We are using it mainly for Active Directory, Exchange Servers, and file services.
System Administrator & IT Specialist at Informat Systems
Scalable and has a lot of features, but needs more stability, fewer automatic updates, and a CLI approach
Pros and Cons
- "There are a lot of features. Active Directory is most valuable."
- "It should have more stability and fewer automatic updates. A CLI approach, similar to Linux, is missing right now."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
There are a lot of features. Active Directory is most valuable.
What needs improvement?
It should have more stability and fewer automatic updates. A CLI approach, similar to Linux, is missing right now.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 12 years.
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Windows Server
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It should have more stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I am quite satisfied with its scalability. We are an IT company, and we provide professional services to other companies, so we deploy a lot of services. Combined, we have a lot of users, but if you look at a specific company, we have between 200 to 500 employees.
How are customer service and support?
I am satisfied with their technical support most of the time.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have multiple types of licenses. Some of them are on a yearly basis, and some of them are prepaid.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Windows Server a seven out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT System Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Plenty of functionality, stable, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of this solution are its performance, flexibility, and functionality."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for many purposes, such as managing user accounts in Active Directory, storage, hosting applications, and remote server access.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of this solution are its performance, flexibility, and functionality.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for approximately 16 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?
There are five people using the solution in my organization.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I am currently still using Windows 10.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and it took 45 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation myself and we have one engineer that does the maintenance of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is expensive, and there are many price options available, such as monthly or perpetual licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution.
I rate Windows Server a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Windows Server
August 2026
Learn what your peers think about Windows Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2026.
912,006 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Specialist at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable, installation straightforward, but better integration needed
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "The solution is not easy to use and could be simplified. Additionally, the solution could have better integration."
What is our primary use case?
I am using this solution for a databases server running Azure.
What needs improvement?
The solution is not easy to use and could be simplified. Additionally, the solution could have better integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability has been fine for what we have been using it for. However, we have not fully utilized scalability.
We have approximately 100 users using this solution in my organization.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is easy.
What about the implementation team?
You do not need a vendor or consultant to do the implementation.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution.
I rate Windows Server a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
NMS Service Automation & RPA Technical Lead at Vodafone
Overall good functionality, stable, and easy installation
Pros and Cons
- "Overall the solution has been functioning very well for us."
- "Security and vulnerabilities could improve."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as an operating system to run applications, such as Microsoft SQL.
What is most valuable?
Overall the solution has been functioning very well for us.
What needs improvement?
Security and vulnerabilities could improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good in Windows Server.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 200 users using this solution in my organization.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and took approximately 30 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation myself.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Windows Server nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Disaster Recovery Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
A stable server solution
Pros and Cons
- "I like that it's a stable product. For me, it's working fine."
- "It would help if there was a possibility to postpone some updates. If some are not required, it could speed up the process of starting up the operating system. Sometimes big workloads related to services are running directly on the system itself and not the application. This is what I have noticed"
What is most valuable?
I like that it's a stable product. For me, it's working fine.
What needs improvement?
It would help if there was a possibility to postpone some updates. If some are not required, it could speed up the process of starting up the operating system. Sometimes big workloads related to services are running directly on the system itself and not the application. This is what I have noticed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Windows Server is a stable solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to new users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Windows Server a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
GM: Information Systems at a logistics company with 501-1,000 employees
User friendly and compatible with other solutions
Pros and Cons
- "The features that I have found most valuable are its ease of use and the compatibility with most other products."
- "I would definitely like to see bolting monitoring tools. To monitor the server you usually have to install third party tools. I would like to be less reliant on third-party tools. They always create some sort of security issue regarding ports that need to be opened, that type of thing. Windows Server has internally monitorable software but remote monitoring software would be a great add-on."
- "I would definitely like to see bolting monitoring tools. To monitor the server you usually have to install third party tools."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Windows Server on virtual machines running off-premise.
This operating system for business can be useful for personal documents or any daily or routine stuff.
What is most valuable?
The features that I have found most valuable are its ease of use and the compatibility with most other products.
What needs improvement?
I would definitely like to see bolting monitoring tools. To monitor the server you usually have to install third party tools. I would like to be less reliant on third-party tools. They always create some sort of security issue regarding ports that need to be opened, that type of thing. Windows Server has internally monitorable software but remote monitoring software would be a great add-on.
In the next version I would like to see monitoring tools or maybe an easier way to figure out who were the last people that were working on the server, something that gives me better insights into the actions taken by different users who need to access the server. Our server is definitely not for everybody to access, but even if it had logging installed or activated, it's quite difficult to figure out who did what.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Windows Server is definitely scalable.
We have 200 users using it in the network.
How was the initial setup?
I was not part of the initial setup, I'm not part of the technical team. But I know from the people who did install it that it was quite easy.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten I would give Windows Server a nine.
I would recommend Windows Server for users who want to start using it.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Line Technical Agent at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to use, stable, and quick to install
Pros and Cons
- "It is very useful, and it is easy to use."
- "In the next release, I would like to see better pricing."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution as our operating system.
What is most valuable?
It is very useful, and it is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
In the next release, I would like to see better pricing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server since the beginning.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Windows Server is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's an operating system, so scalability is not really applicable.
Everybody in our organization is using this solution. We have approximately 200 users.
We don't have any plans to increase usage.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we had not used any other solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. It was easy.
It only took five minutes to deploy.
For 200 users, we need one engineer to maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We completed the installation ourselves, we did not use an integrator or consultant.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In general, the pricing can be improved.
Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Windows Server to others who are interested in using it.
I would rate Windows Server a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Stable, easy to install, and scales well
Pros and Cons
- "The installation was straightforward and easy."
- "The performance is good but we have had some issues when we use virtual machines."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Windows Server as an operating platform. It's an Operating system.
We host our products on the Windows Server.
What is most valuable?
The performance is good.
What needs improvement?
While it is easy to use, it could be easier.
The performance is good but we have had some issues when we use virtual machines. Loading and processing a lot of data leads to memory-related issues. As such, while the performance is good, it could still be improved.
We are using version 2012 and it could be that other versions have improved this feature.
For how long have I used the solution?
We are currently using Windows Server 2012. We have been using this solution for approximately 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have no issues with the stability of the Windows Server.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable. I am satisfied with the scalability of this solution.
We don't have plans to increase our usage.
How are customer service and technical support?
We don't deal with Microsoft support directly. Our service team is in contact with them if there is an issue.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, I did not use another solution.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was straightforward and easy.
We have a team of server maintenance and network engineers to maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We had help from the Server team to implement this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I would rate Windows Server an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Security Operation Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Simple administration, easy to use, but could be more stable
Pros and Cons
- "The main features are ease of use and simple administration."
- "This solution can be used for a lot of things, such as email, file servers, authentication, network access protocol, DNS, active directory, and accessing the main controllers."
- "I have found the stability to be good but it could improve."
What is our primary use case?
This solution can be used for a lot of things, such as email, file servers, authentication, network access protocol, DNS, active directory, and accessing the main controllers.
What is most valuable?
The main features are ease of use and simple administration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a couple of years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found the stability to be good but it could improve.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable and we plan to increase usage.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Linux Red Hat previously.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and takes approximately 10 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I have done the implementation myself but sometimes I require assistance because some environments have a lot of servers. The more servers you have the more administrators you will need for the maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required and it is on an annual basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Windows Server a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Information Systems Computer System Controller at a insurance company with 11-50 employees
Reliable, easy installation, but quicker customer service needed
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "We have been installing the solution for years and it has always been straightforward."
- "The only problem we have faced is when we are upgrading the solution it is complex."
What is our primary use case?
We are providing services to our clients using this solution.
What needs improvement?
The only problem we have faced is when we are upgrading the solution it is complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more than 20 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?
My whole company is using the solution and we plan to continue using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support could have a faster response.
How was the initial setup?
We have been installing the solution for years and it has always been straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required for this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Windows Server a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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