Azure cloud is a platform for many things, such as hosting, file services, application or power apps, and data lake. All these things are a part of Microsoft Azure. We're using it as a full suite. We are a big tenant with all solutions for Microsoft. We are using the latest version of Microsoft Azure.
Senior Regional IT Infrastructure Consultant at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
A feature-rich and stable platform with good redundancy and scalability
Pros and Cons
- "The redundancy across different regions is the most valuable. It provides a big value for cloud services, especially for Microsoft."
- "The level of authorization or authorization cascading can be improved. We have the most powerful admins and then we have sub-admins, but the level of authorization is not that easy to handle or manage."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The redundancy across different regions is the most valuable. It provides a big value for cloud services, especially for Microsoft.
What needs improvement?
The level of authorization or authorization cascading can be improved. We have the most powerful admins and then we have sub-admins, but the level of authorization is not that easy to handle or manage.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for three years. I am using this solution on a daily basis. It is the main platform that we have.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is good. It is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is very easy to scale. We have more than 7,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
They are pretty sufficient. I would rate them an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We also have different cloud vendors like Amazon and Salesforce, but they all are for different purposes, so it depends on the service.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was simple. It was done in stages.
What about the implementation team?
We had the full support and dedication from Microsoft for its installation. Its maintenance is done by a vendor, and we also have some technical support from Microsoft when we are doing this stuff.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft always provides the entry-level solution with a cheap license. Once you start to like the product, then you have to pay for the full package, which is more expensive than the entry-level solution. Every feature comes with a license and a cost. Some licenses have multiple features, and some features require a specific license.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise starting directly with Microsoft and then asking the vendors to recommend the trusted partners to work on the implementation or migration, and not vice versa. First, talk with the architect of the design and see if they can recommend a trusted partner who can do the implementation.
I would rate Microsoft Azure a nine out of ten. It is a big product and platform. It covers many things in terms of features.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

IT Unit Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Kubernetes service and API management are the most valuable, and it has very good stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
- "Kubernetes service and API management are the most valuable."
- "It should have a better hybrid-cloud central analysis. Their support service also needs to be improved. Our main concern is support calls. Our issue is basically related to the technical functionality of the services that we use. It doesn't behave as expected, and support often fails to solve the problem."
What is our primary use case?
We use it to extend our own data centers and banking scenarios for banking solutions.
How has it helped my organization?
It provides us with access to technology that's not available in any other form. It only exists in the cloud. In order to keep our solutions modern, we have to do it through the public cloud.
What is most valuable?
Kubernetes service and API management are the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
It should have a better hybrid-cloud central analysis. Their support service also needs to be improved. Our main concern is support calls. Our issue is basically related to the technical functionality of the services that we use. It doesn't behave as expected, and support often fails to solve the problem.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is pretty stable. It has very good stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. There are no issues with scalability.
We have a maximum of 200 users. They include internal developers and other types of profiles.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support service needs to be improved.
How was the initial setup?
It is complex because the solutions are complex. It depends on how you want to do the setup. For our business scenario, it is complex because there are a lot of security rules that are involved in it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is competitive with other public cloud providers, and its price is very close to different cloud providers. There is not a noticeable difference between different cloud providers. Otherwise, it would be a risk for them to have services that were much more expensive than their competition. They're pretty much neck to neck on pricing.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise others to go for the closest possible platform as a service. Do not go for infrastructure as a service; go for platform as a service.
I would rate Microsoft Azure a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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December 2024

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Executive Officer at a government with 201-500 employees
Hosts our whole data center and has a simple setup and very good support
Pros and Cons
- "We've got multiple tools on Azure, which is a very good feature of Azure. Our Palo Alto firewall and other things are hosted in Azure. We're using Sentinel as well, which is a security tool that is being used by our SOC teams. I've also used AWS, and I find Azure to be more Windows-driven. Although Azure is newer as compared to AWS, it is growing fast. Microsoft is working towards the betterment of Azure."
- "As compared to AWS, Azure can improve its functionality. In terms of the feature list, it is still lacking a bit as compared to AWS. AWS supports lots of types of operating systems, which Azure is still catching up with. Azure is mainly focused on the Windows system, and it is not yet there in terms of integration with other operating systems like Linux, Unix. Azure is slowly catching up."
What is our primary use case?
Our whole data center is on this basically. We are UK Export Finance, so we've got financial products there. All of our servers are hosted in Azure.
We are using an Azure subscription. We are on Azure Public Cloud, but we have got our own private subscription.
What is most valuable?
We've got multiple tools on Azure, which is a very good feature of Azure. Our Palo Alto firewall and other things are hosted in Azure. We're using Sentinel as well, which is a security tool that is being used by our SOC teams.
I've also used AWS, and I find Azure to be more Windows-driven. Although Azure is newer as compared to AWS, it is growing fast. Microsoft is working towards the betterment of Azure.
What needs improvement?
As compared to AWS, Azure can improve its functionality. In terms of the feature list, it is still lacking a bit as compared to AWS. AWS supports lots of types of operating systems, which Azure is still catching up with. Azure is mainly focused on the Windows system, and it is not yet there in terms of integration with other operating systems like Linux, Unix. Azure is slowly catching up.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Azure for the last five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Lots of glitches are still there. Microsoft is constantly working to resolve those. It is a new product as compared to AWS, so, obviously, it would have some glitches. Three years ago, it was full of bugs. It is much better and stable now.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We've got around 450 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is very good. Their response is very good. At the end of the day, we're a business, and their business support is pretty good.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is quite straightforward. It is not at all hard.
We've got a third-party maintenance company that actually maintains our Azure space.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is not cheap. Its price could be a little bit less.
What other advice do I have?
It is a cloud solution at the end of the day. People can pick up any cloud solution, but Azure is renowned. Azure and AWS are the main competitors in the cloud market now. AWS comes first, and Azure comes after that. If your solution is predominantly in the Linux space, you should go for AWS. If you are primarily Windows-based, you should go for Azure.
I would rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr Solutions Architect at System Soft Technologies, LLC
Information protection is great as is the ability to provide temporary and secure access to vendors
Pros and Cons
- "Good information protection feature."
- "Could be more user friendly; initial setup is difficult to understand."
What is our primary use case?
The product is being used for document sharing and archiving. The company wants their customers to be able to pull certain documents that they put on file. The idea is that through active directory B2B, they will offer access to the different files and customers will be able to pull the files they need from the server. The company uses information protection to make sure that only the right people have access to the right files. We are integrators, mainly on the software side. We are partners with Microsoft Azure and I'm a senior solution architect.
How has it helped my organization?
The company has different vendors that they bring in. This product has made it easier to onboard those individuals and to provide access to them when needed and then to basically cut them off when the time comes. The way they have it set up, documents can't be downloaded. They are only accessible online but can be accessed from anywhere so the company doesn't have to worry about setting up VPNs and the like. They provide a username, password, a two-factor authentication and that enables access.
What is most valuable?
Information protection is a good feature because you can label different documents and different files, and that allows them to put like NDA files in a specific bucket, as opposed to just regular, safe or confidential storage.
What needs improvement?
This solution is not user friendly to set up and it's difficult to understand, particularly with regard to information protection and the sort of licensing needed to utilize it. Simplification would go a long way.
I'd like to see them improve on the watermarking. There's a feature that allows you to watermark documents that are checked out. Currently it watermarks a document with whoever publishes it. For example, if you wanted to watermark the email address, it doesn't watermark with the person checking out the file, but with the person publishing the document. It would be more valuable if the watermarking was related to the person checking out the document, in case it leaks out.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for several years and on my most recent project, for the past six months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been great. We haven't had any issues whatsoever with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
As far as I know, scalability is fine. Our current customer isn't huge so I can't speak to enterprise size customers. It's not infinite scalability, but it is Azure Cloud. If you need more storage, you buy more storage.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is fairly complex. There is a ton of documentation, but once you get through that it's really not difficult, it's just not intuitive. The product requires better documentation that explains things. I think a lot of it has to do with the licensing requirements. It's not obvious and so you can be following a step-by-step tutorial and still not get it right because the software requirements aren't right but it doesn't give you that in clear text.
You can probably set this up within 30 minutes, realistically, as long as you know all the steps. Unfortunately, it took about four or five hours to troubleshoot the situation because we didn't understand what the license requirements were. We had to go and obtain those licenses and try it a second time. It'll be fine now because we understand it but there are certain things like having to be a security administrator within the roles and responsibility matrix, and that's not really outlined in the documentation.
What was our ROI?
The company wanted it to deploy rapidly. They didn't want to spend a lot on this project to buy storage, and clear that storage, ensuring that it was 100% secure. This was either going to be a very short-term project or it was going to blow up to something large and they weren't sure which direction it was going to go. Enabling them to use OPEX spend just to utilize what they need when they need it at a low cost, was super valuable to them.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend anyone wanting to implement this solution to carry out background homework on active directory, on information access management (IAM), and then understand the licensing before you deploy. That aside, it's pretty straightforward. I've learned that setting up secure documents doesn't have to be difficult as long as you take into account those caveats of understanding your licensing and active directory.
I would rate this solution an eight 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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Architect at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
A customizable solution with a good interface and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the interface and customizability."
- "Dashboards and reporting could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are a solution provider and Microsoft Azure is one of the technologies that we help our clients to implement. For example, when one of our customers wants to migrate from on-premises to the cloud, we assist them with the process. Once they decide on technology, we build the solution.
Our clients implement Azure to use as Infrastructure as a Service.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the interface and customizability.
The approach used for cloud migration is something that I like.
Documentation and community support are good.
What needs improvement?
Dashboards and reporting could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Azure for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Azure is a stable system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are no issues with scalability. We have a range of customers that vary in size from small to medium-sized businesses, as well as enterprise-level organizations.
How are customer service and technical support?
I am happy with the good support that we are getting. I have not been in contact with them directly but some of my colleagues have dealt with them.
How was the initial setup?
The installation and initial setup are easy. We implemented over the course of a few days.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Reducing the price would be of benefit to our customers.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is considering this solution is to do a proof of concept first. This is what I suggest to all of our customers, especially before migrating to the cloud. It will ensure that it meets the requirements.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
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: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Senior DevSecOps Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Comes with account management feature but interface needs to be made similar to AWS
Pros and Cons
- "The tool's most valuable aspect is the account management side. This involves tasks such as assigning credentials to different individuals, managing user accounts, and implementing Privileged Access Management."
- "The tool should add an interface that is similar to AWS."
What is our primary use case?
In my department, we primarily use AWS. However, for single sign-on, we use Azure Directory. It helps with integration when logging into various systems. The IT operations team utilizes Microsoft Defender for tasks such as tracking various endpoints and conducting business reviews.
What is most valuable?
The tool's most valuable aspect is the account management side. This involves tasks such as assigning credentials to different individuals, managing user accounts, and implementing Privileged Access Management.
What needs improvement?
The tool should add an interface that is similar to AWS.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My company has around five to ten users for Microsoft Azure. It is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft Azure is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
The tool is a great product to use, and very intuitive. It is beneficial for users and enterprises. I rate it an eight out of ten. The product is easy to learn, but it may become difficult depending on your technical ability.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Technical support engineer at 64 Network security pvt ltd
An exceptionally stable and easy-to-access solution for file storage and file backup
Pros and Cons
- "Feature-wise, I like its stability. Also, it is easy to access the solution and its options."
- "The security feature in the solution is an area that needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We were using Microsoft Azure for file storage and file backup. So, it was one of our backup resources. Internally, NAS is there in our company. So, we go from NAS to Veeam and Veeam to Azure.
What is most valuable?
Feature-wise, I like its stability. Also, it is easy to access the solution and its options. Also, the backup solutions can take anything, so we can easily find out any option.
What needs improvement?
The security feature in the solution is an area that needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience with Microsoft Azure until six months ago. Also, I was using the solution's latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product. There are more than 100 users using the solution. I am just involved in the maintenance of the servers and infrastructures.
How are customer service and support?
We need to purchase Microsoft Azure for our clients, including cloud backup and any Azure solutions. So, So that time, we need to contact technical support. I expect more technical support from Azure.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is straightforward. When you need to create multiple tasks, the solution can get complex. I am not involved in the deployment process.
What other advice do I have?
I can recommend it to other people who want to start using it. So, our company provides a lot of solutions to our clients, including backup solutions like NAS storage, cloud storage, and servers. Parallely, we provide support to users.
I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
BI Expert at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable, high performance, and stable
Pros and Cons
- "I have not had a problem with the stability. It is reliable."
- "I have found Microsoft Azure has many components to use and it's very difficult to understand every component."
What is our primary use case?
I only use Microsoft Azure for queries, creating databases, and applying rules. The data lakes are very simple to connect.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft Azure is a very fast and high-performance solution. It is the best product today.
What needs improvement?
I have found Microsoft Azure has many components to use and it's very difficult to understand every component.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Microsoft Azure within the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not had a problem with the stability. It is reliable.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Amazon AWS, Oracle SQL, and NoSQL databases.
How was the initial setup?
The configuration of Microsoft Azure can be difficult because of the mapping.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Azure an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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