Microsoft Support
Depends
Confidence: Medium
The free self-help articles, videos, and security docs are genuinely useful for anyone running Microsoft products.
Comparison
Microsoft Support vs Rimini Street
Microsoft Support and Rimini Street both land on Depends.
Rimini Street
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you run Oracle, SAP, or VMware at enterprise scale and want to cut annual support costs roughly 50% without upgrading.
| Compare | Microsoft Support | Rimini Street |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Home users troubleshooting Windows or Microsoft 365 | Oracle/SAP estates deferring upgrades |
| Who it's not for | Enterprises needing fast, SLA-backed incident response | Small businesses on standard software |
| Privacy | No breaches of the portal itself; one patched MSDT ('Follina') flaw and heavy third-party scam impersonation are the watch items. | No public breaches found; offers Rimini Protect proactive security; analysts flag compliance risk.16 |
| Support quality | Nightmare anecdotes, silent tickets, 'useless' verdicts | Multiple Stevie Awards for customer service excellence |
| Public sentiment | Community sentiment is overwhelmingly negative . unanswered tickets, unreachable humans, and 78% business dissatisfaction per US Cloud.¹ | Public user reviews are sparse and truncated in sources; SAP community threads show mixed experiences versus official vendor support. |
| Biggest gotcha | Enterprise Unified Support contracts cost so much that a third-party 'industrial complex' of alternatives now exists⁶ | Oracle warns of gaps in third-party support; factor future re-entry costs before switching |
Pick Microsoft Support when
- Home users troubleshooting Windows or Microsoft 365
- Anyone wanting free official how-to docs and videos
- Admins tracking official security updates and advisories
When Microsoft Support is not a fit
- Enterprises needing fast, SLA-backed incident response
- Anyone expecting to reach a live human quickly
- Businesses unwilling to absorb big Unified Support contract costs
- Buyers who equate 'official support' with guaranteed resolution
Pick Rimini Street when
- Oracle/SAP estates deferring upgrades
- SAP ECC users facing the 2027 deadline
- VMware customers dodging Broadcom pricing
- CFOs cutting software maintenance spend
When Rimini Street is not a fit
- Small businesses on standard software
- Teams migrating to cloud ERP soon
- Companies committed to RISE with SAP
- Orgs outside Oracle/SAP/VMware/Workday stacks
Sources
- Read Customer Service Reviews of support.microsoft.comtrustpilot.comreview
news
- Is Microsoft Support Even Useful?reddit.comreview
review
- Protect yourself from tech support scamssupport.microsoft.comofficial
- Advice on the 'Follina' Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool vulnerabilitynicybersecuritycentre.gov.uksecurity
- Microsoft Supportsupport.microsoft.comofficial
- Rimini Street homepageriministreet.comofficial
- Reduce IT Support Costs with Third Party Support Servicesriministreet.comofficial
- Rimini Protect: Proactive Security Servicesriministreet.comsecurity
- Rimini Street and Oracle Reach Historic Settlementlicenseware.ionews
- Rimini Street's Cybersecurity Challenges (TipRanks via Globe and Mail)theglobeandmail.comsecurity