Choosing The Right Azure Support Plan

Margaret_Farmer

Microsoft

Apr 29, 2025

Getting The Support, You Need

Technology advances in a blink of an eye. One moment you know the fluid motion of scrolling the latest app to learning to adopt something new for the job. Technology, technology always changes. Okay, perhaps not in a fallout kind of way. However, enough to keep you on your toes. Thus, Azure is no different as a platform. Even under the best conditions, things can and probably will go awry. That's why it's crucial to know where to turn for help.

Enter Azure's Portal platform, your go-to resource for basic support, offering a wealth of documentation, videos, and tutorials. So, the question is, how do you get the support you need based on your organization's needs? In this blog we will explore just that. So, grab a snack and dust off your computer. We are going to go shopping for the right support plan.

Sign In

You know the drill by now. Time to sign into your Azure portal armed with your username and credentials. Note: Microsoft Azure and other admin portals will begin enforcing Multifactor Authentication (MFA) which began October 2024 for the Azure Portal. Please see the link to learn more: Plan for mandatory Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication (MFA) - Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn.

Navigate to https://portal.azure.com.
Login using your Administrator Username and Password.
If you have forgotten your password, please click "Forgot password" then follow the user prompts.
Keep your phone handy to authenticate via your Microsoft Authentication App.

Help + Support

Now that you are logged into the Azure portal, you will need to navigate the Help + Support area in Azure. Here you will be able to do many things such as checking on any previous or open support tickets, Support plans, and Service Health located under the Support dropdown menu in the left-hand menu. We will only cover the support plans, how we will cover Service Health in another blog.

Locating Support Plans

In the top search bar, type "Help + support" then click on the Help + support application.
Navigate to the left-hand menu click on "Support."
Next, select "Support Plans."
You can choose the subscription in the dropdown in which you would like to add the Support plan.

Types of Support Plans

Before you make any crucial decision, it is important to outline what are your organizations' business critical needs are. Based on your use case and the complexity of your goals and objectives will factor into what plan works for you. This may require internal conversations about what resources you will be managing. So, though this blog is aimed to give you an understanding of each plan. The ultimate choice will be with your organization. Let this be a guideline to assist in that process. Below is a brief breakdown of the services that you can get from each plan as follows below:

Support Plans

Basic

Price: Free, included for all Azure customers.
Scope: Suitable for trial and non-production environments.
Support:
- 24/7 self-help resources, including Microsoft Learn, Azure portal how-to videos, documentation, and community support.
- Ability to submit as many support tickets as needed.
- Azure Advisor for personalized guidance on Azure best practices.
- Azure health status and notifications.

Developer

Price: $29 per month.
Scope: Suitable for trial and non-production environments.
Support:
- Business hours access to support engineers via prioritized responses on Microsoft Q&A.
- Minimal business impact (Sev C): Response within eight business hours.
- General architecture support guidance.

Standard

Price: $100 per month.
Scope: Suitable for production workload environments.
Support:
- 24/7 access to technical support by email and phone after a support request is submitted.
- Minimal business impact (Sev C): Response within eight business hours.
- Moderate business impact (Sev B): Response within four hours.
- Critical business impact (Sev A): Response within one hour.
- General architecture support guidance.
- Third-party software support with interoperability and configuration guidance and troubleshooting.

Professional Direct

- Price: $1,000 per month.
- Scope: Suitable for business-critical dependence.
- Support:
  - 24/7 access to technical support by email and phone after a support request is submitted.
  - Minimal business impact (Sev C): Response within four business hours.
  - Moderate business impact (Sev B): Response within two hours.
  - Critical business impact (Sev A): Response within one hour.
  - Guidance from a pool of ProDirect delivery managers.
  - Service reviews and advisory consultation from a pool of ProDirect delivery managers.
  - Webinars led by Azure experts.
  - Proactive guidance from a pool of ProDirect delivery managers.
  - Support API to create and manage Azure support tickets programmatically.

Disclaimer: Before making any major decisions, please consult with your administrative staff within your organization to ensure proper guidance and compliance. This step is crucial as it helps to avoid potential risks, ensures that all necessary protocols are followed, and aligns decisions with the organization's policies and objectives.

Changing Your Plan

There may be times that you need to reconsider your operational expenses or if what you currently need is enough. So, rest assure that you can change your mind to scale up or down when choosing your plans. You can change your plan anytime. Follow the steps below: