How Much Is Azure Support and What Are the Options

Azure support options can be customized to fit your business needs.

There are four support plans: Basic, Standard, Professional Direct, and Premier.

The Basic plan is free, but it only includes online resources and community support.

You can also purchase additional support hours with the Basic plan.

The Standard plan costs $29 per month per subscription and includes 24/7 phone support.

Azure Support Plans provide technical support for Azure subscribers, and there are four plans to choose from: Basic, Developer, Standard, and Professional Direct.

The Basic plan is free and includes access to community forums, self-help documentation, and the ability to raise as many support tickets as required. However, it does not have any active support from Azure.

The Developer plan is best for trial and non-production environments, and it has active support from Azure in the form of access to support engineers via email during standard business hours, with a response time of within eight hours.

Here's a summary of the four plans:

For business-critical environments, the Professional Direct plan is the best choice, offering 24/7 technical support with one-hour response time, plus operational support, training, and proactive guidance from a ProDirect delivery manager.

Azure offers four support plans to cater to different needs: Basic, Developer, Standard, and Professional Direct. The Basic plan is free and available to all Azure accounts, but it doesn't include active support from Azure.

The Developer plan is best for trial and non-production environments, offering access to support engineers via email during standard business hours with a response time of within eight hours. You can raise as many support tickets as required with this plan.

Here's a comparison of the four support plans:

The Standard plan is an upgrade of the Developer plan, providing 24/7 access to support engineers via email and phone with a response time of within one hour. This plan is best for production workload environments.

The Professional Direct plan is absolutely necessary for business-critical environments, offering 24/7 technical support with one-hour response time, operational support, training, and proactive guidance from a ProDirect delivery manager.

Collaboration is a crucial aspect of Azure support plans, and one of the most common options is working with a partner. These partners come in all shapes and sizes, offering a variety of services and support packages.

You may already have a partner in place to support your Azure cloud environment, as Microsoft encourages you to leverage its technology partners within the cloud ecosystem. Partner organisations are essentially there to prevent Microsoft from having to get too hands-on with its customers.

Working with a partner like this is basically using them to add a member to your IT team who will be available when you need them. The reliability of that person will be limited, because they'll always be committed to other clients as well.

You should be aware that one-man bands or small teams made up of just a few people may not be able to scale the services as your business grows. If your cloud systems need to grow with it, the level of support your partner can give you could create challenges.

Mid-tier partners, on the other hand, will be made up of several teams, often focusing on certain areas of the cloud or different specialisms. They may have teams that solely focus on certain Microsoft products, like SharePoint or Dynamics CRM.

It's essential to ensure you're getting the right expertise to meet the specific requirements of your unique cloud infrastructure. Medium-sized partners usually operate on a project or consultancy basis, where support is provided by a dedicated team assigned to you.

Larger Azure support partners tend to have a close working relationship with Microsoft and may even be the direct re-seller who you procured your cloud from. Their processes and best practices will probably mirror Microsoft's own, and they'll have a deep pool of resources available to give you comprehensive support.

Microsoft offers several options for Azure support, but it's essential to understand that the level of support you receive may not be automatic with your cloud subscription.

The infrastructure-as-a-service model of the cloud means that Microsoft provides you with a subscription to its technology, but you're responsible for maintaining and supporting that infrastructure.

There are four main Azure support tiers: Basic, Developer, Standard, and Professional Direct. Enterprise support is also available, but it's restricted and has entry requirements.

Here's a breakdown of the available Azure support options:

Microsoft offers four tiers of Azure support plans, including Basic, Developer, Standard, and Professional Direct. These plans are designed to provide varying levels of support for your cloud deployment.

If you have a live cloud deployment, Microsoft also offers a cloud support service based on a ticketing system for troubleshooting your case. This service is available to help you resolve issues quickly.

The Azure support plans are organized into four tiers: Basic, Developer, Standard, and Professional Direct. The Basic plan is mostly a safety net for early adopters of the cloud, while the Developer plan offers more substantial support for developers.

Here are the four Azure support plans:

If you're an enterprise-level customer, you may be eligible for the Enterprise support plan, which is a restricted service with entry requirements. This plan offers priority support and is usually available to organizations of a certain size only.

If you partner with Microsoft for cloud support, be aware that you'll be dealing with a large global corporation. They have hundreds of thousands of customers, which means you won't receive hands-on support directly from your provider.

24-hour support is available, but you'll likely be placed in a long queue any time you have an issue. Their extensive man-power and technical capabilities are a plus, but you'll deal with a different rep every time.

Their large global support team has in-depth documentation for you to call on, and they'll automatically keep your cloud environment up-to-date with changes to the platform. However, this impersonal service won't provide specific help tailored to your unique issue or need.

Here are some key differences between Microsoft's support and what you might expect from a smaller partner:

The cost of taking on a more substantial support package with Microsoft will be extremely high, and the time it takes for them to help you solve a problem will be longer. This can make it harder to maintain business continuity.

Let's break down the pros and cons of different support options to help you make an informed decision.

Having a support service that meets your business's specific requirements is vital, as mentioned earlier.

One of the advantages of choosing the right Azure support service is that it can meet your business's needs, just like finding the right pair of shoes that fit perfectly.

Each option has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, some of which may resonate more than others.

For instance, some support services may offer 24/7 support, which can be a huge advantage for businesses that operate around the clock.

On the other hand, some options may have limited support hours, which can be a disadvantage for businesses that need immediate assistance.

It's essential to weigh these pros and cons carefully to ensure you choose a support service that aligns with your business's goals and requirements.