SQL Server Developer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
Stable and lets you create data models and diagrams
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Visio is diagram creation. If you have a presentation, you can create your data model using Visio."
  • "An area for improvement in Visio is pricing. It's a costly tool for my company because it only uses Visio occasionally."

What is our primary use case?

The company uses Visio for a maintenance project occasionally. I use Visio for infrastructure architecture and create data models on it.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Visio is diagram creation. If you have a presentation, you can create your data model using Visio. The tool has Microsoft components you can find in Microsoft Power BI, particularly the drag-and-drop functionality and link creation between the two components.

What needs improvement?

An area for improvement in Visio is pricing. It's a costly tool for my company because it only uses Visio occasionally.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've only used Visio four or five times in the ten years it's been in my company.

Buyer's Guide
Visio
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Visio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, Visio is an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I didn't see the option to scale Visio because it's one user at a time and installed on your local machine, so I'm not sure about its scalability.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup for Visio is easy because it's a Microsoft product.

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

Visio is a pricey tool. It's a five out of ten, cost-wise. It would be great if it had a pay-per-use licensing model because my company uses it sparingly. If Visio had a two-day use license, that would be helpful.

What other advice do I have?

My company uses Visio, but not very frequently.

My rating for Visio is eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Naresh Rayakwar - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead architect at Tech Mahindra Limited
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Useful and easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is how easy it is to use."
  • "Visio could be improved by adding more features. If you look at draw.io, they have more features. Also, if you want to design something for the cloud, Microsoft Azure still isn't enabled, so you need to install the plugin. This prototype is easily available, though."

What is our primary use case?

My primary use case is for designing the architecture diagram and the network diagram. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is how easy it is to use. 

What needs improvement?

Visio could be improved by adding more features. If you look at draw.io, they have more features. Also, if you want to design something for the cloud, Microsoft Azure still isn't enabled, so you need to install the plugin. This prototype is easily available, though. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is quite good. There is not much maintenance really required. If it's on your desktop and something goes wrong, it is usually available to repair again. You don't need anyone else to maintain it. 

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

I previously used the Sparx System Enterprise Architect, but my experience with it was limited. It was discontinued because they stopped the licensing. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation was straightforward. It takes about five to ten minutes and you can do it yourself. 

What about the implementation team?

I implemented myself. 

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

I pay for the license and it is very expensive. If you're only going to use this tool from time to time, you can save money by just using the available online tools. But if you plan on using it heavily, then it's worth it to invest. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this product an eight out of ten. I recommend this product to others because it's a useful tool for designers and architects. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Visio
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Visio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,386 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Director, Digital Engg. & Enterprise Arch. at a pharma/biotech company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Very intuitive and simple to use; user interface could be simplified
Pros and Cons
  • "Simple to use and very intuitive."
  • "Portability from Visio to PowerPoint and vice versa could be simplified."

What is our primary use case?

We are end users of this solution. I'm a senior director of the company and a digital engineer.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has helped us get our life cycle diagrams right and show the accountability across groups. It affects the business process sometimes at a very high level. Although it's not a BPA tool, a management tool, it has been utilized in some of those aspects and has been helpful to draw the handoff and the handshake across teams and across roles as we draw the life cycle diagram. With the various tools that come out of the box, it's been pretty helpful to get that in a pictorial fashion as it makes it easier to explain.

What is most valuable?

I like that it's simple to use and a very intuitive solution. The tools that it provides out of the box are pretty good. The out of the box categorization of flow charts helps. Its ability to take it to PowerPoint is easy as well. 

What needs improvement?

I'd like to see the portability simplified from Visio to PowerPoint and vice versa. With other products coming on the market, Visio is losing a little ground and as a result, I mainly use PowerPoint now and Visio much less. The user interface could be simplified enabling non-technical people to use it. There's something about it that makes it complicated to use. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for a few years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a pretty stable solution, I haven't had any issues around it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't seen any issues from a scalability perspective. 

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

I have previously used Confluence, PowerPoint and Precio, which have similar features in terms of what they're trying to do. They may not be out of the box, but you end up drawing it yourself. Visio is really a complementary solution as it merges when you're drawing deeper  solutions, more technical and when you're wanting clip art and pictures. It's being more in that space rather than really drawing technical stuff.

What other advice do I have?

It's important to understand your objectives, understand who the audience is and your needs. You can then make a call as to which solution suits. It's not an easy solution for non-technical folks and is generally used by technical staff in technical IT departments within corporate companies. I started as a technical person so haven't had issues with it. I really like that it's easy to draw stuff out. You don't need PowerPoint for a standalone diagram that you have only from a collaboration perspective, like the confluence etc. If you're doing a standalone diagram, trying to communicate the message in a visual format, Visio is great. 

I rate this solution a seven out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

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

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A standard and easy-to-use solution, but it needs more flexibility
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a standard and easy-to-use solution from Microsoft, and you benefit from the general functions of Microsoft solutions. It integrates easily with SharePoint, which is a useful tool from Microsoft."
  • "It is not flexible in terms of functions and modeling deliverables. When you speak of processes, the program has to describe the activities and the deliverables. You have to tell your robots how to deal with and input something, and you should have something more flexible from this point of view."

What is our primary use case?

We use Visio for mapping all the processes. It is a BPMN solution for us.

We are most probably using its latest version. 

What is most valuable?

It is a standard and easy-to-use solution from Microsoft, and you benefit from the general functions of Microsoft solutions. It integrates easily with SharePoint, which is a useful tool from Microsoft.

What needs improvement?

It is not flexible in terms of functions and modeling deliverables. When you speak of processes, the program has to describe the activities and the deliverables. You have to tell your robots how to deal with and input something, and you should have something more flexible from this point of view.

For how long have I used the solution?

I got Visio just a few months ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I don't know. At this moment, it is just used to map and see where we are. We are just trying to use this. At this moment, we like it, but we'll see with time.

How are customer service and technical support?

I didn't have to call Microsoft so far, but I might do so in the future.

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

I have used MEGA, and I feel Visio is better than MEGA because it is a BPMN tool, and it is standardized.

I have also used the free version of Camunda. It is a service, and it is easy and very fast, but it is not so well known. 

How was the initial setup?

It is easy.

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

It is a free solution for us. It is integrated with our pack. We are trying to use the solutions that we already have. 

What other advice do I have?

I am not sure if I would recommend this solution. It is not perfect, of course, but it is also not so bad. It is just a modeling system. If you want to go further and simulate the processes, you will have to use other tools. 

I would rate Visio a seven out of 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Integration developer at Blackwoods
Real User
Top 10
Initial setup is straightforward, but customer support service needs to be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is finely stable."
  • "Its support team could be well-equipped with the required information."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution mainly for designing purposes. It helps us design activity charts, sequential charts, and other diagrams.

What needs improvement?

They should improve the solution's customer support service.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for more than twenty years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is finely stable.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's customer service team could be well-equipped with the required information.

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

We used PowerDesigner earlier.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is straightforward.

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

You have to purchase a license to use the solution.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution as a six.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Adel Alfeky - PeerSpot reviewer
PMO Director | Principal Enterprise Architect at InnovationTeam
Real User
The data analysis is not good but has good stability and is easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to scale."
  • "There is a limitation in Visio."

What needs improvement?

There is a limitation in Visio. The solution is not aligned with a database. I can't submit more than one request at a time or do any calculations or have multiple users, or multiple procedures.

Microsoft needs to put more effort into data analysis around the tips and workflow related to the number of skills, procedures, and any small analytical information.

I would like Visio to use AI to evaluate the processing side because currently, it is not logically based.

I would like to have reports added to the solution. For example, if I drove a business process that related to a service, and this service related to another service, I would depict some servers. Reports which predict that from more than the related service would be very beneficial. These related procedures or related processes would take place on the solution's servers, database, and application.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I give the stability of the solution a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is easy to scale.

We currently have around 20 users.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is easy to access and receive resolution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

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

I give the cost of Visio a five out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a five out of ten.

There may be other solutions that are better than Visio on the market but when we complete an analysis we can conclude that the cost and ease of use of Visio are good.

I recommend the solution to other users.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

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

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Group DWH and BI Senior Manager at Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa
Real User
Easy to use, flexible, and responsive support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to understand with some hands-on experience."
  • "Microsoft should include Visio as part of their Office 365 offering."

What is our primary use case?

Visio is mainly used for documentation purposes. For example, drawing flow charts or network diagrams. It can also be used for defining schemas or application development.

In my organization, people from multiple departments use it, especially the IT team. They prepare documentation on the network architecture. Additionally, the data team uses it to create flow charts, sequence diagrams, and schemas.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easy to understand with some hands-on experience.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft should include Visio as part of their Office 365 offering.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Visio for approximately 10 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?

The solution is scalable and flexible.

We have approximately 15 people using the solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

Microsoft technical support is convenient. They have an online community for Visio and if we have created a ticket with the support they always respond promptly. We have not had any problems with the support.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is easy, it only takes approximately five minutes. You only need to go to the vendor website and download an executable file and then it is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation ourselves. The solution does not require a technical team for implementation.

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

You can purchase a corporate license for more users to use the solution. We have purchased a stand-alone license and which could be cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Visio 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.
PeerSpot user
Solutions Architect at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Easy to set up with good technical support and excellent stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is pretty easy."
  • "The application could be lighter or it could be faster with documents."

What is our primary use case?

I'm an architect; I primarily use Visio for drawing diagrams.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of the solution is the exterior interface. The exterior application interface and the keyboard shortcuts available help me to do some major work and diagrams.

Since Microsoft did some updates a while back, I've found the solution to be very stable.

Technical support seems to be pretty good.

The initial setup is pretty easy.

What needs improvement?

The application could be lighter or it could be faster with documents. That just comes down to the user's CPU power and how big your document is. 

I'd like it if there was some sort of web integration, where you can deploy VST diagrams or at least SVG diagrams or something to the web. It might be useful. I'm not sure if it does it right now, I haven't looked recently. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've likely dealt with the solution for 15 years or so. It's been well over a decade. It's been a long time. It's likely been for however long it's been on the market or for however long Microsoft has had it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution's stability is quite good. It struggled a bit in older versions, however, Microsoft has update dit and it's been very, very good. There are no crashes or freezing. There aren't bugs or glitches. it's reliable. The performance is good. Ever since we've been using it on Windows 10, it's been great.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. I've used it and try to compare designs, so it's a fairly simple environment, and it's roughly the same. Again, that kind of depends on your GPU, on the power of your workstation that you're using. If you don't have as powerful of a workstation, you have issues with larger jobs.

Those that use it in my organization are mostly architects. There might be around 100 or so users in my company, although I don't have exact numbers.

I'm not sure if we have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and technical support?

It's my understanding that the solution has pretty good technical support. I haven't dealt with it personally, however, my colleagues have and it's always been very positive in terms of the comments we've received regarding Microsoft tech support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not overly complex. That said, I've been using it for so long that I'm fairly comfortable with it. It's my understanding that the setup today for that tool would be fairly easy for a new user. It should be noted that that's coming from myself, as a person who's dealt with the product for so long.

The deployment of Visio to my workstation was as simple as requesting the download from our central section and it downloads within 10 to 15 minutes. The deployment for my workflow is fairly trivial for me. That's due to the fact that we're using an internal package from the site.

I'm not sure what kind of maintenance is required. It would be an automated packaging process. We would have some sort of a tool chain, where the tool is packaged, and then unpackaged and then deployed to our location.

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

I don't deal with billing or licensing aspects of the product. I can't speak to the actual costs or if it is expensive or cost-effective.

What other advice do I have?

I'm not sure what type of business relationship our company has with Visio. My role usually revolves around working with Visio and various website engines.

I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using.

One of the key things for a company considering Visio would be to establish some guidelines for how Visio should be used and how it's used to augment existing workflows for the customer company. For users, it would just be to gain comfort with the tool shortcuts and get to know the tools, strengths, and any weaknesses. That you may perceive and just understand them and the solution becomes easier to work with.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. It's just a reliable workflow for me so it's a pretty good tool. Lately. it has also been pretty stable.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Visio Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Visio Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.