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Aqib Khan - PeerSpot reviewer
ITSM Administrator & Analyst at Ministry of Interior
Real User
Jan 18, 2024
The product is secure, and it performs well, but the stability could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "The product’s performance is good."
  • "The stability could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for all the applications and Active Directory. We use it for enterprise management. We have different departments.

How has it helped my organization?

The product is secure.

What is most valuable?

The product’s performance is good. We have a good infrastructure.

What needs improvement?

The stability could be improved.

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Windows Server
August 2026
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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for eight to ten years. I am using the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool is stable. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have more than 5000 users. The usage keeps increasing in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

Whenever we face any issue, we contact our Windows team, and they improve it. The technical support is fine.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment was done in-house. We have a big team to deploy and maintain the product, including project and system managers.

What other advice do I have?

I will recommend the tool to others. Overall, I rate the solution a seven or 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.
PeerSpot user
IT head at Ficobank
Real User
Jan 16, 2024
A stable and scalable solution that can be used to run various systems
Pros and Cons
  • "Windows Server is a stable and scalable solution."
  • "The solution's licensing cost is expensive and could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Windows Server to run our banking system.

What is most valuable?

Windows Server is a stable and scalable solution.

What needs improvement?

The solution's licensing cost is expensive and could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Windows Server for five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Windows Server ten out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Around 42 users in our organization use the solution on a daily basis.

I rate Windows Server ten out of ten for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is too complex.

What about the implementation team?

We deploy the solution manually because we only have five servers. Around eight technical staff are needed for the solution’s deployment and maintenance.

What was our ROI?

We have seen value from using the solution, and that's why we deploy our systems using Windows Server.

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

We use a perpetual license for Windows Server, which is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Windows Server to other users. Users should be trained or familiar with operating the solution before using it.

Overall, I rate Windows Server 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.
PeerSpot user
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.
912,022 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Sven Missorten - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Engineer at a transportation company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jul 18, 2023
Transparent and easy-to-learn, but the product is not stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The GUI is familiar. Anyone who doesn't know how to use a file server can be taught to use the product in a few minutes."
  • "The solution should improve its stability."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for mass storage and application storage.

What is most valuable?

DFS is the most valuable feature of the product. The product is very transparent. Any changes to the underlying file servers are not visible to users. It is a huge benefit for us. 

The GUI is familiar. Anyone who doesn't know how to use a file server can be taught to use the product in a few minutes.

What needs improvement?

The solution should improve its stability. After some updates, one of the KBs faced issues while booting. On boot, it started boot looping randomly.

The solution is very rigid. Whenever we want to make changes that are slightly out of the ordinary, we have to do them manually.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for four and a half years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is definitely scalable. Around 1,500 people are currently using the solution in our organization.

What about the implementation team?

It is quite easy to maintain the product. We have deployed the solution across the whole company.

What other advice do I have?

I have used all the versions from 2003 to 2022. You can change the host and IPs and switch on the whole configuration. The users do not notice anything as long as DFS is active and the file system is the same. The product is a good choice for small-scale environments. Overall, I rate the product 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.
PeerSpot user
Ahmed-Ramy - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO at TMentors
Real User
Mar 2, 2022
Great support and good availability of resources but the Windows Server Core needs to link to a console
Pros and Cons
  • "The support that Microsoft provides for this is very good."
  • "For countries in the Middle East and Africa, their pricing is a little bit high."

What is our primary use case?

We do software services, and most of the time we use this for UAT and testing purposes.

What is most valuable?

The availability of resources that are aware of Windows is great. It's more than any operating system. 

The support that Microsoft provides for this is very good. If you have an issue with the Windows Server, you'll get a lot of support from Microsoft.

The integration is great.

The interface and dashboards are fine.

What needs improvement?

While I would say scripting needs improvement, I've noticed that they started to do this couple of years ago. They do have their own WSL and PowerShell Scripts.

Generally, there is always room for improvement. However, nothing comes on top of my head right now. 

For countries in the Middle East and Africa, their pricing is a little bit high. Microsoft is having unified pricing across the globe. That's an issue. They don't negotiate on that. It's very expensive for many countries in this region.

They have something called Windows Server Core, and it doesn't have a graphical user interface, which is fine. However, there should be a management console or something that you can hook up to Windows Server Core so you can manage it much easier if you need UI or something.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used the solution since the beginning of the company, about 12 years at this point.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is great. If a company needs assistance, Microsoft is great at helping assist in troubleshooting. We are satisfied with the level of support.

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

We use Windows and Azure, Google Cloud GCP, and many flavors of Linux. For the database, we also use SQL Server and MySQL.

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

The pricing is high in certain regions as they don't price adjust for certain countries. They also do not negotiate their pricing. The cost is the cost. 

What other advice do I have?

We use various deployment models, including on-premises, on the cloud, and hybrid.

I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. If the pricing was more flexible, it would be better for the customer.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1228086 - PeerSpot reviewer
SA at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jan 20, 2022
Enables you to use as a NFS file sharing space and has GUI
Pros and Cons
  • "From the very beginning, I have been using a Windows-based OS so for me, it's very easy because it's GUI compared to command line or something Linux-based."
  • "The only thing that could be improved is the price."
  • "The license is a one-time purchase. The cost could be less expensive. We have education pricing, so it's okay now because we pay less than other agencies."

What is our primary use case?

Currently, we are trying to use the solution as the host for a specific system. Another use case is as NFS files sharing space.

The solution is deployed on-premise.

What is most valuable?

From the very beginning, I have been using a Windows-based OS so for me, it's very easy because it's GUI compared to command line or something Linux-based. I prefer GUI, so Windows is very good for me.

What needs improvement?

The only thing that could be improved is the price.

I just installed the evaluation because I got the license product key, so I need to activate it. But to my surprise, I cannot activate the evaluation version so I need to recreate the VMs using the ISO that Microsoft gives to me.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for around two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any issues with stability. We have about eight people using the solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't had any issues with the scalability because I'm using virtualization.

How are customer service and support?

When I wanted to activate the Windows Server using the product key that I have just purchased, I used Microsoft support in Malaysia. They wanted me to forward the problem to the Microsoft support machine. It's very fast and they will respond even at night.

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

I haven't used any other solutions because my IT career began with using Windows.

How was the initial setup?

The solution was easy to install. It didn't take longer than 10 minutes. We have two engineers for maintenance.

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

The license is a one-time purchase. The cost could be less expensive. We have education pricing, so it's okay now because we pay less than other agencies.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 9 out of 10. I recommend this solution.

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.
PeerSpot user
Muhammad_Irfan - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Administrator at ACMC
Real User
Jan 9, 2022
Good integration and easy to use
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the most valuable features of Windows Server is that it is easy to use. Also, with Windows, everything is integrated."
  • "Windows Server could be improved with cheaper licensing costs."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of Windows Server is running our business applications, such as ERP. 

This solution is deployed on-premises. 

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable features of Windows Server is that it is easy to use. Also, with Windows, everything is integrated. 

What needs improvement?

Windows Server could be improved with cheaper licensing costs. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Windows Server for more than 10 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Windows Server is stable, and we have had no problems. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of this solution seems good. 

We have more than 150 people in our organization using this solution. We don't currently have plans to increase our usage. 

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

Before implementing Windows Server, we used Oracle Linux. We switched to Windows Server because, when we upgraded, the integration was good with the FieldServer. 

How was the initial setup?

For installation, 2016 took even less time than 2012. '16 takes maybe fifteen to twenty minutes, maximum. I can handle the installation myself. 

For deployment and maintenance, we have a team of one or two people. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution through an in-house team. 

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

To use Windows Server, we pay for licensing yearly. The licensing cost should be cheaper—it is expensive and should not cost that much. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Windows Server a ten out of ten. I would recommend Windows Server to others, but it depends on their requirements. We can meet our requirements with Windows because we have a Microsoft ERP. It has good performance with the Windows Server, which is why we use this solution. 

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.
PeerSpot user
Lead DevOps Engineer at Etisalat
Real User
Jan 9, 2022
Satisfied with performance and stability
Pros and Cons
  • "A valuable feature of Windows Server has been the performance. We have done all the redundancy and fault tolerance things to protect our servers and, so far, so good."
  • "As for additional features, we are very interested in the new feature released by Windows: Azure Virtual Desktop. We are currently exploring it so that instead of people depending on their own desktop, we could work on Azure Virtual Desktop. Integration with Azure Virtual Desktop would be cool."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of Windows Server is application support. We have applications such as SAP-based or web-based solutions that we use through Citrix-based solutions. We deploy it on Azure. 

What is most valuable?

A valuable feature of Windows Server has been the performance. We have done all the redundancy and fault tolerance things to protect our servers and, so far, so good.

What needs improvement?

As for additional features, we are very interested in the new feature released by Windows: Azure Virtual Desktop. We are currently exploring it so that instead of people depending on their own desktop, we could work on Azure Virtual Desktop. Integration with Azure Virtual Desktop would be cool. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We recently began using Windows Server. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable and we're satisfied with the performance. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We enabled scalability, but haven't scaled it much. We have a limited set of users, so the scalability feature is not really in use. 

There are many end users, but there are less than 10 people managing this solution. We don't currently have plans to increase our usage because we are happy with the current capacity. We may decide to increase our usage later, but it depends on the solution and new requirements. 

How are customer service and support?

We have contacted Microsoft's technical support. We used to have weekly and monthly meetings with them, so we got up-to-date directly from Microsoft support, which were were happy with. 

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

We didn't use a different solution previously. We went directly for Microsoft because the solution is only supported by Microsoft, so we've never tried any other operating system. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation was easy. We didn't do it directly because we have an Infrastructure as Code setup, with Terraform, so we were able to do it very easily. As for the time frame, if you go for a manual process, it will take five or ten minutes, but using code, you can deploy the solutions in less than a minute. We managed it ourselves, without any support. 

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution through an in-house team. 

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

I'm not involved much in the payment part, but I believe that we pay a yearly subscription for licensing. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Windows Server an eight out of ten. I would recommend it to others who are considering implementation. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Sep 23, 2021
Scalable, easy to implement, and has a nice interface
Pros and Cons
  • "We find the initial implementation process to be quick and easy."
  • "The installation process isn't too difficult; it's fairly straightforward, and the deployment is fast and only takes about three or four hours or so."
  • "The technical support needs to be improved."
  • "Microsoft technical support isn't ideal. They could improve their services."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is mainly used for personal tasks. A lot of the customers are working with Microsoft solutions. This product works well with Microsoft. That's why we provide the Microsoft Windows Server solution to a lot of our customers.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very stable.

The scalability has been good.

We find the initial implementation process to be quick and easy.

The interface is good.

We've found the level of security to be fine.

What needs improvement?

The technical support needs to be improved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for eight years. It's been a while. I've used it for almost a decade. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. It's not a problem. 

We only have about 14 people on the solution currently.

How are customer service and technical support?

Microsoft technical support isn't ideal. They could improve their services. We're not 100% satisfied. 

They could be faster, more knowledgeable, and more customer-friendly. They need to provide more direct answers. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation process isn't too difficult. It's fairly straightforward. 

The deployment is fast and only takes about three or four hours or so. It doesn't take long.

In my organization, we have eight people that can handle deployment or maintenance tasks.

What about the implementation team?

As integrators, we can set up the solution for our clients. I can handle a deployment myself. It's not overly complex. 

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

Customers do need to pay a yearly licensing fee.

What other advice do I have?

I work with both the on-premises and cloud deployment models.

We're an integrator.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We're pretty happy with its capabilities. 

That said, in Thailand, they do not sell many Windows Servers, so it's difficult to use the product, Windows Server, a lot.

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. Integrator
PeerSpot user
MukeshKumar5 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber security manager at Apparel
Real User
Sep 12, 2021
Quick and easy installation with good troubleshooting abilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The features that I have found most valuable are that it is quick with an easy installation and has good troubleshooting compared to Linux or any other operating system."
  • "I would like to see better updates and for it to support other applications"
  • "If they have a choice then they should go for an alternate solution because in the longer run they can save a lot of money in licensing."

What is our primary use case?

Windows Server is deployed both on-premises and on cloud.

What is most valuable?

The features that I have found most valuable are that it is quick with an easy installation and has good troubleshooting compared to Linux or any other operating system.

They provide updates and patches in a timely manner.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see better updates and for it to support other applications

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Windows Server since the inception of the company.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Windows Server is stable. It is just that the updates and other things do sometimes break. The updates are fast so maybe everything is my issue with the legacy applications.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Windows Server is scalable. We have around 300 to 500 users on it.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer support is okay, but I believe it would be much better if they supported other applications. The challenge with them is they will say that you have installed some applications that they cannot support. So the blame game is there in that case and it is not a Microsoft issue or an application specific issue. So we have to fiddle around with that.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It took 10 to 15 minutes.

We had a technical team of around 10 people for the deployment and maintenance.

What about the implementation team?

You can do it by yourself or with the help of the consultant or integrator, it depends on the configuration you need.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Windows Server an eight.

My advice to anyone considering Windows Server is, if they don't have any other choice then they can use it. If they have a choice then they should go for an alternate solution because in the longer run they can save a lot of money in licensing.

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.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1401510 - PeerSpot reviewer
Team leader technical support at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Jul 20, 2021
Reliable, scalable, and compatible with most applications
Pros and Cons
  • "Most applications are compatible with this operating system."
  • "The security suffers the same issues as our Windows 10 for endpoint deployments. It could be more secure."

What is our primary use case?

We use Windows Server as the endpoint solution and for hosting our enterprise applications.

What is most valuable?

It makes an ideal tool for certain solutions. Most applications are compatible with this operating system.

What needs improvement?

The security suffers the same issues as our Windows 10 for endpoint deployments. It could be more secure.

The support could be more straightforward.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Windows Server since its existence. It's been more than twenty years.

We use versions 2012Rs and up.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Windows Server is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product. We have approximately 300 users in our organization who are using Windows Server.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is a bit varied. Depending on the type of technical support that you need, most are very responsive and usually, they are quite knowledgeable.

There is definitely room for improvement, especially with more complex and less straightforward questions. It tends to stay in the area of data gathering.

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

We have just a few applications running on the SUSE Linux platform. These applications are few and far between and we are moving away from that platform.

How was the initial setup?

We use Marketplace VMs from Azure or templated solutions from our on-premise Hypervisor. Deployment takes less than 10 minutes.

What about the implementation team?

Setting up the environment where this service solution can be deployed takes a little bit longer. But we can do that ourselves with no problem.

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

They are the same type of licensing for the Windows 10 endpoint solutions. 

We pay these on an annual basis. 

It is also dependant on your relationship with Microsoft as a company.

What other advice do I have?

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?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Windows Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: August 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Windows Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.