BizTalk Server Reviews

BizTalk Server pricing and licensing is seen as both reasonable and expensive by users, varying with transaction scale and security needs. Pricing is considered more costly than Azure, requiring upfront licensing. Many find it affordable yet suggest comparing it carefully with cloud solutions due to evolving business trends. Licensing costs are substantial, and full utilization of features is crucial to justify expenses. Users emphasize evaluating BizTalk’s benefits against investments in evolving digital environments.

• "The solution is expensive."
• "BizTalk Server is not freeware. There's a significant licensing cost involved. Be sure you will actually utilize its features fully."
• "It was not cheap, but it was affordable."

BizTalk Server is used primarily for system integration, serving as middleware for connecting diverse systems like ERP and CRM. Organizations use it for data transformation, electronic data interchange, and message transfer in industries such as manufacturing, oil, gas, and shipping. Users deploy BizTalk for orchestrations, policy implementation, and security management. The platform supports numerous adapters and facilitates tracking with Business Activity Monitoring and message handling through its database infrastructure.

BizTalk Server's customer service often goes unused, with many relying on online documentation and community resources. When contacted, technical support quality varies based on the service agreement, with high-level agreements providing faster responses. Some users find Microsoft support competent, comparable to Oracle, while others experience delays and inconsistency in support personnel knowledge. The technical community shares resources like blog posts, providing additional assistance.

BizTalk Server's initial setup ranges from straightforward to complex based on configuration needs. Advanced setups may require expert support. Microsoft provides comprehensive documentation, aiding deployment within one to two days. Dependencies on SQL Server and Visual Studio can extend setup time. Deployment complexity increases with multi-load balancing environments. Configurations can become more manageable with CI/CD adoption, simplifying deployment processes. Infrastructure, network, and IT team support are often necessary for successful installation.

BizTalk Server generally experiences mixed scalability outcomes. Many find it adaptable, easily manageable by adding servers to handle increased loads. Yet, some users encounter latency and performance issues due to architectural constraints, especially with high message volume and format conversion. While its scalability is often positively viewed, others rate it around six out of ten. Implementing clustering might help alleviate some challenges, but experiences vary across different organizations.

BizTalk Server demonstrates stability, operating over 24 years, and is rated between eight or nine out of ten by many. Users report no stability issues, though it becomes less efficient with large-scale integrations, suggesting occasional unexplained errors. While some companies find it outdated, especially with the shift to the cloud, BizTalk Server still functions well if managed competently, experiencing minimal crashes if not handling excessive data. Microsoft's updates may resolve existing concerns.