I'm wondering if anyone has made the switch from Microsoft Unified Support to a third-party option. Was it a better experience and more cost-effective? I'd love to hear about personal experiences or recommendations.
7 Answers
At the end of the day, they all have their downsides.
I've heard mixed reviews about US Cloud, but I have some clients using their services who seem very satisfied. The only downside is that the initial block of hours starts at around 30k.
The effectiveness of alternatives really depends on what level of support you're looking for. Only Microsoft has access to the source code. Last year I had a few issues that only they could help with since they require code changes. Sometimes, it just depends on your skills—everything from Googling to ChatGPT could be helpful.
Honestly, anything that doesn’t rely on a low-level Indian workforce will probably work just fine!
I swapped out Microsoft support for a literal rock on my desk, and honestly, my productivity has skyrocketed! I solve problems way faster now—sometimes less is more!
We also go through our VAR. Their cloud support team has been great whenever we've needed help. After 30 years of Microsoft, I’d never pay for their support again!
We work with our VAR, who sells us blocks of support hours for Microsoft Premier Support. They handle the initial troubleshooting and escalate to Microsoft only if necessary. It's way cheaper than going directly to Microsoft!
We do something similar with CDW, and it makes a difference.

Dolomite is a solid option.