Windows Server 2008 R2 - product overview

Windows Server 2008 R2 is the newest Windows Server operating system from Microsoft. Designed to help organisations reduce operating costs and increase efficiencies, Windows Server 2008 R2 provides enhanced management control over resources across the enterprise. It is designed to provide better energy efficiency and performance by reducing power consumption and lowering overhead costs. It also helps provide improved branch office capabilities, exciting new remote access experiences, streamlined server management, and expands the Microsoft virtualization strategy for both client and server computers.

At Principal, your Microsoft Gold Partner, we have a dedicated team of IT professionals who can work with you to install, configure and maintain your own Windows server-based computing facility, and can guide you through the benefits of this latest upgrade.

Windows Server 2008 R2:  Benefits

• Integrate all your IT operations via a trusted and recognised brand
• Improve your business efficiency with Windows 2008 R2’s outstanding performance
• Free up your workforce to do more productive work
• Use Principal Microsoft Gold Partner Expertise to maximise the return on your investment
• Windows Server 2008 R2: Answering the Questions

Windows Server 2008 R2: Versions

• Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation
• Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
• Windows Small Business Server 2008 (SBS)
• Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (EBS)
• Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
• Windows Server 2008 R2 Itanium

Windows Server 2008 R2 builds on the award-winning foundation of Windows Server 2008. For companies with an existing server-based infrastructure, or those looking to capture all the benefits of a server-based working environment, Windows Server 2008 R2 expands its existing technology base, and adds new virtualisation tools, Web resources, management enhancements, and – massively important - exciting Windows 7 integration. All this helps save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and efficiently managed data centre at the heart of any business enterprise.

Windows Server 2008 R2 provides Client and Server virtualisation – in simple terms, centralised desktop delivery architecture to enable all Windows and other desktop environments currently used and maintained separately in your organisation to run and be managed in virtual machines on a centralised server.

Virtualisation is a major part of today’s data centres. Virtualising your IT infrastructure lets you reduce IT costs while increasing the efficiency, usage, and flexibility of your existing IT hardware and systems assets. The operating efficiencies offered by virtualisation will allow you to dramatically reduce operational effort and power consumption.

Windows Server 2008 R2: Remote Desktop Services

Formerly known as Terminal Services, Remote Desktop Services provides users and administrators with both the features and the flexibility necessary to design and build extremely secure “virtual” networks for private access to computer resources off-base. Microsoft has been investing in the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, also known as VDI. This is a centralised desktop delivery resource, enabling Windows and other desktop environments to run and be managed in virtual machines on a centralised server.

Improve Data Centre Management

The ongoing management of servers in organisational data centres is one of the most time-consuming tasks facing IT professionals today. Clearly, any data centre management strategy you deploy must support the management of both your physical and virtual environments. To help with this challenge, Windows Server 2008 R2 has new features to reduce the ongoing management of Windows Server 2008 R2 itself, and to reduce the administrative effort for common day-to-day operational tasks. These tasks include:

• Improved data centre power consumption management
• Improved Management of File Services
• Improved remote administration
• Reduced administrative effort for administrative tasks performed interactively
• Enhanced command-line and automated management by using PowerShell version 2.0
• Improved identity management
• Improved compliance with established standards and best practices

Windows Server 2008 R2:  Scalability and Reliability

Windows Server 2008 R2 is capable of unprecedented workload size. It can grow with your business and operations needs. It has across-the-board availability and reliability. It offers a mass of new and updated features including the full employment of sophisticated CPU architectures, making use of  much more of any operating system functions, and improved performance overall for any existing or newly-installed application  or service.

Added Advantages Together with Windows 7

Windows Server 2008 R2 has many features that are designed specifically to work with computers running Windows 7. Features that are only available when running Windows 7 client computers with server computers running Windows Server 2008 R2 include:

• Simplified remote connectivity for corporate computers by using the DirectAccess feature
• Secured remote connectivity for private and public computers
• Improved performance for branch offices
• Improved security for branch offices
• Improved virtualized desktop integration
• Higher fault tolerance for connectivity between sites