We have many brands that we use here in our firm. As an example, we use Dell for our Laptops, we use Lenovo, we use IBM for our computers, Cisco for our switches, and Microsoft.
Technical and Project Manager Industrial Directorate EES CLEMESSY at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
User-friendly, stable, good online support, and easy to maintain
Pros and Cons
- "It's important to us that it is easy to use and has easy maintenance because we don't have specialists"
- "The initial setup could be simplified."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It's important to us that it is easy to use and has easy maintenance because we don't have specialists. It is necessary for us to have very simple maintenance procedures.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup could be simplified.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Windows Server for more than two years, maybe five or more.
Buyer's Guide
Windows Server
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Windows Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
861,034 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution. We have not had any issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 200 users in our organization who are using Windows Server.
We have plans to keep using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted technical support.
I only use the support online.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use Windows Server, and Windows 10 for our laptops and PCs.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup depends on the preparation of the units.
If it is prepared by a specialist then the installation is easy.
We have to make sure that it has been configured properly.
We have a team of 20 for the deployment and maintenance of this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is important to have the cheapest price for all of the material and licenses.
What other advice do I have?
We have so many customers with Windows Servers that we are obliged to use the same technical path.
We don't have any significant issues with Windows. I would rate Windows Server an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

IT manager at IRPC PCL
Scalable, easy to deploy and maintain
Pros and Cons
- "We have not contacted technical support."
- "The compatibility and the ease of use are areas that I would like to see improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use Windows Server as our certified server for compatibility.
What needs improvement?
It could be more compatible with other platforms.
The compatibility and the ease of use are areas that I would like to see improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Windows Server since 2016.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable product. We have approximately 3,000 users in our organization.
We plan to continue to use this solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not contacted technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. It was easy to install.
The deployment took three to six months.
We have a team of 50 admins for deployment and maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
We had the help of a system integrator.
What other advice do I have?
Definitely, I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Windows Server
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Windows Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
861,034 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior System Engineer at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
A server operating system with a valuable user interface
Pros and Cons
- "I like the views in the user interface."
- "It would help if Microsoft made it lighter to run on the servers and made troubleshooting much easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use Windows Server to host applications, host files, emails, Windows server emails, and data exchange. But for the most part, we use it to host applications, directory services, and DNS services.
What is most valuable?
I like the views in the user interface.
What needs improvement?
It would help if Microsoft made it lighter to run on the servers and made troubleshooting much easier. I have to deal with unexpected errors and faults that happen in Windows. It also crashes.
When it's a big environment, especially in an industrialized environment, we see unexpected errors. They create instability, or unexpected errors happen in the infrastructure. You need to restart the server or restart the services. You don't know the root cause of these errors.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Windows Server for about 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes we have to deal with unexpected errors that create instability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Windows Server is mostly scalable. However, you run into problems if it's going to be very big. If something happens, troubleshooting it will be very difficult.
How are customer service and technical support?
Microsoft technical support is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is mostly straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The Windows Server standard edition is affordable. But the cost of the data center edition is high, especially compared to some competitors. Some competitors are offering their operating systems for free.
What other advice do I have?
I would tell potential customers of Windows Server that they need to study it. They need to understand their business case very well. If features are available in Windows Server, they can safely go for it, but they need to study the design very well.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Windows Server an eight.
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.
Executive Personal Assistant at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Stable, easy to use, and can handle huge workloads
Pros and Cons
- "Overall, Windows Server 2016 provides a stable environment for some of the very large workloads that it is subjected to in our organization, and it is very easy to use."
- "There are lots of improvements that can be brought by Microsoft, although for us Windows Server works mostly as expected. For how we're using Windows Server, security is a top priority, so when talking security, it can always be improved upon, no matter what."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Windows Server 2016 for our organization's backend applications which reside in a data center. HP provides us with our Windows platforms, and we also have Unix platforms from them as well.
We have been using Windows environments since I joined my organization, which is close to 20 years now. Currently, we're doing what you can call a hosted private cloud with colocation and we are running some huge workloads using Windows Server in this cloud.
From our side, the organization's 2800 end users are mostly running Windows 10 in a highly virtualized environment. So whenever we need more resources, it takes just a couple of minutes to get it up and running.
What is most valuable?
Overall, Windows Server 2016 provides a stable environment for some of the very large workloads that it is subjected to in our organization, and it is very easy to use.
What needs improvement?
There are lots of improvements that can be brought by Microsoft, although for us Windows Server works mostly as expected. For how we're using Windows Server, security is a top priority, so when talking security, it can always be improved upon, no matter what.
Then there's the performance side, which is not bad, but we are currently looking to increase capacity and we have found that we need to enhance the hardware to get the performance we are looking for. Because of this, we are going to be refreshing the hardware and moving to new infrastructure in the next few weeks.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for many years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is very stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have enterprise support with them which I cannot personally comment on.
How was the initial setup?
We are running a form of Windows Servers, from our side, which are highly virtualized. So from where we're sitting, to provision Windows Server takes just a couple of clicks and it is up and running.
What about the implementation team?
For the backend systems where we implement Windows Server at the data center, the entire IT team is around 120 people. Then, from a user perspective, much of it is self-service, meaning users can request to provision as needed from the pool of virtualized resources.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our current license is an enterprise license agreement which gives you a whole lot of possibility, especially when you go through an R&D process. For example, you can provision everything, spread the service use over six months, and then wrap it up. It gives you a lot of flexibility.
What other advice do I have?
Windows Server is a stable product and there's no way we will change it for something else.
I would rate Windows Server an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT strategist at Convergent Wireless Communications
Supports all kinds of applications but needs better stability
Pros and Cons
- "Windows Server can be used for any kind of application. It is an operating system that supports enterprise applications. There is no application that doesn't go with Windows."
- "It could be more stable. Windows has certain problems that Unix platforms don't have. It requires more administrative effort as compared to Unix. I don't know why Microsoft has not changed that. It generates a lot of trash data, so slowly and steadily, you find more and more space being utilized. There is some kind of administrative load, which doesn't happen with Unix."
What is most valuable?
Windows Server can be used for any kind of application. It is an operating system that supports enterprise applications. There is no application that doesn't go with Windows.
What needs improvement?
It could be more stable. Windows has certain problems that Unix platforms don't have. It requires more administrative effort as compared to Unix. I don't know why Microsoft has not changed that. It generates a lot of trash data, so slowly and steadily, you find more and more space being utilized. There is some kind of administrative load, which doesn't happen with Unix.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for many years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable, but its stability can be better.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have a maximum of 50 or 60 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
We didn't use their support much.
How was the initial setup?
It was very easy to install. The time period for installation depends on the complexity. If we want to simply install with the default option, it doesn't take much time. If you want to enable all of the service options that Windows provides, such as SNMP, it will take longer. If you have to install IAS and all such things, it will take time.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. We plan to keep using it.
I would 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.
Operations Director / Business Critical Solutions Architect at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A stable solution with useful mutual authentication and environment
Pros and Cons
- "I find mutual authentication and the environment useful."
- "I find ethernet configuration and implementation difficult."
What is our primary use case?
I've used it with government applications to integrate and install with Shine server and Fire servers, enabling remote access. For some clients, we have developed and installed an integrated solution for about 500 users and are usually 'anywhere applications.' One client is a government permit office, and they use it for GIS applications and keep track of services.
What is most valuable?
I'm quite satisfied with Windows Server. I find mutual authentication and the environment useful. Over the years, I've seen some very good improvements in the Windows Server's quality and functionality.
What needs improvement?
I find ethernet configuration and implementation difficult. I would also like to see more reliable updates.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for more than 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
When compared to the legacy Windows Server, stability has improved.
How are customer service and technical support?
Windows Server technical support is good. Over the last 15 years, I've used Microsoft technical support maybe 300 times or less, and those experiences were good.
How was the initial setup?
For the most part, the initial setup is straightforward. In my experience, about 80% of the implementations were straightforward, and about 20% were a little more difficult.
It took us about six to eight months to deploy the Windows Server for my client at the government permit office.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In our case, we primarily use Microsoft, so the cost is a lot less. But some of our customers have spent approximately $12,000 a year on the operating system license.
What other advice do I have?
Windows Server is a nice product, but it does have some small problems. I would recommend potential customers to do some research first.
It's a little more difficult to implement this operating system with functionality in the cloud. Everything, including the files and interface, keeps us in a Microsoft environment, and when moving applications to the cloud, some people might find it challenging.
They have training for all the features that Microsoft offers. Technology is evolving quickly. Although I've been in this market for 25 years, I can see that I'm getting a little bit left behind because of a lack of formal training in the new functions that Microsoft and many other companies are implementing.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give Windows Server an eight.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
System Manager at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to set up and has good file sharing protocols, but the event logging and reporting need improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the file transfer protocol (FTP) and the secure file transfer protocol (SFTP)."
- "The reporting, event logging, and event management functionalities need to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We are primarily using Windows Server for monitoring purposes.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the file transfer protocol (FTP) and the secure file transfer protocol (SFTP). These are both used for file sharing.
What needs improvement?
The reporting, event logging, and event management functionalities need to be improved.
Windows Server needs more applications from the monitoring and backup perspective. These are not incorporated yet. In previous versions, the backup software was available, but not now.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Windows Server for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are bugs that appear but Microsoft provides updates that can rectify the bugs or expand the number of features.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Most of the features are scalable. Windows 2016 and 2019 may be more scalable, but we have not recently upgraded the infrastructure.
Our customer has a small number of people using Windows Server.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We began with using Windows Server and we are still using it. We are looking to migrate to Linux as well, but it depends on the infrastructure and the types of licenses. Microsoft recently began including lots of applications that require licenses, where they were not needed previously.
We are also using Ubuntu Linux and CentOS, which are open-source solutions.
Certain tools are easier to use, depending on whether you are using Linux or Windows.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and our deployment was completed in three months.
When we implement this solution, we start in a development environment and then move it to production.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house team performed the deployment.
The number of staff required for maintenance depends on the environment, infrastructure, and the type of activity that is being done.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 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.
Principal Consultant at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Stable platform that is easy to use and integrates well, and has a supportive technical team
Pros and Cons
- "The features that I like the most are that it's easy to use and the integration."
- "In terms of support, it's pretty complicated when you have to study the documentation."
What is our primary use case?
Our use cases are usually data and analytics. We are building platforms for our clients to exploit their data. We are building the data curation.
Also, the analytics for the front end, and the presentation of the data for the end-user.
What is most valuable?
The features that I like the most are that it's easy to use and the integration.
What needs improvement?
In terms of support, it's pretty complicated when you have to study the documentation.
It would definitely be helpful if the documentation could be more straightforward.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Windows Server for eight years.
We are usually working with 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 a scalable product. The number of users depends on our customers. Some customers have as many as 50 users while some others have 15 users. It really depends on the clients, but we're not in the thousands of end-users.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is pretty good. We have a good relationship with our vendor's specialists. We mostly work with Microsoft and some other vendors.
Overall, they are supportive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
It took approximately a month to deploy, but it depends on the number of installations we have. Some are larger and some smaller.
We need two or three staff members to deploy it. They are PDAs, they are infrastructure people who have the tech knowledge.
We have a team in our organization that we call specialists to configure the server. They are tech-savvy, and they know all about the backend.
What about the implementation team?
We are integrators.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are licensing costs for this solution, although it's not expensive. Microsoft is relatively inexpensive compared to other database platforms.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others who want to use Windows Server.
I would rate this solution a nine 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. Integrator

Buyer's Guide
Download our free Windows Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2025
Product Categories
Operating Systems (OS) for BusinessPopular Comparisons
Ubuntu Linux
Rocky Linux
Oracle Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
SUSE Linux Enterprise
CentOS
openSUSE Leap
Windows 11
Windows 10
Oracle Solaris
Google Chrome Enterprise
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Windows Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Which is better, Windows Server or Windows 10?
- Which would you choose, Oracle Linux or Oracle Windows Server?
- What operating system will be a good alternative for SLES?
- Oracle Linux or RHEL; Which Would You Recommend?
- What change management solution do you recommend for users to adapt to Windows 10 updates?
- What operating system do you use in your business?
- When evaluating Enterprise Linux, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- What is the best Windows MSI installer?
- Which operative system would be a good alternative for DevOps?
- What features do you look for in an operating system?