Going down the IT rabbit hole

Windows Server 2025 has officially launched, marking a significant advancement in the Windows Server platform. This release aims to provide a secure, high-performance environment tailored to meet an array of customer requirements. With Windows Server 2025, organizations can deploy applications in various settings, including on-premises, hybrid, and cloud environments.

Enhanced Security Features

In today’s landscape where cybersecurity is paramount, Windows Server 2025 introduces a comprehensive suite of security features designed to protect both data and infrastructure. Significant security enhancements include:

1. Active Directory Improvements: Active Directory, recognized for its identity and authentication capabilities, now incorporates new security features to enhance resilience against evolving threats. Improvements include updated protocols, encryption mechanisms, hardening techniques, and new cryptographic support, all aimed at increasing scalability and robustness.
2. SMB Hardening: The inclusion of SMB (Server Message Block) over QUIC facilitates secure access to file shares via the internet. Additional security measures within SMB have been implemented, such as hardened firewall defaults, mechanisms to prevent brute force attacks, and defenses against man-in-the-middle, relay, and spoofing attacks.
3. Delegate Managed Service Accounts: With Delegate Managed Service Accounts (dMSAs), manual password management is no longer necessary as Active Directory automates this process. This feature allows for specific permissions to be delegated for resource access within the domain, which mitigates security risks and enhances accountability through better visibility and logging of service account activities.

These advancements position Windows Server 2025 as a formidable platform for IT infrastructure, making it an imperative for organizations to commence evaluations immediately.

Hybrid Cloud Capabilities for Greater Agility

Windows Server 2025 also brings forth new hybrid cloud capabilities that significantly boost operational flexibility and connectivity. Key features include:

• Hotpatching via Azure Arc: This feature introduces a subscription service that allows on-premises customers to benefit from cloud-like advantages, such as automatic updates and minimized disruptions. Hotpatching ensures security updates can be applied with fewer reboots, catering to Azure Arc-enabled Windows Server 2025 deployments.
• Simplified Azure Arc Onboarding: Integration with Azure Arc allows organizations to leverage Azure’s functionality directly within their data centers. This seamless onboarding enhances the management of hybrid and multicloud environments, improving security and operational versatility.
• Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Multisite Features: Windows Server 2025 includes L2 and L3 connectivity options that facilitate seamless workload migration. This includes unified management of network policies to maintain consistent security and performance standards across diverse cloud environments.

These features make Windows Server 2025 a suitable choice for organizations aiming to maximize their IT infrastructures while harnessing both on-premises and cloud capabilities.

Performance and Scalability for Advanced Workloads

Tailored to accommodate demanding workloads, including AI and machine learning, Windows Server 2025 boasts several performance-oriented features:

• Enhanced Hyper-V Capabilities: The platform supports GPU partitioning and can process substantial data sets efficiently, offering a high-performance environment conducive for AI and traditional applications alike. Features such as live migration and high availability ensure operational continuity.
• Improved Storage Performance: Windows Server 2025 delivers up to 60% more storage IOPS performance compared to its predecessor. This significant enhancement in storage capabilities is particularly beneficial for applications that rely on fast data access.
• Storage Innovations: The release continues Windows Server’s legacy of supporting various storage solutions, while introducing innovative features like Native ReFS deduplication, compression, thinly provisioned Storage Spaces, and Storage Replica Compression, now available in all editions.
• Scalability in Hyper-V: With advancements inherited from Azure, Windows Server 2025 significantly increases Hyper-V virtual machine capacities, including a maximum memory configuration of 240 Terabytes and 2048 virtual processors per VM.

These developments position Windows Server 2025 as an exceptional option for organizations seeking a robust virtualization solution while also delving into AI and machine learning capabilities with high efficiency.

System Center 2025 Availability

System Center 2025 is now generally available! This release marks a significant milestone in enhancing datacenter operations, focusing on infrastructure modernization and security. Released alongside Windows Server 2025, it allows you to leverage the newest Windows Server features with integrated management tools.

Security is paramount in today’s threat landscape. System Center 2025 bolsters security with reductions in scenarios using CredSSP and NTLM, TLS 1.3 support, and enhanced data security features on Microsoft Azure. Flexible data protection strategies include virtual TPM (vTPM) support and optimizing backup processes in Hyper-V environments.

Service Provider Foundation (SPF) is discontinued, with SPF 2022 remaining compatible for a transition period. Users are encouraged to switch to Azure Arc-enabled SCVMM, enhancing virtual machine management with unified operations like start, stop, and resize, under Azure’s RBAC.

System Center Operations Manager 2025 offers full support for Windows Server 2025, embraces OpenSSL 3.1 to 3.3 for cryptographic security, and improves browser compatibility, all enhancing system management and security.

Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2025 supports Windows Server 2025, employs Azure Key Vault for passphrase storage, and ensures vTPM settings continuity in VM restorations, integrating advanced cloud security to bolster protection strategies. New in DPM 2025 is also support for protection of SharePoint Subscription Edition and virtual TPM (vTPM) support for VMware.

Virtual Machine Manager 2025 leverages Windows Server 2025, extends management to Azure Stack HCI 23H2 clusters, adopts TLS 1.3 for enhanced security, and supports latest Linux distributions, optimizing complex environments’ management.

System Center 2025 is a comprehensive upgrade addressing modern IT needs with elevated security, cloud capabilities, and user-centric innovations. It enables efficient and secure infrastructure management for both on-premises and cloud environments.

Ready to upgrade? Explore the System Center product site, try a free trial at the Evaluation Center, and learn about Windows Server 2025.

More information and download links:

• What’s new in Windows Server 2025
• Windows Server 2025 known issues and notifications
• Windows Server 2025 Security Book
• Windows Server release information
• Revolutionizing Network Management and Performance with ATC, HUD and AccelNet on Windows Server 2025
• A New Dawn of Software Defined Networking (SDN) in Windows Server 2025
• Windows Server 2025 download (ISO & VHD, 180-day trial)
• System Center 2025 download (EXE, 180-day trial)