Sr. Devops Architect Manager at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Scalable and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "It is stable, and we have had no issues with it."
  • "As for room for improvement, more features need to be added to the classic pipeline. The build and release pipelines are present, but there has not been much improvement there."

What needs improvement?

As for room for improvement, more features need to be added to the classic pipeline. The build and release pipelines are present, but there has not been much improvement there.

Apart from that, the reporting structure could be provided as well. Depending on how the company is using the technology, there may be other Microsoft tools that are better so that the integration and reporting will be easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Microsoft Azure DevOps for almost five or six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable, and we have had no issues with it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable.

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Microsoft Azure DevOps
November 2023
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What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution at eight on a scale from one to ten.

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 Wiseman
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
Microsoft Azure DevOps
November 2023
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Azure DevOps. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2023.
746,635 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Agile Coach at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Good visualization, and transparency, but the price could be reduced
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of this solution is that it saves time."
  • "Being more technology-agnostic through ease of integration would be beneficial."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Azure DevOps for CICD, and to organize it in order to visualize the ongoing work.

What is most valuable?

It allows you to save time while also providing a governance visualization of ongoing activities and transparency.

The most valuable feature of this solution is that it saves time.

What needs improvement?

The price could be reduced. It is expensive, especially when it comes to infrastructure.

The integration could be better. Being more technology-agnostic through ease of integration would be beneficial. Once you start working for Microsoft, you are frequently tied to Microsoft.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Azure DevOps is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Azure DevOps is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I would say the technical support is fine, but I have not had any trouble with the solution.

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

I have some experience using Jira.

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

It is very expensive in comparison to others.

As the cost structure is per user, I would recommend paying the cost structure based on the amount of data you use rather than the number of users.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have recently researched Jira, Microsoft DevOps, TFS, and Micro Focus.

What other advice do I have?

Mostly, because of the pricing, I would rate Microsoft Azure DevOps a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Chief Technical Officer
Real User
The platform visuals and workflow are straightforward
Pros and Cons
  • "We use all the DevOps features and services, like reports, Boards, Pipelines, Artifactory, etc. The interface is interactive and intuitive. The platform visuals and workflow are straightforward in Azure DevOps."

    What is most valuable?

    We use all the DevOps features and services, like reports, Boards, Pipelines, Artifactory, etc. The interface is interactive and intuitive. The platform visuals and workflow are straightforward in Azure DevOps.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been using Azure DevOps for three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    DevOps' stability is great. No problems.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The infrastructure is good so far, and expanding our user base isn't a problem. Microsoft takes care of the infrastructure.

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

    We are billed for a single license, no matter how many users. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Azure DevOps eight out of 10. 

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Chief Operating Officer Executive at a cloud provider with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    Fast, scalable, and stable work planning and code collaboration software; offers a good user experience
    Pros and Cons
    • "Stable and scalable solution for work planning and code collaboration. It's fast, and it offers a good user experience."
    • "The optimization feature in Microsoft Azure DevOps needs improvement. Control over multiple projects could also be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Microsoft Azure DevOps for management, e.g. managing items that we need to work on, planning activities, connecting to components to get information on how long the developer is working on the items assigned, etc. We use the solution for our projects.

    We have internal users from the development team, and we have the work logs that we need to work on for each customer. We match those to have control over the projects and the budget. We have a component plugged into the solution for the billables and performance delivery. What we don't have yet is optimization, and that is something that needs to be improved in Microsoft Azure DevOps, but the solution has all the activities and the budgeting functions, so the project is working good. We're making an exact component in seven days that we can use with the solution.

    What is most valuable?

    One of the features I found most useful in Microsoft Azure DevOps is that we can use it to plan activities. We use the dashboard to work on the tasks we have, and also use it to find out what could be better. It's also useful when you have many customers and many people working together on different projects.

    In our case, we have one developer working on more than one project within the same day, week, or month, and Microsoft Azure DevOps helps give better control of his schedule, making it easier to find out if the developer still has availability to take on new work. The solution helps us see the work status and availability of team members, making work management and task management better.

    The validation and quality offered by Microsoft Azure DevOps are very good. The user experience is good. The speed of the solution is also good, e.g. the pages load fast.

    What needs improvement?

    The optimization feature in Microsoft Azure DevOps needs improvement.

    Sometimes, having control over multiple projects for a customer could be difficult. If you're a developer, you need to know if you still have time to work on more activities within the day. When you're working on one project for one customer, Microsoft Azure DevOps is great, but when your team is working on different projects for several clients, it may be too hard to handle, e.g. you really need to organize and plan the activities, so planning is another area for improvement in the solution.

    Planning includes budgeting, e.g. creating a budget for each project, especially if the developer is working on multiple projects of customers. You need to have control and see to it that you are within budget, but it can be hard because you can't always see the daily, weekly, or monthly activities of the developer, particularly if the developer doesn't keep the calendar updated. We want to be able to view the complete list of activities of the developer, whether daily, weekly, or monthly, to make planning and budgeting easier.

    I'd also like the Microsoft Azure DevOps Gantt chart to be improved. We need to see in the schedule how to plan the fields out. We have daily activities and we'd like to use the Gantt chart to make our work approach more successful.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been a partner of Microsoft for 10 years, and we've been using Microsoft solutions for 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Microsoft Azure DevOps is stable. Sometimes there's a little lag, but the next day, it'll work fine. The solution works fine.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Microsoft Azure DevOps is a scalable solution.

    How was the initial setup?

    Setting up Microsoft Azure DevOps was easy.

    What other advice do I have?

    We use Microsoft solutions as part of management. We use Microsoft's platform.

    We use the latest version of Microsoft Azure DevOps for our projects.

    We have 15 people who are in charge of the deployment and maintenance of the solution. Per project, we have one or two developers who utilize Microsoft Azure DevOps: At the beginning, we have the front end developer and the cloud personnel who create the environment, the designer who works to create the right frame, the right materials, the layout, and the design for the project, and at the middle, we have four to five operators.

    The platform works well so we didn't have the need to open a ticket or contact Microsoft technical support.

    I really like Microsoft Azure DevOps, so I recommend it to people who want to start using it. My advice to them is that it's a huge platform, so it won't be easy the first time. When you test the platform, you need to spend time and make an effort to understand how it works, but it's the best solution. It's the top solution. 

    Another advice to new users of Microsoft Azure DevOps is that it's harder to have a macro view of all the processes together. When we needed to cross-match a lot of information from the different processing teams of customers, we found it difficult. You also need to plan well, particularly plan when your developer can work on more than one project. When you have many projects, you need to handle the processes well, e.g. create separate folders for each customer, separate projects, etc., to keep the information separate and be more organized.

    Microsoft Azure DevOps could still be improved more, so I'm rating it an eight out of ten.

    We are a partner of Microsoft, and we use Microsoft solutions. What we recommend to our customers is for them to use the Microsoft environment, server and databases. We work with some of the solutions and technologies from Microsoft.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Akhilendra Singh - PeerSpot reviewer
    Engagement Manager at Capgemini
    Real User
    Efficient operations, highly secure, and responsive support
    Pros and Cons
    • "Microsoft Azure DevOps has helped the developers a lot and we are deploying process changes very frequently and simultaneously. A lot of my team members that are developers are updating the code in parallel using Git. Additionally, Microsoft Azure DevOps is providing a very good approval mechanism. Overall it is benefiting by creating efficiency in production deployment and applications, our new releases are running well. The security of secured is good."
    • "We are facing a lot of issues in the development of containerized solutions. We are facing a lot of challenges in this area. They could make the process simpler."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are using Azure DevOps for continuous integration and continuous deployment.

    What is most valuable?

    Microsoft Azure DevOps has helped the developers a lot and we are deploying process changes very frequently and simultaneously. A lot of my team members that are developers are updating the code in parallel using Git. Additionally, Microsoft Azure DevOps is providing a very good approval mechanism. Overall it is benefiting by creating efficiency in production deployment and applications, our new releases are running well. The security of secured is good.

    What needs improvement?

    We are facing a lot of issues in the development of containerized solutions. We are facing a lot of challenges in this area. They could make the process simpler.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Microsoft Azure DevOps for approximately four years.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support from Microsoft Azure DevOps is good. Whenever we have raised a ticket with priority, we had a very good response from the technical team. My experience with Microsoft support is very good.

    How was the initial setup?

    The integrations of Microsoft Azure DevOps are good and the implementation is not difficult. The testing of the solution went well.

    What was our ROI?

    I have seen a return on investment from using Microsoft Azure DevOps.

    What other advice do I have?

    We have spread the knowledge about Microsoft Azure DevOps to a lot of our customers. We have organized a lot of training sessions because we are Microsoft's gold partner. That is why we promote all the tools and technologies which are part of Microsoft and we're also using them.

    I rate Microsoft Azure DevOps a nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Product and Systems Director at SPCM
    Real User
    Top 5
    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
    DevOps Engineer at Babel Software
    Real User
    Top 5
    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
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft Azure DevOps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: November 2023
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Microsoft Azure DevOps Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.