We use Microsoft Azure for many different services. For example, we use the Azure Boards for work and issue tracking. The Azure Repos is a place we store code, it is similar to a Git repository for us. Microsoft Azure has pipelines for the deployment of your applications across environments. There are different cloud services for different use cases in Microsoft Azure that I interact with on a daily basis.
Chief Engineer - Cloud | Azure | Integration at Numerics Cloud
Helpful online community, plenty of documentation, and simple setup
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft Azure has hundred of services that they offer on the platform."
- "There are times when using a service in Microsoft Azure can be confusing because you have four or five options that do similar operations. It would be helpful if there was a clear decision tree around those features. Microsoft does provide a lot of decision trees around a lot of their services, but it's not for everything."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Microsoft Azure has benefited our organization mostly because we moved all our infrastructure to the cloud. That has helped with cost optimization. We don't have to worry about operational maintenance for things such as patching or updates for any of the servers because everything is handled by the cloud itself. We are always using the latest version.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft Azure has hundred of services that they offer on the platform.
The Microsoft Azure platform in itself is very good. The documentation that is available I find very handy and the community behind it is helpful. If you have any problems or anything, you can easily reach Microsoft's community, and then there would be someone who would be willing to help. That's a very good plus point for Microsoft Azure.
What needs improvement?
There are times when using a service in Microsoft Azure can be confusing because you have four or five options that do similar operations. It would be helpful if there was a clear decision tree around those features. Microsoft does provide a lot of decision trees around a lot of their services, but it's not for everything.
This would be helpful for the users because sometimes it gets confusing what to use, what not to use. Then you start with something, and then after two months, you think you should have used something else. There are approximately 200 services and I have found this issue with approximately 10 of them.
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March 2026
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is stable, I did not encounter any issues or anything in the platform. The uptime is very good.
When you design your solution, you can make sure that everything is accounted for in your design, such as all the options are there. Microsoft Azure in itself is rarely down. If there is a complete blackout it can happen, but normally no. It's very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Microsoft Azure is unlimited. You never have to be concerned with scalability. You only have to pay for it and then the scaling is available for you.
I have approximately 50 to 100 people using this solution in my organization. I use the solution on a daily basis.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact the technical to Microsoft in my current experience. In the past, I have contacted Microsoft once or twice, but the process is straightforward. You raise a ticket, and then Microsoft's people reach out to you.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Azure is very straightforward. You don't have to do any setup. You only have to sign up on the Microsoft Portal, and then you can start using it.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation of Microsoft Azure myself.
There is not any maintenance required for this solution. If we build any solution on top of Microsoft Azure, then that's something that we have to take care of and maintain. The Microsoft Azure platform in itself does not need any maintenance from us.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Microsoft Azure is not expensive. You pay for what you use. If you are using it everything could be expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We choose Microsoft Azure after doing the proper comparisons and proof of concepts. We did a complete pros and cons list for our vendor selection process.
What other advice do I have?
I would highly recommend Microsoft Azure to others.
I would advise others that one of the most important points to make is to make sure that the security and governance of the platform have been thought of before you start building everything around it. Make sure you build your security framework and the governance framework around the platform that suits your company. Every company is different. Everyone will have different security and governance rules.
I 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.
Consultant at SoftwareONE
Useful services, highly scalable, and easy to implement
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft Azure has a lot of useful features. They have databases, application services, PaaS solutions, such as platform and infrastructure services. The virtual machines' functions and services are good."
- "Microsoft Azure can improve by adding more features for virtual machines, such as tier virtual machines."
What is our primary use case?
I have worked in a consultant company and we have customers who migrate their services to the cloud and to modern applications and services using Microsoft Azure.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft Azure has a lot of useful features. They have databases, application services, PaaS solutions, such as platform and infrastructure services. The virtual machines' functions and services are good.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Azure can improve by adding more features for virtual machines, such as tier virtual machines.
In an upcoming release, I would like to see more information, features, and warehouse information on data.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is highly stable. However, Microsoft could improve the availability of the services by creating availability zones that are services working active-active in different positions around the globe. If any of these positions fall down, then another position will deliver the solution. This way there is no loss of service or loss to the business.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure has a lot of features for scalability. You could increase the scalability of any service, such as databases storage or virtual machines.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft Azure technical support is not the best, they could improve the knowledge of their team and solve problems faster.
How was the initial setup?
The solution can be easy to implement. You could start easily, there are some services that have simple steps, and you could speed up the entire process. However, there are some more difficult deployments in more complicated architectures. You could start easily in the solution and then you can improve your skills.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to those thinking about using Microsoft Azure is to try it, it's a great service. It's a great opportunity to improve your career because there are a lot of challenges. I would recommend using the documentation and the information from the YouTube channels. There is a lot of documentation and data about Microsoft Azure available.
I rate Microsoft Azure a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Microsoft Azure
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
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Director Technology at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
It gives us the speed and predictability to build something in a short time.
Pros and Cons
- "Azure's Data Lake services are decent. I like AKS, and API Management is relatively straightforward to use. The security and SIEM options Azure offers are good. All the infrastructure services are easy to use and set up."
- "Pricing is one area where Azure has room for improvement. There should be some due consideration. Azure has solved some issues with pricing from the development team's standpoint, but it is still quite costly. They should also offer a trial period for the individual platform solutions. I think that would be pretty handy for the developers."
What is our primary use case?
In general, we use Azure for financial services.
How has it helped my organization?
Azure helps us take a few things to the market predictably and robustly. It gives us the speed and predictability to build something in a short time. The cost can sometimes be clumsier, but I believe it is similar to other cloud providers. These are the main advantages, but the price is one factor that has really bothered our clients.
What is most valuable?
Azure's Data Lake services are decent. I like AKS, and API Management is relatively straightforward to use. The security and SIEM options Azure offers are good. All the infrastructure services are easy to use and set up.
What needs improvement?
In terms of adoption, one issue we face is providing training for users who are new to Azure and want to try some features out. There are some methods by which the organization has to allot some budget to them, but it has to be apart from the developer endpoints. It's difficult for them to try out something new. It would be nice if Azure had an evaluation period of 30, 60, or 90 days, so people could try out a few things and learn.
That is one challenging area, but this is a problem with all cloud providers, not just Azure. Some free subscriptions are available, but they are for the cloud platform as a whole rather than just a single service. For example, say I don't have a trial subscription, but I want to try something new like Azure AKS for 30 days to learn and to try out.
It's hard to say what Azure could add. There are a few specific requirements that clients raise based on business needs. In general, I don't think there is any particular feature I can recommend.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Azure for about four or five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Azure has had some issues on and off, but that was a couple of years back, and now it seems okay. Sometimes the performance of the cloud degrades, but there are workarounds.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We mainly use AKS, which is pretty scalable, so I don't see any issue there. Azure's scalability is relative, so it depends on the client and the solution. Most of our clients are B2B, so they don't have many users. However, we provide a retail banking solution that involves hundreds of transactions per hour. Azure can handle up to a hundred transactions per second can be supported, so I think it's okay.
How are customer service and support?
We talk to Microsoft support often.
How was the initial setup?
Azure setup is pretty straightforward and we mostly handle it in-house. However, it depends upon the complexity of the use case, how we are deploying, and the kind of application we are building. The build and deployment times depend on how we structure our packaging.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Azure is expensive, but that depends upon who you ask. It probably wouldn't be considered a significant expense for a large corporation, but it's costly for smaller enterprises or startups.
Pricing is one area where Azure has room for improvement. There should be some due consideration. Azure has solved some issues with pricing from the development team's standpoint, but it is still quite costly. They should also offer a trial period for the individual platform solutions. I think that would be pretty handy for the developers.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Azure eight out of 10. I would recommend it. I don't see any challenges from a technology standpoint.
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
Software Professional at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy to configure, improves infrastructure performance, and lowers cost
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable aspect of this solution is its ease of use."
- "From a security perspective, there is always something that can be improved as we serve our customers."
What is our primary use case?
Microsoft Azure assists in lowering the cost of on-premises infrastructure as well as improving performance.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect of this solution is its ease of use.
It is quite easy to configure, including the resources.
What needs improvement?
We don't have any expectations. We have recently stabilized our application in terms of moving to the Cloud. We are still exploring the features available in Microsoft Azure, so determining what could be improved is difficult.
More integration may be required in the future, but I don't believe it is necessary for us at this time. We would be working with a hybrid platform more than anything else.
From a security perspective, there is always something that can be improved as we serve our customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is a scalable product.
In our organization, we have more than 5,000 employees who use this solution. The organization itself has moved onto the Microsoft Azure Platform.
At this time we will not be increasing our usage.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted technical support, but perhaps the infrastructure team has.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
All of our applications are developed using Microsoft.NET Technologies. We prefer to use the Microsoft Platform.
Salesforce CRM is a tool that we use internally, as well as Symantec.
For virtual meetings we use Teams.
How was the initial setup?
I was not involved with the initial setup. We have a team of two members to deploy and maintain the infrastructure.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to anyone thinking about using it.
In my opinion, everything is fine, I would rate Microsoft Azure a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Co Founder And CTO at Gamucopia Creatives
User-friendly tool with many integrations
Pros and Cons
- "Azure virtual machines are stand-out."
- "Their backup strategy is a little complex which racks up the VM to other sole storage areas. This should be improved."
What is most valuable?
Azure virtual machines are stand-out.
What needs improvement?
Their backup strategy is a little complex which racks up the VM to other sole storage areas. This should be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for close to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service was very good.
How was the initial setup?
Initial setup was straightforward and flawless.
What about the implementation team?
This was implemented via in-house team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is fair and it was actually just reduced. My organization is paying approximately $100,000 annually with close to one thousand users. There are no additional fees.
What other advice do I have?
Azure is user-friendly which is great for those with no code experience, though this limits flexibility.
This is a very simple solution. Their integration with Office 365 is very easy. And for those who are enterprise customers already using Office 365, their role-based access control communicating with Azure is much simpler and easier which allows for full control.
I would rate this a nine 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.
IT Solutions Architect at Canvia
The services are ready to use from the outset
Pros and Cons
- "Easy to deploy services"
- "Potential improvements to the price calculator tool"
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for Azure is for workload, database, and service migrations. I use Azure to migrate services to serverless Azure services. Some of the services I utilize within Azure are Azure SQL database, managed database, Cosmos, virtual machines, service accounts, and infrastructure as a code for migration.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see improvements with the price calculator tool. I would like to get a forward-looking view of the services I want to cost. For example, if I want a bigger machine with two CPU's and eight gigabytes of RAM, maybe the calculator can allow me to input my recipe, the tool can then give me a list of virtual machines that have that specification, and it will be easier for me to choose the virtual machine I want.
There are no additional features at this time I can suggest for future releases.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with Microsoft Azure for 7 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is very stable, it has a SLA of 99.9%.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The Azure services are very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft have varying types of support levels. Depending on what level of support you have , this determines the response time from them.
What about the implementation team?
We implement in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
All services in the cloud are easy to set up, the services are ready to use from the outset. For example, it would take me 5 minutes to deploy one virtual machine in Azure, or a Sharepoint cluster may take me 4 hours. The cloud deployments are normally automatic once you start.
Regarding licensing, always look to optimize costs with the use of Azure Advisor.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We use Microsoft Azure and AWS, depending on what the client wants. Some clients like to compare prices between the two, it depends on the workload that my client would like to migrate also.
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
Head of Department at Combis d.o.o.
Highly scalable, good support, and plenty of services available
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft Azure has thousands of services and products."
- "Microsoft Azure could improve by having the availability be 100%. Which is difficult, but not impossible."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Azure for various databases, file storing, backup, disaster recovery. It's a very useful service.
What is most valuable?
Microsoft Azure has thousands of services and products.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Azure could improve by having the availability be 100%. Which is difficult, but not impossible.
In the future, there should be more automation.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Azure for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Azure is highly scalable.
Our customers that are using the solutions can have from 100 to several thousand that are using the solution.
We have plans to extend the usage of this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
My projects are normally complex. However, the implementation of Microsoft Azure is very simple.
The length of time the full deployment can take depends on the complexity of the project. It can vary from one month to half a year. It depends on the goal of the project.
I would rate the initial setup of Microsoft Azure a four out of five.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is you need to be technically aware of Azure services, which are always in some kind of improvement. It is helpful to be aware of the possibility and functionality of your projects and the financial cost for Azure services in the project plan.
I rate Microsoft Azure a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director at a non-profit with 51-200 employees
Responsive technical support with a good pricing model and useful disaster recover capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "There is the potential to scale."
- "In a month, there is a plan to increase pricing, which is something we are not looking forward to."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for backups and ASO.
What is most valuable?
The ASO is great.
We enjoy the disaster recovery aspect of the solution, which is very interesting, as we pay when it is on. When it's off we don't pay.
There is no effort investment. We just pay what is being replicated, that's all.
There is the potential to scale.
The stability is good.
We've found the technical support to be responsive.
What needs improvement?
In a month, there is a plan to increase pricing, which is something we are not looking forward to.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've worked with the solution since it was first released. We've used it for a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product is very stable compared to if you are going to employ it in-house. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. t's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. If you need to expand it, you can.
We are in Mauritius. Mauritius is a very small country. We have about 1.2 million inhabitants. We are not that big of a country. I have about 25 clients using it.
How are customer service and support?
We are an indirect reseller. We do have the CSP, the cloud service provider, in Mauritius, with whom we purchase. When we have an issue, we deal with them. They do have engineers that provide support as well.
That said, if there are any big troubles then we contact Microsoft directly. So far, our experience has been very positive. The callback is within 20 minutes. It's fine.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not simple. You need to be trained. It's not like it's just ready to be implemented - you need to be trained in what you are doing.
The deployment is quick and only takes about one day.
What was our ROI?
We do get an ROI from the disaster recovery aspect of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is great, as we only pay for what we use.
That said, the prices are about to increase in the next month.
We do have some clients in South Africa and some clients in Germany, however, we've noticed that the pricing for Germany is less expensive than South Africa. South Africa has a new data center, which is likely why the price is a bit high.
What other advice do I have?
We implement the solution. We are silver resellers.
We are using the latest version of the solution.
I'd rate the solution at a nine 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.
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