Microsoft Launches Windows Server 2012 To Power The Cloud OS

Microsoft has announced the general availability of Windows Server 2012 where Satya Nadella, President of Microsoft Server and Tools Business described how Windows Server 2012 is a cornerstone of the Cloud OS that provides customers with a modern platform for the world’s applications.

“The operating system has always been the heartbeat of IT and is now undergoing a renaissance in the new world of continuous cloud services, connected devices and big data,” Nadella said. “Microsoft’s unique legacy in the most widely used operating systems, applications and cloud services positions us to deliver the Cloud OS, based on Windows Server and Windows Azure, helping customers achieve a datacentre without boundaries.”

Enabling The Modern Datacentre

Microsoft built Windows Server 2012 from the cloud up, applying its experience operating global datacentres that rely on hundreds of thousands of servers to deliver more than 200 cloud services. Windows Server 2012 expands the definition of a server operating system, incorporating traditionally separate technologies, such as advanced storage, networking, virtualisation and automation capabilities. Hundreds of new features can help customers achieve a transformational leap in the speed, scale and power of their datacentres and applications. In combination with Windows Azure and System Center, Windows Server 2012 empowers customers to manage and deliver applications and services across private, hosted and public clouds.

Customers Find Success With Windows Server 2012

Customers can use their existing skills and investments in systems management, application development, database, identity and virtualisation to take advantage of Windows Server 2012 and realise the promise of cloud computing. Many enterprise customers are already seeing tremendous value in early deployments. A survey of 70 early adopter customers from across the globe revealed that they expect, on average, 52 percent reduction in downtime, 41 percent reduction in workload deployment time, and 15 hours of productivity time saved per year, per employee. 91 percent of the companies surveyed expect a reduction in server administration labor, and 88 percent expect reduction in network administration labour.”

ISGN, a global end-to-end technology, analytics and services provider to more than 400 US mortgage lenders, including 7 of the top 10, is using Windows Server 2012 to build their private cloud infrastructure.

“We chose Windows Server 2012 and System Center as it offered best-in-class virtualisation and integrated management capabilities“, said Kumaran Mudaliar, VP Information Technology at ISGN. “It has helped us reduce our costs significantly and in our ability to rapidly provision and deploy services to meet our business commitments.”

“Windows Server 2012 built from the cloud up, helps customers achieve a modern datacentre without boundaries, providing flexibility to build and deploy applications on-premises, in the cloud, and in a hybrid environment. Designed as a modern platform for world’s applications, Windows Server 2012 dramatically changes the IT economics of storage for high availability and continuous services. It further empowers IT to provide users with flexible access to data and applications anywhere on any device with simplified management, security and control” said Srikanth Karnakota, Director Server and Cloud Business, Microsoft.