With the rapid pace of technological development, companies must continually update their software to maintain operational efficiency and security. Windows Server has long been a cornerstone of the enterprise IT environment, managing network infrastructure, applications, and data. Now in public preview, the release of Windows Server 2025 this fall builds upon that rich history with significant security enhancements, performance improvements, and new Hybrid Cloud capabilities. With details of what to expect scattered throughout the web, let’s dig into what we know so far about its release.

LTSC

We know Microsoft plans to deliver the new Windows Server 2025 via its Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), which it says "will be even more secure and advanced than ever" in general-availability releases later this year. This release, downloadable from the Evaluation Center, is designed for businesses that require options for upgrading their environment.

Expected Features

Advanced Security

Windows Server 2025 is expected to have a collection of expansive security technologies as cybersecurity threats grow more globally widespread than ever:

Modern Identity Management: Advanced security features in Active Directory for Cloud-scale identity management.

Better SMB Protocol: Secure improvements like SMB v3.1.1 will provide additional security layers to guard against brute force attacks, site spoofing attacks, and relay-based relay-based attacks.

Azure Arc-Enabled Hotpatching: Azure Arc lessens the downtime needed to apply security updates and keeps your cloud assets secure.

Hybrid Innovation

Businesses run more and more workloads in hybrid or multi-cloud scenarios; Windows Server 2025 brings enhanced hybrid cloud capabilities.

Software-Defined Network (SDN) Multisite Features: Provides L2 and L3 native connectivity for workloads across multiple sites with unified policy management.

Azure Integration: Experience a simplified onboarding to Azure Arc- extend your organization, cloud-scale development, and operations with the in-between state of traditional data centers.

AI, Performance, and Scalability

GPU Partitioning: A live migration and failover clustering for AI workloads are done using GPU Partitioning.

Storage and Hyper-V Improvements: Up to 70% more IOPs on NVMe SSDs and increased performance/scale for Hyper-V.

Why You Should Upgrade

The age-old question that comes up any time an upgrade is available - should I? Here are a few points why it may be worth upgrading:

Enhanced Security

These enhanced security capabilities are designed to protect systems against complex cyber-attacks and reduce the chances of any breaches and vulnerabilities regarding data integrity.

Operational Efficiency

Better management tools and the ability to automate processes will aid in making IT operations more efficient, freeing up time for staff to work on projects instead of doing maintenance.

Future-Proofing

Implementing the new capabilities will keep you in sync with the latest technologies and features, avoiding obsolescence or irrelevance from upcoming competitive environments.

Improved Performance

These performance improvements will allow even larger workloads and user scales, ultimately elevating end-user productivity.

Flexibility and Scalability

Improved hybrid cloud capabilities enable organizations to flex as business needs change and capitalize on the benefits of utilizing a cloud more effectively.

How to Prepare

To ensure a smooth rollout of Windows Server 2025 and avoid bottlenecks, you should follow several key steps:

First, assess your current IT infrastructure to identify any possible incompatibilities or necessary upgrades. This analysis will guide your planning for potential hardware or software commitments. Training is crucial at this stage. Educate your team on the new features and capabilities of Windows Server 2025. Consider free webinars, training programs that offer certificates, or other methods to help your team gain the required skills.

Testing in a staging environment is essential. By using an environment parallel to your production system, you can find and fix any bugs without affecting live operations. Develop a comprehensive migration strategy that includes all necessary tasks for moving your target applications to Windows Server 2025. Plan for potential obstacles and have a contingency plan to handle any issues during the transition.

Finally, back up all critical data before beginning the upgrade process. This precaution will allow you to restore updated backups if anything goes wrong, preventing data loss.

Windows Server 2025 is set to bring groundbreaking features and great benefits that can boost your IT security, productivity, and reduce downtime. To make the most of these advancements, it's important to stay informed and prepare properly. Keep an eye on our updates about Windows Server 2025, and get ready to be among the first to adopt the server technology of the future.