Azur Systems vs. Skype (discontinued)

I would highly recommend Azure machine learning design for those with less access to high-end computing infrastructure, as using Azure saves a lot of time, money, and effort by providing a hustle-free platform that is easy to use and train your employees on. On the other hand, if you are looking for complete control of the machine learning model you create and would like to add detailed functionalities and try different algorithms, then Azure is less suitable here as it’s very high level.

Incentivized

Having interacted with a new replacement tool, Microsoft Teams, it is challenging to recommend Skype, as it lacks some essential features, such as being less equipped with the latest updates, and it is not platform-independent, causing issues on PCs and phones, as well as during calls that might hinder work.

Incentivized

• Leverage machine learning as a service.
• Accelerate machine learning with best-breed algorithms.
• Support remote working with cloud-based services.
• Creation of compliant and secure machine learning applications.

Incentivized

• The instant chat function is great. Very straightforward, easy to use, easy to learn, no technical issues.
• Video calls are pretty easy also, user friendly and a mostly stable connection with no issues.
• Voice calls are easy also, eliminates the need for an external landline or the need to use your cell phone. Clear connections, not really any dropped calls.

Incentivized

• Limited storage for those using the free version.
• Limited number of machine learning algorithms.
• Because of its high-level design, it doesn’t give the developers much control as you don’t write much code in to do what you exactly want.

Incentivized

• Skype is a RESOURCE hog. People who have limited bandwidth will have poor call quality.
• It is hard to figure out how to use emojis and upload images in the chat.
• The background images do not fool anybody....it is clearly not your real background.

Incentivized

I have given this rating as this need to give more than that as it's very helpful for us and makes our work more efficient and fast.

Skype is not as good as Facetime in terms of ease to glance at it and figure out how it works. I think that's a result of Skype trying to be too many things at once. A lot of the menu and UI could be streamlined, and I would jettison some of the additional functions that have been tacked on over the years to simplify. That being said, while some options are slightly hard to find, they all work flawlessly once found.

Incentivized

I am not aware of the current support level for Skype for business, as I have never used even though I have the product. However, the support for Skype's personal paid users is not where it could be. Users who pay for Skype features do not have a clear path to reach out to support. So, rating 6, can be better as soon as I need to use Skype for business support and get a good experience. I will say that I will renew Skype for Business subscription, which is a significant inconsistency on my end. The explanation is that Skype for Business comes bundled with Office for Business, with no additional cost, so why not.

Incentivized

It can be used on the phone via mobile application as well as on the desktop by logging in to the website. Easily installed and ready to use.

Incentivized

It’s fierce competition, but Azure as a Microsoft product is more stable and performs better than Amazon AWS since all of our machines are built on Microsoft Operating systems. Azure provides a pay-per-minute service, unlike AWS, which provides a pay-per-hour service. Azure allows direct linking to exist cloud storage that we already use at our institution, such as OneDrive. Azure has a friendly and easy-to-use interface that staff and students are already used to working with other Microsoft products.

Incentivized

We use Skype in combination with Grasshopper. While Grasshopper acts as a routing toll free number with extensions, if we are making calls directly, we do it through Skype. Skype's desktop and mobile apps are easier to use, and provide unlimited local calls at a flat, affordable rate. Allowing our team to use their existing mobile or desktop devices without additional hardware for business office phone calls is important, and Skype makes that possible

Incentivized

The service provided is up to date, as discussed before buying.

• Reduce energy consumption caused by GPUs.
• Saves on recycling and transporting costs and maintenance caused by buying high-end equipment.
• Improve productivity as building products using Azure is easier than building everything up from scratch (e.g., machine learning and AI applications).

Incentivized

• Skype made keeping in touch with an advisor in Mexico very easy. The initiative there resulted in 5 new partnerships.
• Skype has helped me with account management for at least 3 customers in LATAM--usually it's a fast way to answer a question about a support renewal.
• For about 9 months Skype helped me stay in touch with a colleague in Prague. We would meet once a week to go over sales activities.

Incentivized