As a seasoned sysadmin, I recently found myself managing a domain controller and forest domain that need to comply with DISA STIG standards. My company established a direct partnership with Microsoft, investing in their Azure enterprise support plan. However, I've been really disappointed with the support—basic ticket resolutions take weeks, and troubleshooting GPO issues can drag on for months. Out of sheer frustration, I've often fixed these issues myself. Has anyone here had better experiences with partner channels or third-party support from VARs instead of Microsoft? I'm considering talking to our relationship manager about not renewing our support contract.
5 Answers
I’ve worked directly with Microsoft and also tried using services like US Cloud, even being my own expert at times. My experiences have been all over the place. It's frustrating how inconsistent the support can be; you really never know what kind of help you’ll get!
As someone who works at a VAR, I can say we often get more leverage with Microsoft for help requests. Since we manage a large amount of spending with Microsoft, we tend to receive priority assistance. But I’ll admit, the effectiveness really depends on the manager you work with.
Honestly, I’d skip both Microsoft and VAR support. Look for a Managed Service Provider (MSP) that has proven expertise with DISA STIG requirements; they usually get the job done more effectively.
I’m my own VAR support! Sometimes, you just have to take matters into your own hands. It's funny how often that works out better.
We primarily rely on our VAR for support, but honestly, I find that AI tools usually give us faster solutions than waiting for help.
That makes sense! I've noticed that the quality can vary widely between different VARs.