IT System Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
A stable solution with a reasonable licensing fee and excellent technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support has been excellent. On that side, Microsoft is very good. The customer support of Microsoft has really improved this past year. On the cloud side also we are very satisfied because it offers very good support."
  • "The solution could work to improve their reporting."

What is most valuable?

The Repos, Wikis, and pipelines are all excellent features.

What needs improvement?

The solution could work to improve their reporting.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for nearly one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is good.

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April 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is good. I would give it a four or five-star rating. We have plans to increase usage. Right now we have about 100 users on the solution.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been excellent. On that side, Microsoft is very good. The customer support of Microsoft has really improved this past year. On the cloud side also we are very satisfied because it offers very good support.

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

We did not previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. We just implement it from the cloud. We took it and configured it with our local website infrastructure, so there was nothing much to do.

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

There is a licensing fee of $6/user per month. That's not too much money for us. There aren't really any additional costs beyond that.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We considered using Jenkins, but we decided to use Azure DevOps because we have an enterprise agreement with Microsoft. It was much easier.

What other advice do I have?

We are using the public cloud deployment model.

Potential users should not hesitate to move to Azure DevOps. It keeps on progressing and keeps on adding new features all of the time, so it's a solution that I would highly recommend people use.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Product and Systems Director at SPCM
Real User
Can be used to follow the whole development process and is easy to install
Pros and Cons
  • "I think the most usable thing is that you can follow the whole progress of the development process. This makes it very useful for us."
  • "As for improvement, the first one is pricing. For us, luckily because we are partners, it's free. Microsoft gold partners do not have to pay, but if you're not a partner, the product is very expensive."

What is our primary use case?

There are two versions of Azure DevOps: the cloud version and the on-premises version. We use the cloud version in very few situations, but most of our software is based on Azure DevOps on-premises.

We are a software house, and we develop software. We use it to store our source code; that is, it is the repository for our source code.

We have different teams working on different products, and each one uses a different methodology and a different process. Azure DevOps helps with that. For instance, one group may be using Scrum as a methodology to develop their software. The other group could also be using Scrum but with CDCI (continuous development, continuous integration), which helps a lot when you have to develop, test, and deploy the solution.

What is most valuable?

I think the most usable thing is that you can follow the whole progress of the development process. This makes it very useful for us.

What needs improvement?

As for improvement, the first one is pricing. For us, luckily because we are partners, it's free. Microsoft gold partners do not have to pay, but if you're not a partner, the product is very expensive.

The second would be that the tool should integrate with some of the competitors. It doesn't matter if it's a big market; it's difficult when you have to integrate with other competitor's tools, like JIRA, for instance.

If you look at the competitor's tools, they integrate easily with Microsoft, but on Microsoft's side, it's not as easy. They have been changing, but still, there are a number of gaps there.

I've got teams that want to use Microsoft Project, not only to control the whole process of the development but also to control the whole project and software. I think Project should be integrated with DevOps.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. I think the system is down only a couple of hours per year, so it's very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's very scalable. We started using this solution 10 years ago, and it has evolved, We also have grown our software production, and so far, we have scope with all these situations.

How are customer service and support?

We haven't had any problems with the product, but every time we had some questions, technical support staff answered pretty fast, in less than 24 hours.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty easy.

For the deployment, I think we had two people: one person from infrastructure and one who was a specialist in Azure DevOps. For maintenance, because we have about 80 people using this software, we only have one and a half people taking care of the software. That is, the infrastructure person does this part-time. He doesn't spend the whole day taking care of DevOps.

What was our ROI?

The ROI is very positive for us, but it's difficult to say how it would be if we had to pay for the solution. It's a very worthwhile product, but again, we don't have any comparisons because we don't pay anything for it.

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

Microsoft Azure DevOps is an expensive solution.

What other advice do I have?

Get to know the product because it is complex and has many different possibilities.

It is worth having it, but you have to have an in-depth understanding and know what it is capable of doing. Otherwise, you're going to install it, and then it will be like having a very nice car in your garage that you don't know how to drive.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps at eight.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
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Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure DevOps. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
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CTO at Cantier Inc
Real User
We use it for all of our development activities, and it is a complete solution with good reliability and scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "You get a complete solution with Azure DevOps. You can do everything in one place, starting from requirement gathering until you release the product. It is a reliable, scalable, and handy product."
  • "Its testing features are limited and can be improved a little more. They should provide more options from the testing and build perspective. Currently, we have to use a third-party product for testing. It would be great if it has more than one testing tool."
  • "They have brought a lot of new collaboration features in the latest version. We haven't used those features, but they should continue to expand it more on the collaboration front so that two developers can look at the code and work at the same time. It will be helpful for working from home."
  • "Its UI can be easier and more customer-friendly. The UI can be improved from the project management and agile perspective."
  • "Its price can also be reduced. It would be great if they are a little bit more competitive in terms of pricing because many open-source products are currently available in the market."

What is our primary use case?

We are a product company, and we use Azure DevOps for product development. It is our backend platform, and we use it for all of our development activities.

What is most valuable?

You get a complete solution with Azure DevOps. You can do everything in one place, starting from requirement gathering until you release the product. It is a reliable, scalable, and handy product.

What needs improvement?

Its testing features are limited and can be improved a little more. They should provide more options from the testing and build perspective. Currently, we have to use a third-party product for testing. It would be great if it has more than one testing tool. 

They have brought a lot of new collaboration features in the latest version. We haven't used those features, but they should continue to expand it more on the collaboration front so that two developers can look at the code and work at the same time. It will be helpful for working from home.

Its UI can be easier and more customer-friendly. The UI can be improved from the project management and agile perspective.

Its price can also be reduced. It would be great if they are a little bit more competitive in terms of pricing because many open-source products are currently available in the market.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using DevOps within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is definitely a reliable solution. That's why we have been using it for quite some time.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. There are no issues in terms of scalability. Currently, we have around 100 users. Its usage will definitely increase because a lot of new projects are coming.

How are customer service and technical support?

When migrating from TFS to Azure DevOps, we didn't get great support and response from Microsoft.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup was a little complex for us. We had been using TFS for quite some time, and migration was a bit difficult for us. We didn't get great support and response from Microsoft. We had limited resources in terms of support, and that's why it took us longer to figure out how to migrate from TFS.

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

It has an annual subscription. It can be cheaper for partners. Many open-source products are available in the market, and it would be great if they can be a little bit more competitive in terms of pricing. A lot of startups are looking for an open-source, free, or cheap solution. If they can accommodate such requirements, it will be good for the product in the long run.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Consulting services manager at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Good user interface, constantly updated, and the technical support is prompt
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a well-integrated product in terms of the development lifecycle."
  • "It would be very useful if it had better integration with Microsoft Word because we would like to be able to define the priority requirement document and add it to different stages of the backlog."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use Azure DevOps for the early phase of software development projects. We don't use it for building the software. Rather, it is for development support. It handles management of the features, the composition, the definition of requirements, and checking our requirements against the use cases. 

What is most valuable?

Since it is a cloud product, it is constantly updated and not the responsibility of the user.

The quality of the user interface is very good.

It is a well-integrated product in terms of the development lifecycle. There are different functional areas from the requirements to finish including test management, product development, and deployment. I do not personally make use of all of these components together, but I understand from my colleagues that make wider use of it that everything integrates nicely.

What needs improvement?

It lacks integration with Office 365. It would be very useful if it had better integration with Microsoft Word because we would like to be able to define the priority requirement document and add it to different stages of the backlog. Currently, it is difficult to do this. There are some third-party products for this but they are either quite expensive or do not function properly.

I would like to see the requirement management links between work items improved.

An API to develop custom functions would be useful because we work with a large integrator that uses TFS, the on-premises version, and have seen what they do. One of the advantages of it is that you can develop using the XML approach to customization. Essentially, the customizability is more in-depth. This could be done, even without going to the code level, if they provided an API or and SDK. Although the interface currently used for customization is good, we sometimes find it limited. It would be more complex to use but also allow for greater potential.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Azure DevOps services for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable service.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would say that it is scalable. On a recent project, we had a lot of users and did not experience any issues in terms of performance.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have only been in contact with technical support on one occasion and they gave me a good and prompt answer. From my experience, I can say that I am satisfied.

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

I do not personally have experience with other products, although the company has some experience with Jira.

What other advice do I have?

In summary, this is a good product but I would like to see better Office integration and API support.

I would rate this solution 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 has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Ingeniero de DevOps at Babel Software
Real User
Great serverless technology that makes it quicker and faster to deploy .NET applications
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a pretty problem-free solution."
  • "When we don't have some permissions, we have to research how to get them."

What is our primary use case?

I use it to, for example, build applications. Not just Subnet - also Java or in OGS. I deploy Windows applications and also mobile applications with Visual Studio App Center and Azure DevOps.

What is most valuable?

Azure services like serverless technology make it quicker and faster to deploy .NET applications, for example. Similarly, the Azure Portal is faster to put in services, for example, with specific functionality. These kinds of features are faster to deploy and to put in functionalities that are specific, which is great.

I like the Azure keyboard. Keyboard permits use, for example, connection streams in secret, in a safe manner. 

Sometimes I use also Azure SQL Database cloud, the serverless functionality. It's also very attractive because you can use something like a GP, like the protection of the data on the cloud. You can put a lot of information there, maybe not with banks, however, with other kinds of clients. 

The ability to have cognitive services is good. For example, I use a lot of Azure DevOps, for example, Cloud, Azure DevOps Cloud, and analytics views with, for example, Power BI on-premise if you have Power BI as a service. There is a lot of pipeline potential with Azure DevOps deploying, for example, Containers, to Kubernetes, Azure Kubernetes Service, and also a lot of Azure Container repositories and Azure Container instances. This is great for quickly deploying SonarQube in a container. These kinds of things are very attractive.

It's a pretty problem-free solution.

What needs improvement?

When we don't have some permissions, we have to research how to get them. It's not obvious. For example, deploying in order to do the connections, we need permissions for quotes or quotas. A specific quota might depend on an account. Sometimes we don't have the kind of support we need to work things out easily.

When you deploy in Yaml Pilot, for example, you need to note in Yaml how to associate the piling, the release with the word items. We need more information about how this is possible and more flexibility to make it happen. 

What other advice do I have?

My organization is a Microsoft partner.

I have Microsoft certifications. I always develop in Visual Studio, .NET, or Core, and now I work with Azure DevOps and also in Azure Portal.

I deployed in a hybrid environment as the clients have a lot of things on-premises. For example, the databases I use, for example, Redgate, plus Azure DevOps, or Apex with Azure DevOps, to deploy databases. In some cases, a lot of banks prefer their data on-premise. In other cases, I deploy to Azure App Services, for example, in the cloud. Also, I see things with Amazon Web Services and telephone, like multi-cloud.

I would rate the solution at a ten out of ten as it never gives me any problems. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System engineering project Manager at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Good testing, helpful tracking dashboard activity, and test execution
Pros and Cons
  • "I really like the Microsoft DevOps survey."
  • "I would like to see DevOps have the ability to give us something with a compatibility or traceability matrix."

What is our primary use case?

I am familiar with the VSTS environment, grading tests, plan, and tracking dashboard activity.

In my previous company, we used this solution to create test cases, test reports, test execution, task boards, and we use the dashboard for the product activity.

What is most valuable?

I really like the Microsoft DevOps survey.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see DevOps have the ability to give us something with a compatibility or traceability matrix.

I have never seen a table or a Matrix in DevOps for traceability for either software or hardware upgrades. I am not aware of whether the website has these capabilities.

I had planned to recommend this product to my current company but the traceability is missing and could not consider it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for three or four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It has some bugs that we reported and they have been fixed, which is good.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Vice President at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
It's simple to implement the SAFe Framework, but it's not easy to customize like some solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "Setting up Azure DevOps was straightforward. It's easy to use the default templates. Everything is under our control, so it's simple to implement new requirements."
  • "The portfolio is one area where DevOps has room for improvement. Built-in reporting and visualization also could be better. We're using Power BI and Tableau to compile more complex reports and dashboards. Azure DevOps has some out-of-the-box reporting capabilities, but they're very simple. It's usually okay on the team level, but if you have to run a complex report, it's difficult and insufficient, so we use Power BI as an extension."

What is our primary use case?

We adopted the SAFe Framework, and more than 10 teams are using the process or workflow template from Azure DevOps for SAFe. Also, we're currently using DevOps for future planning and backlog management following the scrum approach on the team and coordination level. The company plans to extend this with Lean Portfolio Management. 

How has it helped my organization?

Time to Market: Teams deliver more in less time.

What is most valuable?

Azure Pipeline is the most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

The portfolio is one area where DevOps has room for improvement. Built-in reporting and visualization also could be better. We're using Power BI and Tableau to compile more complex reports and dashboards. Azure DevOps has some out-of-the-box reporting capabilities, but they're very simple. It's usually okay on the team level, but if you have to run a complex report, it's difficult and insufficient, so we use Power BI as an extension.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using DevOps for about three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

DevOps is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

DevOps is scalable. We have about 65 users working with it, including the product manager, product owner, scrum master developer, tester, line managers, and architects. 

How are customer service and support?

We haven't experienced any significant issues so far, but any issues we've had were fixed fast, so I would say I'm very satisfied with the support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We were using Jira, but we switched to DevOps. It was a strategic decision to reduce the complexity of the toolchains. We wanted a Microsoft solution, so we chose Azure DevOps.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Azure DevOps was straightforward. It's easy to use the default templates. Everything is under our control, so it's simple to implement new requirements. We did it ourselves in three days. Since we used the default templates,  we didn't have to change the standard Azure DevOps services. Two people are responsible for deployment and maintenance: DevOps engineer and Release Train Engineer

What other advice do I have?

I rate Azure DevOps seven out of 10. DevOps isn't so easy. In general, the solution is straightforward and suits our purposes, but it's a little bit tricky to customize the workflow. It's simple to implement the SAFe Framework, but it's not easy to customize compared to Digital.ai Agility. There's a huge gap.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Zeeshan Arshad - PeerSpot reviewer
DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Build pipelines are useful, and it is easy to deploy and good for monitoring purposes
Pros and Cons
  • "It is good for monitoring purposes. We are using the build pipelines of Microsoft Azure. They are also valuable."
  • "We are facing some problems because the capacity can only be measured within a project. It cannot be measured across multiple projects. So, the reporting needs to be enhanced, and there should be more graphs to be able to easily give the upper management insights about all the employees from different departments. It will be helpful for employee management. Currently, the managers over here are using Power BI for insights because the functionality of Azure DevOps Boards is not enough. So, we have to export the data into another visualization tool and get the results."

What is most valuable?

It is good for monitoring purposes. We are using the build pipelines of Microsoft Azure. They are also valuable. 

What needs improvement?

We are facing some problems because the capacity can only be measured within a project. It cannot be measured across multiple projects. So, the reporting needs to be enhanced, and there should be more graphs to be able to easily give the upper management insights about all the employees from different departments. It will be helpful for employee management. Currently, the managers over here are using Power BI for insights because the functionality of Azure DevOps Boards is not enough. So, we have to export the data into another visualization tool and get the results.

We would like to have templates for work items. They are available in the Azure DevOps services on the server, but they are not available in the on-prem solution. We are using an on-prem server, and we are using version 2020.1119.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for almost four to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It works well. There are no issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale. In our organization, some teams are using it, and some teams are not using it. We probably have 80 to 100 people.

How are customer service and support?

Their technical support is good. We haven't faced many issues. As far as I remember, we have had only one issue. We raised a ticket for that, and they resolved the issue.

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

I have also used Jira. We have more control over Jira than Azure DevOps, but we are using Azure DevOps for our technical side because our VMs and build pipelines are on Azure. So, it is better for us to use one solution rather than using multiple solutions.

How was the initial setup?

It is straightforward. It is not that complex.

In terms of maintenance, we only do maintenance when we have new upgrades. Other than that, we don't need to maintain it much. We have optimized the TFS and Azure DevOps database, and we have done indexing and optimized it. It is pretty good.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure DevOps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Azure DevOps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.