Microsoft Azure DevOps Reviews

My purpose for using Microsoft Azure DevOps is provisioning services inside the Azure cloud infrastructure and providing a seamless process for provisioning the app and executing microservices and deploying to target servers, mainly Linux servers, and monitoring through Azure Monitoring. I need to create a clean pipeline that includes all of this.

Azure Boards is valuable for us because we are not using Jira tickets for some of our clients, so we continuously use Azure Boards for managing and tracking all Scrum-based jobs.

From my DevOps perspective, I primarily use three things: Azure Boards, Repos, and Azure CI/CD. For testing, we are not using the Azure DevOps testing process because many testing processes are done by the Azure DevOps pipeline automatically, but for external use cases, we have different tools to test because we have a different test team. For performance, we are using JMeter for basically all of our workloads, and server workloads are also tested by JMeter itself. Artifactory management is managed by Nexus Artifactory, not Azure Artifacts, as this is a different setup made by other teammates for which I do not have ownership. If I had that ownership, I would definitely suggest they use all Microsoft Azure services for seamless integrations and workflows, but since this setup is done by other teammates, I am just maintaining the things.

I am currently working with open-source tools such as Jenkins for my main CI/CD pipeline, and for enterprise clients, I am using Microsoft Azure DevOps CI/CD pipeline. For other clients, I have also implemented CI/CD YAML pipelines through GitLab CI/CD workflow and GitHub Actions. I am creating the end-to-end CI/CD pipeline from development to deployment and monitoring all of this.

Azure Boards is easier than Jira for my understanding because there are very easy points to manage the Agile methodology which we work on.

Because it is a GUI, sometimes the process may take a few minutes more than the CLI process since the backend is running the exact CLI, but we are commanding through the GUI. There is definitely a time lag, but it is more secure. Microsoft Azure DevOps pipelines work very seamlessly rather than other CI/CD pipelines, as of my understanding. The downside is that the process may take more time when deploying some clusters, Kubernetes, Azure AKS service, or some vast microservice architecture deployments. There may be a little bit of lag I feel, though I cannot tell very strictly that this is a disadvantage, but sometimes it takes a little more time than other cloud infrastructures. All the major things are done by GUI, which is somewhat a little slow. However, if considering automations, process, monitoring, and provisioning, then it is the best cloud service across all the other service providers.

Our implementation is a hybrid cloud.

Microsoft Azure DevOps is definitely easily scalable. I have worked on many Kubernetes infrastructures and microservice deployments, and I have seen that replication is very good because it is very easy. The replication process is very straightforward.

I definitely advocate for using less code because it is very time-consuming. If using GCP or Amazon Web Service, there is more interaction related to work over the CLI process. In terms of Microsoft Azure DevOps, there are many things done by the GUI, which is the best part.

If I am being honest, above all the top cloud infrastructure and providers, Microsoft Azure is my top priority. However, the global market is different, people's requirements are different, and technology is evolving. The best part is 9.5 out of 10.

I have been continuously using Microsoft Azure DevOps for the last six years.

Cloud infrastructure means we are accessing this via the internet, so sometimes network dependencies exist. I cannot forcefully tell that this is from Microsoft's side, as it may be from our service provider who is providing internet service. I have faced glitches, but not that much, and not rapidly, such that you would see them every month or in a year. For the last 3.5 years working in my organization, I have not seen any glitch. There was just one time when there was some infrastructure issue from Microsoft's side, so we faced some glitches for a few minutes only, not for hours or a day. Because our enterprise clients are aligned with Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, we do not feel any glitches or lags arising from Microsoft's side. Whatever glitches arise are for a few seconds or a few minutes, not more than that.

I do not feel installation is quite difficult because it is very easy to manage. I have used multiple cloud infrastructures, but when I used Microsoft Azure for the very first time, I felt very amazed because I felt very good when provisioning some things through Terraform. The provisioning systems are quite reliable, provisioning my application service, automation service, and the pipeline very seamlessly. Other infrastructures are good as well. I cannot blame anything, as Amazon was the very first to provide cloud service. However, if considering Microsoft Azure, it is providing far more reliability than other cloud service providers.

Cloud infrastructure consists of three systems: SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service, and Software as a Service). As of my understanding, this is the best platform to get all your needs in one place. In terms of other cloud infrastructure, I have seen that some things are complicated to integrate, and there are a few more things which can cause some delays about operations. However, if implementing the whole infrastructure in Microsoft Azure, then it is very seamless.

Regarding cost optimization, Azure charges only the parking cost, not for unnecessary or unwanted cost. One of my clients was using AWS, and I observed that for the last three months, the subscription charges were continuously increasing: 35,000, now it is 55,000. The 20,000 difference is within four months because they have provisioned some database replication system in another availability zone, which is the main problem they are facing for the cost optimization process. However, in terms of Microsoft Azure, if putting all the things in the same region and implementing all infrastructure in one place, then it will be more efficient and cost relevancy will also be there.

I do not think Microsoft Azure is demanding much more than other infrastructures because it is providing enterprise-level services. If wanting to work with seamless integration, then the price does not matter, and this is good. As of my understanding, it is more secure than other infrastructure because Microsoft is investing 200 billion dollars plus more for its security concerns. Cost optimization can be done, and it depends on how you are engineering your cloud service. However, whatever Microsoft is charging, I do not think it is much more than other infrastructure because what it is charging is legit.

I know that some clients are using Asana, which is provided by the enterprise client side. I have suggested to them to use Azure Teams because it is the Microsoft product, so we can tag deployments, also tag commit systems and the delivery process, and everything can be seamlessly maintained through Azure Teams because it is easy for integration. However, this is already done by them, so we do not have the ownership to change that process. Whatever they have given, we need to follow because in the enterprise organization, they have implemented Asana, so we are bound to do that and follow that process. As a DevOps engineer, I have suggested to them many times to use Teams, and if not using Teams, then use Slack. However, they told me that Asana is provided by the enterprise client with the license also provided by them, so we cannot modify or change this process.

Our implementation is a hybrid cloud.

Our organization is the gold partner of Microsoft, so they got that system by themselves. As a DevOps engineer, I just need to maintain and do operations to stabilize their process and create a CI/CD pipeline. These are just by my side, but if I get that ownership, then I would definitely think about something. However, I do not have that ownership currently.

My overall rating for Microsoft Azure DevOps is 9.5 out of 10.

In pipelines, pipeline agents in Microsoft Azure DevOps are used, so it is mainly used for end-to-end QA activities. When a set of requirements is available, the product manager creates specific epics or features and corresponding user stories in Microsoft Azure DevOps, which are passed to the dev team and QA team. The dev team works on the code based on these user stories, and once the code is written and pushed to Git, the product gets deployed for testing.

As a QA engineer, I review all these user stories and start with test case creation. Once the product is deployed, test execution begins.

Once all tests pass, the test cases are updated accordingly, and a full report showing how many test cases passed or failed is visible in Microsoft Azure DevOps.

Automated scripts also run via the pipelines in Microsoft Azure DevOps.

Our organization is fully dependent on Microsoft Azure DevOps for end-to-end QA and dev activities, tracking all requirements, test cases, and test execution reports, as well as all pipeline execution. Everything is handled via Microsoft Azure DevOps, and all codes are kept in this repository.

Whenever something is created or deployed, it automatically triggers the automated scripts, generates reports, and updates the test cases, providing a seamless end-to-end activity.

Everything is done within Microsoft Azure DevOps, allowing managers and heads of departments to have all reports on what everyone else is doing at their fingertips.

They can check the progress of each task and come up with suggestions based on the reports. This provides accessibility to everyone, ensuring visibility on work and timelines, which has had a huge positive impact on the organization structure and team dynamics.

There are occasional downtimes, but that is the only negative point observed.

One issue noted is that when working on multiple epics, the board or sprint displays tasks only for selected individual projects, so there is no combined dashboard to view all tasks at once.

It is sometimes difficult to navigate through individual projects. Multiple tasks may be allocated, but only tasks from one project are visible on the dashboard at a time, so other projects must be selected to view different tasks.

This can be somewhat cumbersome, though everything else is up to the mark.

I chose nine because there is a limitation with the dashboards; you cannot see all tasks from multiple projects on a single dashboard, which can be confusing. Other than that, everything else is fine.

Notifications are usually received if downtime is expected, and it has been available about 99% of the time.

There has been very little downtime, and when requirements arise, they are raised and often get fixed within one or two days.

Positive

Switching to Microsoft Azure DevOps allows for handling everything within one application.

Resources have also been reduced by 10 to 20%; this tool enables three persons' work to be done by two or one person.

There has definitely been a lot of return on investment from using Microsoft Azure DevOps due to the 40 to 50% increase in productivity, which saves considerable time for other work.

Additionally, resource needs have been reduced by 10 to 20% because of the efficiencies gained.

When investigation occurred, Microsoft Azure DevOps was found to be the best option currently available, so it was chosen.

It provides complete end-to-end activities with excellent customer support, and being from Microsoft, you can expect a very good product.

I would rate this product a 9 out of 10.

Microsoft Azure DevOps should be tried to experience it firsthand, and you will understand its value.

My main use case for Microsoft Azure DevOps is that it's a code repository. As a code repository, it is where I put the code of my company while I am developing and after all. When I develop, I use the Git interface with Microsoft Azure DevOps to download the code to my computer, compile it, and maintain different versions of my code shared among several groups of developers.

I work with a company that has 3,000 repositories in Microsoft Azure DevOps, where each repository is a complete application or a part of an application, especially since they work with microservices. I have made a statistic that out of the 3,000 code repositories, 40% have been used in the last three years, and about 1,000, which is 30% of the 3,000, are the live repositories that developers are using frequently.

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure DevOps is its capacity to cover all the phases of a developer team. It's especially effective for Agile teams or development teams using Scrum or Agile methodologies as it manages the development process.

One key feature is the code repository, but there are also work items that allow me to track tasks, bugs, and the overall lifecycle of the development. For example, I use it for organizing my team by tracking tasks and bugs and managing the backlog where I select the features to implement each iteration.

Microsoft Azure DevOps provides tools for tracking tasks and requirements, allowing the team to log in, see their assigned tasks, and mark them as finished while offering integrated graphics to monitor project progress. Moreover, it has functionalities for building and releasing pipelines to deploy software automatically, making it a complete tool for managing development teams from producing code to controlling projects.

There are areas of Microsoft Azure DevOps that have room for improvement, mainly regarding personalization capacity. Although I use Microsoft Azure DevOps exclusively for this type of tool for the last seven years, I find that while it allows personalization of how to work with tasks, bugs, and work items, the level of customization could improve.

We attempted to use the tool for an architectural team rather than a strictly development team, and we needed more customization capacity to achieve our objectives. However, it's important to note that we were trying to use Microsoft Azure DevOps outside its intended framework, which is aimed at developers managing code, tasks, and pipelines effectively.

I have been working with Microsoft Azure DevOps for the last seven years and have accomplished numerous tasks with it.

Microsoft Azure DevOps is a very stable tool. Having used it for seven years, I haven't encountered significant bugs or issues. We have thousands of developers working with Microsoft Azure DevOps effectively, and its stability might be attributed to its legacy as an on-premise solution that has been in development for more than 25 years.

Although users don't operate it continuously—mostly only when downloading code or viewing tasks—it serves as the back-end for developers, where code, tasks, and pipelines are located.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate technical support from Microsoft an eight. We began using Microsoft Azure DevOps with a large project that involved people from Microsoft working alongside us, which was not the typical way of starting with the software. We received invaluable assistance as we had two Microsoft personnel on our project during the first year.

I rate it an 8 out of 10 because there are instances when peculiar questions take time to be answered. I find that when dealing with unusual limitations or details not published in the documentation, it can lead to delays. These issues usually arise from deeper, more extensive uses of Microsoft Azure DevOps, rather than for the standard daily operations of typical users.

Positive

The solution is deployed in the cloud. I have eliminated the old version of Microsoft Azure DevOps that was on-premises, known as Visual Studio Team System. Currently, it is not possible to deploy it on-premises, and using the cloud is mandatory. I find it to be a very powerful tool, especially now that I use its search capacity and API to study the 3,000 repositories my company has.

Even though I am not an expert in pipelines, I believe they are good enough, and the connections of the pipelines with other sources are very effective. Ultimately, while it is focused on following the DevOps lifecycle, its capabilities make it a robust tool for our needs.

The pricing for Microsoft Azure DevOps is structured per user. It is a complex application that entails several costs not limited to user fees, as you could require additional space or more computers if your team frequently launches pipelines. The main expense generally comes from the user fees, and I find that while Microsoft is not cheap, it is manageable. It isn't an expensive solution overall, especially when compared to Visual Studio, which is the IDE and can be costly. While Microsoft Azure DevOps is not cheap, I believe it falls within a reasonable price range for large companies without causing major financial concerns.

I rate Microsoft Azure DevOps a nine out of ten.

My primary use case for Microsoft Azure DevOps is purely for monitoring and observability.

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Azure DevOps is its ease of use, though I cannot remember other features at this time.

Microsoft Azure DevOps has positively impacted our project delivery times. It accomplished exactly what we needed at the right time, and there weren't any issues.

One area of Microsoft Azure DevOps that has room for improvement is business service level metrics and visibility, which we were trying to achieve but couldn't.

I have approximately nine months of experience working with Microsoft Azure DevOps.

Microsoft Azure DevOps is a stable solution. We didn't have any issues with stability at all.

Microsoft Azure DevOps is very scalable.

I would rate technical support from Microsoft for Microsoft Azure DevOps an eight out of ten.

Positive

Before Microsoft Azure DevOps, there was a different solution, but I wasn't part of the organization then, so I'm not sure what they were.

I cannot remember my initial setup of Microsoft Azure DevOps.

I have seen an ROI from Microsoft Azure DevOps. It was deemed as a good investment and suitable for our needs.

The price and licensing of Microsoft Azure DevOps were fair.

My relationship with Microsoft is that I am a customer.

Approximately 20 users were using Microsoft Azure DevOps in my organization.

I'm not sure how Microsoft Azure DevOps has enhanced our CI/CD pipelines because that wasn't part of what I delivered.

Microsoft Azure DevOps has supported my team's collaboration during remote work scenarios by enabling everyone to see the same things from a visibility perspective.

Based on my experience, I would recommend Microsoft Azure DevOps to other people because it did exactly what we needed.

I have not experienced the AI capabilities of Microsoft Azure DevOps as it has been a while since I used it.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate Microsoft Azure DevOps an 8.

My company implemented this solution with the primary use case being the migration from on-premises to the cloud. Initially, our case was about moving from our existing infrastructures to a cloud-based environment. I was in a project management role where managing our pipelines effectively was crucial. My team included two network engineers and two Wintel engineers, focusing on the DevOps aspect from a project management perspective. This solution was used by us for all story creation, facilitating the transition of whatever was possible from the current environment to the cloud.

What I liked about the solution is that it offers numerous features that are not available by default unless you are agile. Transitioning from the traditional Waterfall model to an agile methodology was challenging for us. 

Until 2020, our team predominantly worked with the Waterfall approach, using local tools like ServiceNow. We had a few team members who were familiar with Agile ISO, but none had experience with Azure. Therefore, we pursued Azure certification at the AZ-900 level. 

Our company organized a training session with a certified Azure expert, which was extremely beneficial for adopting best practices during the initial three months. This preparation helped us get accustomed to the new tool, as transitioning to a new system invariably requires time. 

Managing a pipeline of deliverables became significantly easier with this solution. We utilized it for stories and integrated change management with Azure DevOps. Eventually, everything related to the environment was organized there, enabling us to follow up and track progress with our technical engineers on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis. 

Reports were automatically generated and sent to management, offering them insights into our progress concerning the predefined roadmap.

Not everything about this solution was intuitive. The initial three months were particularly challenging, and without the help of an external consultant, adapting to the change in work processes would have been difficult. Over time, familiarity with the system improves, however, having external support significantly accelerates progress. 

Transitioning work habits developed over ten years can be difficult. Out of the box, the solution is effective, yet with advancements in AI, it has the potential to be more intuitive. Enhanced system guidance highlighting best practices would be beneficial, especially if experienced personnel are not available for support.

I have used the solution for one year.

The solution is stable, and we did not encounter any stability issues. I have not seen a tool that merits a perfect ten from day one, however, I would rate this solution as an eight out of ten in terms of stability.

I would rate the scalability of this solution as an eight. While I am generally hard to satisfy, we were able to scale it rapidly. The scalability has left me pleased, not just for our teams in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, but as we expanded into North America, Africa, and even Australia. 

Interestingly, the Australian team adopted it quickly, however, the adoption rate was slower in North and South America. Initially leading the adoption efforts globally was challenging, but ultimately rewarding.

Some of my colleagues encountered challenges with technical support. There were issues such as system duplication in DevOps, which often led to back-and-forth communication. Resolving issues took time since understanding our unique problems was not always straightforward for support teams. I would rate the overall customer service around six out of ten. Despite this, all issues were eventually resolved, albeit through a time-consuming process.

Neutral

Not everything was intuitive, and without the external consultant who helped us with the implementation, the first three months would have been challenging for everyone as we needed to overhaul our work processes.

Regarding the costs involved, I am not heavily involved in the financial operations side. I do know that we spent a considerable amount of money. From my perspective, for a business case like this, I would not have opted to spend so much, but it was a decision made by management. It might be seen as expensive for small businesses.

I enjoy working with this solution and would recommend it for large-scale companies. 

Overall, I would give it a rating of seven out of ten.

I think Azure DevOps is flexible, and it provides source code control as well. It is a good option, and it has all the governance and push for all the first and players as well. That has been the reason I chose it.

Mostly, I have found the source code control pipeline and the pull request governance to be very valuable. For example, when I submit a pull request, an additional approval is required. I can't approve my own request and move the code around without a review. The reviewing and everything is very good in Azure DevOps.

Improvements can be made mostly on the team management aspects. For example, if the settings and project management could be a bit easier while I add the service connection to the Azure Connector, it would be very helpful. 

Those processes are a bit difficult for some customers who may not have technical knowledge and don't go through the entire documentation. Also, sometimes the timing I require doesn't come through. 

The rest is fine overall. Definitely, pricing is an area of improvement for Microsoft.

I have used the solution for almost two and a half years now.

I would rate the stability around eight or nine out of ten. 

Scalability is good. I would rate it around eight or nine out of ten.

I would rate the customer service around six or seven out of ten. It is fairly good.

Neutral

Setting up is not so easy as you need to go through the documentation. The entire process takes a few hours.

We did not use a third party; it was implemented internally.

There is a return on investment, particularly because most of the solutions in our company are running on Microsoft. There is one more room for improvement for Microsoft when integrating other tools that are not Microsoft products, as there have been some challenges in doing that. However, the investment is good. On a scale of one to ten, where ten is the best, I would say ROI is an eight.

Pricing is fairly average, however, with other Microsoft products, pricing has been a bit confusing. Unless you deploy a solution, you can't get to a pricing model properly. They don't even provide a POC where you can have a sandbox or stuff that you can go through and see how exactly it's costing. That has been one of the challenges with Microsoft until you deploy a solution.

Go through the documentation in detail before deploying DevOps. For pricing, you can use the pricing calculator. Still, Microsoft needs to improve on that and provide some sort of sandbox or something where users, especially if it's an average company that doesn't have that much demand to spend directly on a solution, then it becomes a bit difficult for them to allocate money. 

The overall product rating is eight out of ten.

Neutral

While DevOps is a well-established area offering robust capabilities, our focus lies in its adaptability to our specific needs. It enhances collaboration and project management. Additionally, we leverage DevOps for its robust reporting capabilities, which empower us to make informed decisions and track progress effectively.

When implementing CI/CD workflows using Azure DevOps, we leverage its standard model as our foundation. However, we also integrate third-party tools such as Jenkins, NGINX, Argo, and Tecton, all of which are compatible with Azure DevOps. This interoperability greatly benefits us, as Azure DevOps seamlessly integrates with these tools, enhancing our workflow capabilities.

Azure DevOps has significantly enhanced our team's agile project management and planning processes. One notable capability is the rapid setup time of a new Azure DevOps system, often completed within minutes, eliminating the need for extensive setup hassles. Additionally, once established, the platform has proven to be highly robust, with no instances of downtime or performance issues encountered. This stability extends over the years, with projects maintained on Azure DevOps for two to three years remaining consistently stable. This reliability ensures that projects don't slow down or require intricate management, as Azure DevOps provides a seamless and dependable solution.

Azure Boards has significantly enhanced our team's collaboration efforts. We have a long history of using the platform, even before it was branded as Azure DevOps, with various name changes over the past five years. Boards are a particularly powerful feature, offering ready-made templates that serve as a solid foundation for project management. Additionally, the platform allows for customization, enabling users to tailor boards to specific project needs. This flexibility extends to offering different boards for different management levels, catering to both team and executive needs.

Azure Test Plans have significantly improved the quality and efficiency of our testing process by incorporating test cases and methodologies seamlessly into the suite. It serves as a one-stop solution for our testing needs, empowering both developers and QA teams to identify and address issues that impact overall quality.

Since adopting Azure Pipelines, we've witnessed significant improvements in our release management processes. It serves as a one-stop solution for CI/CD, offering maturity and flexibility. We have the autonomy to configure our CI/CD pipelines according to our specific needs, whether we choose to implement continuous integration (CI) only or both CI and continuous delivery (CD), either manually or automated. While there is potential for enhancement in providing more out-of-the-box CI/CD templates, overall, teams have not encountered any significant issues with Azure Pipelines.

Two of the most valuable features include the integrated project management suite, which consolidates source code and project management in a single location, and its powerful reporting capabilities.

There's potential for Microsoft to enhance third-party integrations. This could streamline the testing process by providing access to these tools directly within Azure DevOps, eliminating the need for separate subscriptions and browsers. While reporting in Azure DevOps is a robust capability, there's always room for enhancement, particularly in providing more granular reports. Also, integrating Co-pilot, Microsoft's AI-powered tool, into Azure DevOps could greatly enhance the platform and potentially offer valuable assistance and insights throughout the development process.

We have been working with it for the last five years.

The system is exceptionally robust and reliable,  and we rarely encounter any performance issues. I would rate it eight out of ten.

It's capable of handling large volumes of data, project archives, source code, and more without any issues. Around three thousand developers regularly engage with Azure DevOps in various capacities. We have plans to expand its usage in the future. I would rate it eight out of ten.

We have been part of the Microsoft Compliance journey through its rebranding to the integration into Microsoft Studio. In addition to Azure DevOps, we also utilize Jira, including both Jira Cloud and on-premises versions, as well as other project management tools like Monday.com and Asana, catering to various customer preferences and requirements.

The initial setup was quite intuitive. I would rate it eight out of ten.

Deployment time is swift and efficient. Once we initiate the process, the team typically has it available within minutes. For maintenance, we have a team of two people.

The return on investment is evident in the ease and compatibility Azure DevOps provides, sparing us from the complexities of managing additional products while focusing on building our own. This capability adds tremendous value to the entire value chain we offer to our customers. I would rate it six out of ten.

The pricing of Azure DevOps falls within the average range and it is fixed. When evaluating costs, it is not a significant expense for our organization. I would rate it four out of ten.

We conducted evaluations of other vendors as well, with Jira emerging as the strongest contender at that time. When considering an on-premises solution, particularly for internal team collaboration, an internal instance of Jira suffices, leveraging available compute units and VMs within the organization. However, for external client collaboration, especially when teams are geographically dispersed, Azure DevOps in the cloud presents a more viable option. Additionally, Azure DevOps offers an intuitive interface for efficient project management and source code integration. From a cost perspective, Azure DevOps proves to be more economical, priced at seven dollars per user.

Azure DevOps is a highly stable and robust product, providing users with a dependable experience. It offers more functionality than initially anticipated, making it essential to explore its full capabilities beyond just storage management or source code usage. It's crucial for users to thoroughly understand the product and its features to leverage its full potential. We are highly satisfied with it as we haven't encountered significant problems where the product itself is unresponsive or features are failing to load. Performance issues, authentication failures, and other common concerns are non-existent, as the standard mechanisms work flawlessly for us. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.

I work in a consulting firm responsible for adding, managing, and deploying government projects. We are using Microsoft Azure DevOps in one of the projects for backlog management, test planning, test execution, sprint planning, bug fixes, and enhancement requests. We use the solution for anything related to development testing.

The solution's most valuable features are backlog management, build release pipeline, and testing. They're easy, intuitive, and increase productivity. Usually, if you don't use such a solution, you end up using Excel. Then, you won't have shared documents, and there'll be no single source of growth. Everybody will keep a different document somewhere, and you will spend a lot of effort reconciling the latest status.

Using Microsoft Azure DevOps makes it really easy for us. Anytime you can see how many bugs are open, you can directly get it out of the tool. The solution's reporting is really easy. You can create ad hoc reports based on management requirements. If you are sitting in a meeting and somebody asks you the number of chain requests, bugs, or enhancements, you can create quick queries and show them the status. I think this directly affects productivity.

Microsoft Azure DevOps doesn't have an ITSM tool compared to its competitors. We also use Jira for another project, and Jira supports ITSM or ticketing. Since Microsoft Azure DevOps doesn't have this feature, we have to depend on another solution for service request management for support tickets.

The solution should include ITSM tools and security. DevSecOps are third-party security plug-ins that you can integrate with DevOps. Azure DevOps itself doesn't have anything out of the box. Enabling security so that the solution automatically starts checking things would be a really handy feature.

I have been using Microsoft Azure DevOps for three years.

We haven’t faced any issues with the solution’s stability.

I rate the solution a nine or ten out of ten for stability.

Since it's a SaaS solution, we haven't faced any scalability or performance issues, and we haven't struggled when we had a lot of users. We have gone through a curve. We started with around ten users. At the peak of the project, we had almost 50 users. Since we are in maintenance, we have come down to 10 to 15 users.

We use 100% of Microsoft Azure DevOps for our project. Everything is within Azure DevOps. If anybody says that we need to work on a feature, the first thing we do is create a DevOps item. So, we don't do anything outside DevOps.

The tool provides the features, but we haven't been able to onboard end users. We are a consultancy firm that works with system integrators and also engages with the end client. We have been able to onboard the system integrators, and we are also using it.

However, the end users still prefer sending emails and documents. If you send them a link to run a test script, they won't do it. So, the end users still prefer the old ways, such as emails and documents.

I rate the solution's scalability a nine or ten out of ten.

So far, we haven't faced any issues in terms of technical support. There is good documentation available if you are looking for support for configuration. So, you usually end up resolving your issues yourself. Since this tool is widely used, you can find help online. People are writing content about this solution, and Microsoft itself has good documentation.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup a nine out of ten. The solution's initial setup is pretty easy, and the rollout is pretty quick. You can enable it and then keep on modifying and updating it.

It took us less than a week to deploy Azure DevOps. Since we were using a cloud environment, there was no infrastructure requirement. We went on Azure DevOps, created an organization, and then created a project. Inside the project, we selected the type of project.

There are different templates that you can follow, including the CMM-level approach or the basic approach. We selected one of the templates and copied the template. We made some modifications to the template for the project because that template is used for governing steps.

Then, we created depositories, which is pretty quick. In a week's time, we were up and running with backlog management. It took a couple of weeks to complete the automated build and deployment pipelines.

We needed one person to set up the project and one knowledgeable about the build and deployment pipelines. If you have a person who knows how to do the pipelines, you can also configure the project. So, one person is good enough to set up the entire project.

We have seen a return on investment with Microsoft Azure DevOps in terms of productivity because it really helps with the amount of time you need to consolidate reporting and planning. The status is always up to date, and the deployment is very streamlined. You can do the entire thing in Excel, but the overhead would be too much, and you would lose out on things. So, team synchronization and productivity are the return on investment with the solution.

I rate the solution’s return on investment a nine out of ten.

The solution's pricing is pretty cheap. The best part of the Azure DevOps and SaaS model is that there's no upfront cost. The tool has a per-user license. It's free for five users, and there is a price above five users. The solution's deployment and licensing costs are very cheap compared to those of its competitors.

The solution's pricing is not fixed. The solution's testing license is $50 per user. It's $15 for normal users who use backlog management. We have two people from the test team and seven from the other team. This is in maintenance.

Since we had a big testing team, we had 15 people in testing and 30 people in backlog management during peak time. You can say it has a 70:30 ratio. Most of the cost is in testing, and the backlog management is really cheap.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten.

Before choosing Microsoft Azure DevOps, we evaluated other options like Jira and HP ALM. Jira is good at ITSM and backlog management, but it is dependent on third-party tools for pipeline deployment.

It's too complex to do product management with HP ALM. It's a good ITSM tool, but the process it follows for product management is very stringent, which is not very flexible for sprint planning. There is too much overhead in HP ALM to do quick sprints.

We are working with the SaaS (Software as a Service) version of the solution, which is on the cloud. Since Microsoft provides the latest upgrades and patches, it should be the latest version.

We start by creating backlog items. Whenever we get a requirement, we log it into Azure DevOps and plan the backlog. The backlog includes what features we need to develop and what tasks we need to assign to each developer. Each developer is part of the DevOps. Once you have created that backlog, we assign it to different developers based on a sprint.

Suppose we are going to run a four-week development cycle. So, we plan the development cycle, pick a few items from the backlog, assign them to that sprint, assign them to the developer, and then manage the execution of that development cycle. Once that's completed, we will transfer it to the test team so they can test it in Azure DevOps.

They have test scripts that are documented in Azure DevOps. They run tests, record videos, and capture screenshots in Azure DevOps. After the test verification, we deploy the solution. In addition to backlog management and product management, we use Azure DevOps for build and release deployment. We don't manually go and build the software.

Our code repository is also part of DevOps. As soon as we check in the new code, Azure DevOps automatically builds the solution and then deploys it in the development environment. Once it's confirmed, the same is deployed to quality and production. We use the solution to do everything end to end, other than ITSM.

Specifically, Azure DevOps is integrated with deployment for us. When we manually deploy a solution, it's prone to errors. We use Azure for website deployment and Azure DevOps for Apple app or Google app deployment.

As soon as the approval is done in Azure DevOps, apps are automatically published. It will publish an app on the Google Play Store, Apple Play Store, and Azure, which we use for web hosting. So, it is integrated with web hosting, Apple Store, and Google Play Store.

The solution does not really need any maintenance. Once you enable the testing solution, you can start creating your test plans and test scripts directly. Every time you do a deployment, you just need to run those test scripts, which is pretty easy. It's more about creating your test script than configuring the tool. Even if I do it in Excel, I need to spend time on that.

The solution's analytics and reporting are pretty easy. We use them very often on an ad hoc basis whenever we discuss and plan what to deploy and what the next steps are. It's pretty easy, and we haven't faced an issue where we weren't able to take out any reports just by doing it on an ad hoc basis. It's pretty easy, and you don't need to write code or anything.

The tool is pretty flexible and easy to use. I suggest starting with the cloud version because you can create your project easily. Since it's free for five users, organizations with budget constraints can start playing with limited users. I would say start with the cloud-based version and start playing with it. Once you get comfortable with it, you can expand it for other projects. The tool serves a wide variety of use cases.

The biggest key trend these days is fast deployments or quick releases. Given how competitive the market has become, you need to keep on adding features to your product. Azure DevOps supports the sprint methodology, which supports fast deployment.

On top of that, it supports automated build release deployment. That was a headache when I started working. Sometimes, you forget a file when deploying in production, and your system will go down. The solution's features support the latest fast or quick deployment trend.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

We use it across various projects, each with a different purpose. Originally known as VSTS, then it transitioned to what was called Team Foundation Server, and now it is Azure DevOps. 

We use it to plan/manage our sprints and Kanban boards, as well as to maintain CI/CD pipelines. It serves as our code repository, too.

We shifted to the cloud environment and started migrating from our data centers about eight or nine years back. It has been a long journey. However, we have been using Azure DevOps for almost five to six years in every project. So, Azure DevOps supported our shift towards DevOps culture.

It has contributed in many different ways:

1. Improved our CI/CD workflows:

It's completely automated. Developers can make check-ins or pull requests, with pull requests facilitating code check-ins or releases. We've also implemented a feature called Feature Flags in Azure DevOps, which is quite recent. 

It allows us to deploy code to production without releasing certain features immediately, enhancing both developer productivity and our automation processes significantly.

2. Manage code across environments

We manage code across multiple environments, namely development, testing, and production. Each environment may have a different version of the code deployed.

3. Team productivity:

It offers a combination of how projects can be done in sprints. The Agile project management capabilities offer resource-leveling. It also has developer functionalities to manage the code version. 

4. Improved version control practices:

Version control practices have been perfect for us. It maintains a detailed history and is integrated with GitHub, which is also a Microsoft product. It is quite a game-changer. This integration enables both development and project management tools to coexist efficiently, allowing for detailed project plans, delivery milestones, bug tracking, and linked code management. It's truly a game changer, integrating various Microsoft products into a cohesive platform.

My company has experienced benefits from using it or from recent updates in Azure Pipelines. For instance, we can manage different code versions from the same repository across different environments. We also use feature flags; the code is deployed, but the feature can be made visible to the end user at a later time. 

Additionally, as part of the deployment, we integrate automated and regression testing, which stops the deployment if testing fails, thus preventing regression bugs. This saves time and increases productivity by reducing the need for manual testing. 

Lastly, it integrates with the project management aspects, allowing us to link code deployments with project milestones.

Azure DevOps supported our shift towards DevOps culture or practices. We shifted to the cloud environment and started migrating from our data centers about eight or nine years back. 

It has been a long journey. However, we have used Azure DevOps for almost five to six years in every project.

We also use automation testing in Azure, so we have an integrated test suite that allows us to perform functional and regression testing effectively via the Azure DevOps system.

It's too technical sometimes because it's meant for network developers. The CI/CD pipelines are not very easy to manage because it requires a lot of input.

So it could be easier to manage.

I have been using it for three years now. 

As for stability, since Azure DevOps is cloud-deployed and uses CI/CD for updates, we sometimes face jitters or some downtimes. Occasionally, features break for various reasons. 

But overall, the stability is on par with how far the product has come.

It's quite scalable in terms of both data nodes and functionality.

It's an enterprise-level application. There are, like, hundreds of teams using it.

We have an enterprise license, and scalability is not a problem. It is easy to scale out. 

The support goes via the service-level agreement that the enterprise has with Microsoft.

Therefore, there are different levels of support available based on what level of license is procured. We have platinum level.  

Positive

It's a very configuration-intensive tool. It's not something you can learn on day one. It requires familiarity and important training, but Microsoft provides quite good documentation on how to use the tool.

Deployment of the tool itself is usually part of an enterprise deployment, but it needs to be configured for each project. It's the same cloud offering available globally, but it must be tailored to meet the specific needs of each project. So, it can be done within a week or so from the start of the project.

For the deployment and maintenance, there's one platform engineer. Based on the size of the project, this could be a full-time person or shared with multiple teams. 

We have one platform engineer who manages the environment, a developer who manages their code check-in and pull requests, and then there are automation clusters who manage that as well.

We are in a large organization, so ROI is there. 

The basic version is free, which is offered by Microsoft. But if you've got a larger team size, you need to pay. We have enterprise agreements. It's not based on the number of users; it's a one-time fee open for the entire enterprise.

Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.

I would recommend that you should use it to know how effective it is. That's my advice. Because it combines the power of having program management or agile project management tools as well as developer practicality, that's the unique selling point of Azure DevOps. 

No other tool probably matches the scale. You either have project management tools like Jira or Rally or you have code management tools like GitHub or Slack. It also has a very exhaustive bug management process built in.

It is a quite comprehensive product.