M
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Simple VM Management and Automation"
I employ Progress Chef for automation and server management. I highly value its quick automation and self-provisioning of VMs, which makes managing our VMs easier. I also like having a complete overview of our VMs, including space, CPU, and health checks. Following the Chef tutorials to set up the environment was clear and beneficial. I think integrating AI for rapid analysis would be helpful. For health monitoring, AI could send notifications to all VM owners to check their VMs if issues arise. I use Progress Chef for automation and server management. It addresses fast automation and self-provisioning of VMs, making VM management easier. I enjoy having a full view of our VMs in terms of space, CPU, and health checks.
"Good Infrastructure Management, Some Learning Needed"
I appreciate that Progress Chef provides easy configuration management and makes upgrading software components across our entire infrastructure simple, even in a regulated environment. I value its ability to maintain industry-standard CIS across all our organization's software. I also find the infrastructure timeless and easy to manage. Writing code in Ruby is challenging for me. Ruby isn't widely used, making it hard to find programmers who know it, and learning it takes considerable time. Also, the initial setup of Progress Chef was not straightforward. I use Progress Chef for configuration management and easy software component upgrades, even in regulated settings. It helps maintain industry-standard CIS across our software, making infrastructure management ageless and straightforward.
"Great for Compliance, Hard to Set Up"
I rely on Progress Chef to streamline server configuration management, removing manual work and ensuring our infrastructure remains consistent from development to production. I like that Progress Chef handles the setup automatically and keeps all servers identical. It also simplifies compliance checks. I appreciate how it makes audits easier and maintains consistency across the board. However, the learning curve is tough for newbies, and the documentation can be confusing. The initial setup took a long time. Setting up Progress Chef was quite involved, with a lot to configure on both the server and workstations. I use Progress Chef to simplify server configuration management, eliminating manual work and keeping infrastructure consistent. But the learning curve is steep, and the setup is complex and time-consuming.
"Boosts Organization, Needs a Little More Speed"
I appreciate that Progress Chef is straightforward to use, keeps my work organized, and lets me track progress in one place. It saves time by consolidating all tasks, making it simple to see what's next, update statuses, and stay organized without overlooking important work. The setup was simple and fast, and I was using it right away. Occasionally the system is a bit sluggish, and I believe it could benefit from being faster and offering more helpful notifications or reminders. Progress Chef helps me organize my work, track progress, and ensure tasks are completed on time by keeping everything in one location. It's easy to use and keeps me organized without missing important tasks.
M
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Robust Automation, But Not for Beginners"
I'm a fan of Progress Chef for its ability to automate infrastructure management across all servers effectively. It ensures uniformity on every server, avoiding issues caused by differences in configuration. Rather than manually configuring systems, I can specify the desired state and code, and Chef applies it automatically, which cuts down on human error. The learning curve with Progress Chef is steeper than with other automation tools. It takes more time to get comfortable with concepts like back-end configuration, which can be tricky for novices. Also, setting up and maintaining the Chef server can be complex, especially in smaller environments. Once it's properly set up, though, it's very powerful. I use Progress Chef to ensure consistent server configurations, preventing issues from configuration drift. It automates infrastructure management and reduces human error.
r
records digitization team leader
"Improved Kitchen Operations with Progress Chef"
I appreciate that Progress Chef is easy to use, which simplifies managing recipes, inventory, and overall kitchen tasks. The precise food cost tracking is extremely useful, helping us manage expenses and maintain consistent food quality. Its inventory and recipe management capabilities save time, cut down on manual errors, and keep inventory data accurate. The initial setup was easy, with a short learning period that our team found beneficial. I'd like more customization in reporting, and the mobile experience could be faster and smoother. More flexible report filters and export options would make reporting more useful. Enhancing the mobile app's speed and navigation would improve on-the-go usability. I use Progress Chef to manage food costs, keep inventory precise, and streamline kitchen operations. It saves time, reduces manual mistakes, keeps inventory accurate, and supports consistent food quality while controlling costs.
C
Customer Implementation Engineer
"Strong Automation with a Learning Curve"
I value Progress Chef for its self-healing capability, which saves me from being called at odd hours or on weekends since the system can fix itself. That gives me more time to rest and enjoy family time. The single dashboard offers clear visibility into the state of every computer, which speeds up troubleshooting by letting me see exactly what caused the failure and eliminating guesswork. It shows which machines are secure and which need updates. While Progress Chef is robust, it has some drawbacks. For someone new, it can be confusing and requires programming knowledge. Adding a large number of computers can also cause slow loading. A significant issue is that you must install a background agent on every computer it manages. The initial setup is challenging and involves not just installing the software but also configuring components like Chef Servers, workstations, and clients. Knowing Ruby is essential to start setting up the environment. I rely on Progress Chef to automate computer and server management, addressing human error, saving time, fixing poor documentation, and revealing security gaps. It can rebuild servers instantly after failures and provides clear visibility and automatic healing, reducing emergencies and guesswork.
"Our Data Workflows Have Been Simplified by Progress Chef"
I appreciate how Progress Chef organizes workflows and lays out each step clearly. It makes it easy to see who's accountable for what and ensures tasks flow smoothly between stages, which boosts coordination and cuts down delays when dealing with survey data. The installation was smooth and straightforward, letting us set up workflows and begin tracking tasks without any problems. Task management has become more structured, helping me set priorities and spot bottlenecks early, which improves efficiency. Additionally, I like how it coordinates tasks and monitors progress across various systems, making the entire workflow more organized. So far, everything works well for the team, especially regarding tracking and managing workflows. However, with large volumes of data, finding specific tasks or processing stages can be slow. Enhanced filtering and search options—such as by stage, data type, or priority—would simplify workload management and save time. This would help focus on crucial tasks and increase productivity. I use Progress Chef to manage survey data workflows, structure tasks, and track progress. It resolves coordination issues, minimizes confusion, and prevents blockages, boosting efficiency. I value how it defines workflow stages and task ownership, aiding prioritization and early delay detection.
M
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Smooth Automation and Robust Testing Features"
I value how Progress Chef handles repetitive system admin tasks automatically and with minimal effort. By crafting reusable cookbooks, I can quickly deploy, update, and standardize servers across different environments, making infrastructure management more streamlined and efficient. The testing tools around Chef, especially Test Kitchen and InSpec, are a standout. Being able to test infrastructure code locally in separate sandboxes before pushing to production gives me huge assurance that changes won't cause outages. Test Kitchen makes it simple to run tests on cookbooks in clean, isolated virtual environments prior to release. InSpec provides readable checks that automatically verify system setups and compliance standards. Together, they eliminate unknowns and prevent expensive errors in production. Arranging Chef Workstation and the newer CLI tools like chef-generate went relatively smoothly. After setting up the initial server connection and authentication keys, bootstrapping new nodes via SSH was fast and automated. Progress Chef fits well into our existing toolchain. We manage cookbook source code with Git, use Terraform to provision cloud infrastructure initially, and rely on Jenkins to run automated tests and deployments through Test Kitchen and InSpec. Running a Chef server and managing agents across many servers can add operational overhead. On heavily loaded nodes, executing client runs can become slower, and for very small, straightforward setups, the initial configuration may feel overly complicated. I leverage Progress Chef to automate infrastructure, cutting down on manual server work. It accelerates deployments, simplifies server updates, and helps with scaling. With Test Kitchen and InSpec, I maintain infrastructure consistency and avoid costly mistakes. Reusable cookbooks improve deployment, standardization, and management.
D
Data Capturer/Records Clerk
"Straightforward Task Management, Could Be Faster"
Progress Chef is user-friendly and helps me keep my tasks organized while monitoring my advancement in a single location. The ability to track tasks and see updates is valuable because it keeps me on top of my work, simplifies monitoring, and ensures nothing important slips through. The interface is clear and intuitive for daily use. Getting started was a breeze, and I was operational in no time. At times, the platform feels sluggish, particularly when opening tasks. Additionally, improving the search function, alerts, and reporting capabilities would make it easier to locate data and monitor progress. Progress Chef aids in organizing my workload, following progress, and making sure deadlines are met. It centralizes my task organization and progress tracking.