Windows Server 2012 is a big deal!

The selection of Editions is simpler, yet different from previous versions, and the list of new features spans pages and pages of the release notes.

Upgrading from Windows Server 2008
Imagine that you're a user of Windows Server 2008 and you're considering the move to the new flavour of Windows. While there are plenty of modest incremental developments, the stuff you'll find compelling is the stuff that's either completely new in Windows Server 2012 or at the very least significantly improved.

How to buy
Versions: Windows Server 2012 comes in four editions, which are rather different from previous versions.

Licensing and processors
The licensing model works in multiples of two processors. So:

• A single Standard Edition licence allows you to run up to two Windows Server virtual machines on up to two physical processors in a single server – that is, you can't split a licence across two single-processor servers. 
• A single Datacenter Edition licence allows you to run an unlimited number of virtual machines on up to two physical processors.

Upgrades under Software Assurance
Because of the changes to the licensing model, moving from pre-2012 versions has a couple of tweaks:

• For Datacenter Edition, previous licences were per-processor. So for each two licences for pre-2012 you have, you get a single Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Edition licence. 
• Because of the eradication of the Enterprise Edition, every pre-2012 Enterprise Edition licence translates to two licences of Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition. 
• Unsurprisingly, upgrades for Standard Edition are on a one-to-one model. 
• A single SBS Essentials licence translates to a single Windows Server 2012 Essentials licence; however an SBS Standard licence translates to a single Windows Server 2012 Standard licence plus a single Exchange Server 2010 Standard licence.

Windows Server 2012 offers plenty of opportunities for companies looking to connect remote workers 

With Windows Server 2012, Microsoft has again upped its game by looking at the challenges that exist in its own software and what it can do to make them better. For data encryption, BitLocker is now available across all Microsoft platforms, client and server. It is easy to configure, can be managed centrally and should be deployed even when the end-user device is not owned by the enterprise.

Claims-based access is now standard inside Windows Server 2012. This allows administrators to create easy to manage, easy to deploy rules based on permissions and data classification. In another article, we have covered how to set this up to protect and restrict access to data.