requirements. Suppose a customer needs a very small environment, like two or three cluster machines with a standard load balancer on top, running their application on those VMs. It would hardly take 30 to 45 minutes to create the virtual machines (VMs), create a load balancer, allocate a public IP address, and set up a virtual network (vNet). 

At the very beginning, we had to create a subscription. Within the subscription, you'll create a resource group. And within the resource group, we'll be creating a virtual network. Inside the virtual network, we'll deploy the VMs, a load balancer, a public IP, and a network security group (NSG).

Additionally, if I want to make it more secure, I can create a firewall as well. So, all of these together should be deployable within an hour.

What about the implementation team?

The number of people like developers required for the deployment depends on your environment. For instance, if you use an IaaS solution, you'll need more resources on your end to manage it. 

But with a PaaS service, you'll need fewer people because the cloud service provider manages half of it. With a SaaS solution, you don't need anyone to manage it – the cloud service provider handles the entire application. You just use it. 

So, it depends on the solution type. Therefore, more complex solutions require more resources to manage.

What was our ROI?

When we decide to increase capacity, we always consider the ROI and look at the projections for the next three to five years. Big investment decisions are only made based on that. 

Similarly, any customer considering adopting a service in Azure, like Azure SQL Database or Logic Apps, will first look at the return on investment. They'll consider how much they're investing in these services, how many users will be using them, and how much money they'll make from them. 

If it's not profitable based on their expectations or KPIs, they obviously won't add those services. So, it depends on the customer's specific requirements and expectations. We recommend the best possible services for their needs.

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

Azure licensing costs. We always compare licensing to the ROI.  Azure costing can be multi-layered. Increased capacity depends on your requirements and any contracts you have. On top of that, there's a separate cost for the licenses of the applications and operating systems you install in that capacity. 

So, as long as you're using the existing capacity, you won't be charged extra for that. However, if you increase capacity, you'll only be charged for the services you use on that additional capacity, not for the capacity itself. 

This depends on specific guarantees made in contracts that can last from two to eight years. These guarantees ensure investment has a return on investment. So, in that case, you wouldn't be charged for the additional capacity, just the services used on it.

Capacity increases based on customer requests are very rare, typically only for extremely high-volume scenarios. For example, millions of requests per second would require a service capacity increase beyond standard rates. Otherwise, we usually have enough capacity in different data centers across various regions.

Generally, most services and their licensing – it's that straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Azure an eight out of ten for managed services and IaaS a seven out of ten.

While I can advise, many factors influence decision-making. For example, if we invest in a ten-million-dollar data center capacity improvement, we need to see the return on investment within a one to three-year timeframe. If not profitable, such a large investment wouldn't be justifiable. 

Alternatively, customers could sign a five-year contract guaranteeing capacity usage and payment if we invest in the upgrade. These are the parameters that define decision-making in such situations.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Felicia Bently - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Analyst at AA New Zealand
Real User
Top 20
Helpful support, robust encryption, and exceptional scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The robust encryption services increase the confidence of tech users."
  • "The pricing criteria can be improved with broken-down terms that can be understood easily."

What is our primary use case?

Microsoft Azure has enabled the organization to set up efficient cloud infrastructure at cost-friendly rates. 

It has a DR backup system that keeps data under safe storage for future recovery in case of any disaster. The Azure virtual machine has been the game changer in the implementation of reliable cloud computing services. 

It allows quick connection and can successfully integrate with cloud applications to enhance better workflows. It integrates Web Application Firewall which has firm security features for monitoring data flow and can easily prevent SQL injection in web apps. 

The URL-based routing system enhances precise routing protocol based on authorized ERL paths.

How has it helped my organization?

The platform has stabilized the enterprise backend servers with session affinities that enhance reliable feedback to client requests. 

The dynamic data management system has prevented various ransomware attacks that could lead to data loss. Azure keeps our data programs under 24/7 surveillance to ensure no critical errors can affect the entire workflow. 

The seamless integrations enhance excellent services from Microsoft Azure. We have fully complied with international data policies from the set of data models that are authorized by Zure.

What is most valuable?

Azure storage has exceptional scalability that gives the organization expandable space for storing data under secure cloud servers. The user-friendly interface enhances quick setup procedures and efficient task management, saving time and resources. 

The robust encryption services increase the confidence of tech users. The drag-and-drop features save time from the low code environment. 

Azure SQL Database has a serverless database that can integrate easily with APIs. Azure disk storage has multiple user cases that enable each team to select size and performance based on user requirements.

What needs improvement?

The pricing criteria can be improved with broken-down terms that can be understood easily. 

There are rare cases of time-consuming technical issues. The Azure team can devise efficient and streamlined procedures for dealing with critical technicalities that can affect workflows. 

Integrating the system with third-party platforms not connected to the Microsoft system is not easy. 

Maintenance is sometimes hectic due to poor cloud and on-premise server integrations. 

The overall performance has been excellent, and I can recommend Microsoft Azure to other enterprises.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is highly scalable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I am impressed by the storage services and security configurations.

How are customer service and support?

The support team offers reliable services.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I have not used any alternative product.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

Implementation took place through the vendor team.

What was our ROI?

We've witnessed an ROI of 55%.

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

The setup procedure was simple and the cost is relatively friendly.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have not evaluated any other platforms.

What other advice do I have?

I am impressed by the performance.

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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Victor Akidiva - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at Semper Systemis Ltd
Real User
Top 5
A flexible and highly scalable solution that provides a host of security tools and a responsive support team
Pros and Cons
  • "The product provides a host of security tools."
  • "The solution must improve its pricing."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for hosting business applications and the test environment.

What is most valuable?

The compliance is really good. It provides visibility of our top risks and recommendations on how to close them. Sentinel is really good from a security standpoint. The product provides a host of security tools. We deploy and configure everything ourselves. So far, we have not had any issues related to Azure.

What needs improvement?

The solution must improve its pricing.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for a couple of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the stability of the tool a nine and a half out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is highly scalable, depending on the design. I've not had any issues. We have to factor in cost and design. About 2000 people use the solution in our organization. It is extensively used in our organization. Based on business growth, we might increase the number of users.

How are customer service and support?

We had some technical issues. The support team was ready to support us once we raised a ticket. They responded in a reasonable time and escalated the issue when necessary.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. The information is readily available, and there are many local partners who are extremely supportive. Deployment is just a matter of getting the login set up. It was pretty fast.

What about the implementation team?

Our in-house team had been trained to deploy the tool, so they knew what to do. We have a few trained cloud admins who can manage the product. There are a lot of automation options, so they don't need a big crowd to work with it.

What was our ROI?

The product has a good ROI. It depends on how we handle the cost based on resource creation and the data we build based on our setup.

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

We have a licensing option from our partner in which the solution is bundled up with a whole host of other services. There are no additional costs associated with the product.

What other advice do I have?

It is one of the best tools in the market. It's a very good cloud service. It has a lot of good security options. The reporting options are also good. The on-premise AD is fantastic. The tool gives us flexibility in deployment. If we get the design wrong, that's not Azure’s problem. It's our problem. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Assistantmgr67 - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistance Manager, ICT Communication at ELNG
Real User
Top 5
Reduces and optimizes costs and runs workloads
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool has proven to be valuable for our organization by enhancing the availability and reliability of services. Our website and several applications hosted on it now benefit from improved availability features and increased reliability."
  • "Navigating the frequent changes in the interface has been a challenge, requiring effort to keep up with updates. Options or features that were once located in one window may unexpectedly move to another, making it hard to stay current with the changes."

What is our primary use case?

Our use case involves running on-premises workloads on Microsoft Azure.

What is most valuable?

The tool has proven to be valuable for our organization by enhancing the availability and reliability of services. Our website and several applications hosted on it now benefit from improved availability features and increased reliability.

Microsoft Azure has significantly impacted operational efficiency by helping reduce or optimize costs, especially in the transition from on-premises capital expenditures to operational expenditures.

What needs improvement?

Navigating the frequent changes in the interface has been a challenge, requiring effort to keep up with updates. Options or features that were once located in one window may unexpectedly move to another, making it hard to stay current with the changes.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool's stability is good, and I would give it a nine out of ten. The challenges in connectivity, particularly when dealing with cloud services. It's complex and challenging to troubleshoot connectivity issues, especially when the source of the problem isn't clear.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution's scalability is excellent. My company has more than 500 users. We plan to increase the numbers. 

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

We chose to use Microsoft Azure primarily because of the package and solutions that Microsoft offered. The features and offerings provided by it were deemed to be better compared to other alternatives.

How was the initial setup?

The product's deployment was a bit complex. The deployment process involved selecting the suitable Microsoft Azure service for migration and considering options like application services or virtual machines (servers). It required a thorough study to determine the most appropriate solution for the business use case. Our deployment team consists of ten resources. 

What about the implementation team?

The deployment was a collaborative effort involving both our partners and the in-house team.

What was our ROI?

The value and benefits of using Microsoft Azure are significant, particularly for users like me. The services provided make it easy to access and available from anywhere.

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

The solution's licensing costs are yearly. 

What other advice do I have?

We have initiated the migration of our on-premises workloads to the cloud, leveraging the application services offered by Microsoft Azure. We rely on third-party technologies for security. My advice would be to thoroughly plan and understand the cost implications before migrating to Microsoft Azure. Compare the technical capabilities of your on-premises design with your cloud design, and also conduct a financial comparison between on-premises and cloud expenses.

I rate it an eight out of ten. 

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.
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HarunRashid - PeerSpot reviewer
Principle BI Architect at Allshore Staffing
Real User
Top 10
Allows me to do a lot on my own and provides a comprehensive cloud solution
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Azure for me are its ease of management, recoverable virtual machines with backup support, excellent customer support, and user-friendly interface."
  • "One area for enhancement could be in the realm of big data and unstructured data storage."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft Azure for a variety of applications, including medical software, IV systems, and repair projects. It is great for BI tasks, helping me analyze data and generate insights. I have also used Azure for hosting various events and managing different projects efficiently.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Azure for me are its ease of management, recoverable virtual machines with backup support, excellent customer support, and user-friendly interface. It allows me to do a lot on my own and provides a comprehensive cloud solution.

From an operations perspective, I find Azure portal, user management with Active Directory, and Azure DevOps to be the most valuable services. They make it easy to manage projects, user access, and administrative tasks efficiently.

What needs improvement?

While Azure continually improves its services, one area for enhancement could be in the realm of big data and unstructured data storage. Although I haven't explored this aspect extensively, focusing on improving offerings in this area could benefit users who rely on such data storage solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Microsoft Azure for almost six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not had any stability issues with Azure.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Azure's scalability, including features like Azure Elastic for searches, has had a significant impact on my project. It has improved performance, even with large volumes of data. In our organization, which has over 200 technical resources, more than 20 people work with Azure across various projects and clients.

How are customer service and support?

Azure's support is responsive and helpful, making it easier to navigate any challenges. I would rate them at a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Azure initially can sometimes require assistance, especially for migrations between tenants, but overall it is user-friendly. Complexity depends on the task. Azure's support and documentation are crucial for our deployment process.

Deployment in Azure is made easy and manageable through helpful configuration and management tools. Initial deployment may take one to two hours, but subsequent deployments typically take around 30 minutes, depending on factors like database and application size. Upgrades can be even quicker, sometimes taking only 13 minutes.

What was our ROI?

Working with Azure has shown a positive return on investment, particularly in projects involving migration from data centers. Benefits include improved performance, availability, and reduced downtime, leading to enhanced customer experiences and business outcomes.

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

Azure's pricing is generally considered reasonable and cost-effective compared to AWS, although AWS prices can be higher in some cases.

What other advice do I have?

In a project, we needed to gather data from various APIs, including Google Analytics, and integrate them seamlessly. Azure played a critical role in this by facilitating the integration of different technical services and allowing us to efficiently ingest data from CSV files. We also utilized Azure to process and output data in different formats, ensuring smooth operations throughout the project.

We rely on Azure for all our cloud computing needs because it filters almost all our requirements. It fulfills everything we need for cloud computing, and we are very satisfied with its services.

My experience with Azure Security tools has been positive. Azure offers robust security features like multi-factor authentication and role-based access control, ensuring a high level of security for our projects. I haven't encountered any issues or breaches, though user management practices also play a role in maintaining security.

Azure's main pros include strong support for Microsoft-native services like Azure SQL and cost-effectiveness for certain workloads compared to AWS. However, licensing for non-Microsoft services may be a bit more complex on Azure.

My advice for organizations considering implementing Azure is to assess their specific business needs and customize their infrastructure accordingly. Utilize Azure's diverse services and storage capacities intelligently, optimizing cost by leveraging features like auto start and stop for non-essential resources.

Overall, I would rate Microsoft Azure as an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Anand-Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Architect at Iskraemeco
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Provides efficient features for cloud computing needs, but the technical support services need improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "Data analytics is one of the efficient features as well."
  • "While integrating services from different vendors, the perceived costs are high, with occasional confusion about specific charges, especially in data transfer scenarios between regions."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product to stream data from devices to the system, transform data, and configure web apps using SaaS services.

What needs improvement?

One significant area for improvement in Microsoft Azure is the cost associated with its services. While integrating services from different vendors, the perceived costs are high, with occasional confusion about specific charges, especially in data transfer scenarios between regions. This cost factor poses a barrier for small companies, and they could simplify the process and reevaluate pricing structures.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft Azure for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The platform is stable. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have worked with around 5000 Microsoft Azure users in our previous company. It is highly scalable.

In the IaaS approach, setting up virtual machines (VMs) allows for scalability adjustments based on memory and CPU consumption. Similarly, for applications developed with Azure RPA (Robotic Process Automation) or Azure Logic Apps, scalability can be efficiently managed by configuring the app service plan.

I rate the scalability a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The experience with Microsoft's customer support has been middling, neither exceptionally good nor bad. The support team takes time to respond. It is a lengthy process and could be improved.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The complexity of implementation depends on the different setups. We can utilize the portal, CLI, or alternative providers like Terraform. The deployment process in Azure varies based on the specific build requirements and the nature of the application being deployed, whether it's through GitHub or directly in Azure. The time taken for deployment in Azure varies greatly depending on factors such as the complexity of the application, the number of integrated applications, the volume of code, and the artifacts involved.

What was our ROI?

The product generates a return on investment in terms of time savings on setup, installation, and scalability. It also depends on the specific consumption patterns and the extent to which Azure services are utilized for our compute and networking needs.

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

The product is expensive, particularly with services such as Microsoft SQL Server incurring significant costs. It could be more competitive in terms of pricing.

What other advice do I have?

Azure supports the development and hosting of various applications, including those built with ASP.NET. We have developed an application using ASP.NET versions 4, 6, and 7, and then deployed it to Azure for hosting. Data analytics is one of the efficient features as well.

The features I find most useful for cloud computing needs, particularly for fax services, include Azure RPA (Robotic Process Automation), Azure Logic App, and Azure Service Bus.

We can easily integrate the product with MS SQL Server and Azure SQL Database as a service. Further, we can utilize event apps within the IT infrastructure.

I have experienced significant benefits from Azure's security and compliance tools, particularly in the area of identity management. Working with Microsoft Identity, including Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), has proven valuable for operations involving customer-to-customer (CTC), business-to-customer (BTC), and business-to-business (B2B) scenarios. The customization capabilities help us with the registration of applications under Azure Active Directory, enabling robust authentication and authorization mechanisms.

I recommend the product for small companies or startups. It is also a good option for established companies planning to reach beyond certain limitations in terms of business.

I rate it 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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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.