Microsoft stands out as a dominant force in the server operating systems market.
Their flagship product, Windows Server, is extensively utilized by organizations for deploying internal IT infrastructure.
With regular updates and releases of new versions, Windows Server consistently enhances its capabilities for businesses.
In 2022, Microsoft introduced the latest version, Windows Server 2022, bringing numerous enhancements across various areas, from performance to cybersecurity.
Let’s delve into the new features and advantages offered by the upgrade to the Standard version.
New Features of Windows Server Standard
In contrast to prior releases, Windows Server 2022 Standard introduces several significant innovations:
- Support for the latest AMD and Intel processors of the latest generation, including virtualization and encryption technologies, allowing more efficient hardware utilization for critical tasks.
- Improved virtualization based on the Hyper-V hypervisor, enabling flexible configuration of resources for virtual machines and the utilization of advanced replication and backup services.
- Built-in support for data encryption using processor capabilities, enhancing speed and security compared to software-based implementations.
- Expanded scalability options, enabling the running of more resource-intensive applications, such as SQL Server, handling hundreds of thousands of transactions per second.
Additionally, the new version addresses many errors from previous releases to ensure maximum stability and performance.
Significant Performance Boost
One of the main advantages of upgrading to Windows Server 2022 Standard is a substantial increase in performance compared to the previous 2019 version. This was achieved through the following improvements:
- Optimizations in the network stack and updated device drivers significantly increased data transfer speed, with throughput increasing by 11% using 10 Gbit network cards.
- Performance in working with data storage based on the SMB protocol saw a significant boost, with random read speed increasing by up to 45% through caching and asynchronous writing.
- Implementation of support for the latest virtualization technologies, such as container groups, resource separation, and accelerated cloning, allowing more efficient use of hardware resources.
- The addition of new features for optimizing space utilization, such as memory deduplication and compression, saves up to 50% of resources when running virtual machines.
Thanks to these and other improvements, Windows Server 2022 Standard demonstrates impressive performance capable of meeting the growing needs of any business.
Revolutionary Cybersecurity Improvements
Another key advantage of the new version is enhanced data protection measures against cyber threats. Compared to Windows Server 2019, the following measures have been implemented:
- Secure boot at the hardware level, allowing checking the integrity of components and preventing the launch of malicious software.
- Continuous monitoring of security-critical elements of the operating system and secure storage of sensitive data.
- Support for encryption standards at the processor level without sacrificing performance, making it easy to secure confidential data.
- The default use of secure network protocols, including TLS 1.3, encrypted SMB, and enhanced authentication, ensures fully protected connections against interception and attacks.
Implementation of these measures, combined with refined access control mechanisms, makes Windows Server 2022 the most secure platform among all offerings.
Flexible Scaling Options in the Cloud
In the era of widespread cloud technologies, a key requirement is the ability for hybrid deployment — partly on local servers and partly on dedicated resources from a provider. This need is addressed by the integration with Microsoft Azure in Windows Server 2022.
Key features of hybrid infrastructure introduced in the new version:
- Seamless connection of local servers to Azure cloud services and management through a unified interface.
- Flexible traffic routing between local data centers and the cloud, depending on current loads, without data loss. Azure’s computational power and storage will be used to extend existing resources if necessary.
- Automatic backup of critical data to the cloud to minimize losses in case of emergencies, with recovery possible in just a couple of hours.
- A unified security management system across all infrastructure objects, eliminating the issue of incompatibility between local and cloud security measures.
This integration of local IT infrastructure with Azure cloud services opens up fantastic opportunities for businesses in terms of resilience, scalability, and cost savings.
Modern Monitoring and Management Tools
To fully harness the new capabilities of Windows Server 2022, the management interface has undergone a complete overhaul.
Instead of separate consoles, a unified web application named Windows Admin Center is now utilized. It provides the following advantages:
- A centralized point for monitoring all hardware and software components of servers, presenting key metrics in real-time through widgets and graphs.
- The ability to group servers and manage them as a unified entity for simplified administration.
- Role-based mechanisms enable the quick deployment of standard configurations for tasks like web servers, file storage, and databases.
- Automation of routine tasks related to updates, backups, and resource allocation, thanks to integration with PowerShell.
This modern approach significantly reduces the time spent managing IT infrastructure and minimizes the risk of errors.
Conclusion
The release of the new version represents the most extensive and significant update recently. Windows Server 2022 Standard elevates the platform to a qualitatively new level, introducing several revolutionary features.
Considering these updates, along with the approaching end of support for Windows Server 2019, transitioning to the new version is undoubtedly worth considering now.
For most organizations, this is an opportunity to modernize their infrastructure and lay the foundation for development in the coming years, considering the latest industry trends.