Windows Server 2008 represents a major advance in making information networks more secure and fault tolerant, easier to virtualize and manage, higher performing, and able to provide a better environment for web hosting and development. Windows Server 2008 can scale both up and down more than any of its predecessors, and the different editions offered by Microsoft address the information technology needs of businesses of any size, from small companies to global enterprises. Windows Server 2008 makes it possible to create more cohesive, user friendly, productive, secure, and reliable networks for single-site companies, corporations with many branch offices, or companies that collaborate closely with partners but who need to maintain the integrity of their individual networks.
Progent can help your business benefit fully from the enhancements built into Windows Server 2008 by providing consulting, technical support, training, staffing, monitoring, and security engineering services.
Windows Server 2008 delivers a wealth of new or enhanced technologies, tools, and management utilities as well as security upgrades and architectural improvements. The latest operating system from Microsoft has also adopted important industry standards to facilitate the integration of multi-vendor environments. Key benefits of Windows Server 2008 include:
Tighter Security
Windows Server 2008 has tightened its security architecture, adopted key standards for identity and access, and provided powerful tools for establishing and enforcing security policy, An array of configuration and management options allow businesses to achieve an unprecedented level of protection from external and internal security threats and insurance against natural and human-made disasters. Security enhancements in Windows Server 2008 impact all major server roles including server virtualization, failover clustering, Active Directory services, and network connectivity.
Security enhancements in Active Directory Certificate Services, Active Directory Federation Services, Active Directory Rights Management Services simplify and centralize security management, promote safer collaboration with partner organizations, and make it easier to monitor and troubleshoot Active Directive security services. Windows Server 2008 failover clustering uses Kerberos encryption and introduces a new security model that reduces administration overhead, protects communication between cluster nodes, and improves auditing. Hyper-V, Windows Server 2008's new virtualization technology, is built on Windows hypervisor, a thin layer of software whose minimal size and freedom from third-party code or drivers gives it a small attack surface and establishes a highly secure foundation for virtualization.
Other major security enhancements include:
Improved high-availability technologies include failover clustering, Network Load Balancing, dynamic hardware partitioning, advanced storage alternatives, and a new architecture that supports automated machine checking.
The major area of improvement in fault tolerance that has been enhanced in Windows Server 2008 is in failover clustering. A cluster is a group of computers that run a common set of applications and are connected in such a way that if a node, or server, in a cluster fails or is taken offline for maintenance, another node automatically and instantly takes on the workload of the node that went down.
Failover clustering is the preferred solution for providing mission-critical applications with the highest level of fault tolerance, and Windows Server 2008 incorporates major improvements in Microsoft's approach for configuring and managing server clusters and in cluster architecture. Failover clustering enhancements available in the Enterprise and Datacenter Editions of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 include:
The headline virtualization technology incorporated into Windows Server 2008 is Hyper-V, which provides the platform to build and manage an advanced virtualized server system. Server virtualization means simultaneously running two or more operating systems independently on the same physical server. Microsoft's Hyper-V allows you to consolidate servers and reduce management costs, host legacy environments that would otherwise require dedicated hardware, isolate sensitive applications or development environments, quickly provision and tear down test systems, and reduce the time it takes to recover from a disaster.
The new virtualization architecture introduced by Hyper-V can handle more memory, supports high-powered multi-core processors, and can be integrated with dynamic storage systems and the latest high-speed networking solutions.
Integration with existing server management tools such as System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) and System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) make it easier to set up, replicate, and administer virtual environments. New or improved features of Hyper-V include:
The new Server Manager console offers a single, integrated tool for controlling a server's identity, roles, and features; checking server status; and finding configuration errors. Server Manager gives administrators access to practically all the tools and information related to server productivity and replaces an assortment of features and utilities included with Windows Server 2003 such as Manage Your Server, Configure Your Server, Add or Remove Windows Components, and the Security Configuration Wizard. By consolidating key server management functions in one expanded Microsoft Management Console (MMC), Server Manager cuts management overhead, reduces configuration and administration errors, and makes troubleshooting easier.
Additional new or expanded management technologies and tools included with Windows Server 2008 include:
For more down-to-earth applications, the Enterprise and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2008 include support for 16-way symmetric multiprocessing (SMP). SQL Server applications powered by these versions of Windows Server 2008 can utilize SMP multiprocessor environments with up to 64 nodes and, with 64-bit architecture, up to 2 terabytes of memory. The high-end configurations of these systems are said by Microsoft to be capable of processing one billion business transactions per day.
For the conventional needs of small and midsize businesses, Windows Server 2008 provides significant performance improvements in the key areas of clustering scalability, load balancing, wide-area networking, and backup-and-recovery. Failover clusters supported by Windows Server 2008 can now have up to 16 nodes in a single x64 cluster and disk volumes of up to two terabytes. New load balancing technology maximizes performance in multi-server environments by spreading workloads intelligently among least utilized resources. Support for new TCP/IP standards included in Windows Server 2008 offer faster throughput and more efficient routing and can deliver, according to Microsoft, up to a three-times improvement in throughput between a datacenter and a remote office. Volume Shadow Copy Services permit data backups without taking applications offline and enable fast data recovery in the event of a disaster, thereby minimizing productivity loss.
Multiple tools and technologies are available in Windows Server 2008 to improve performance, including:
IIS 7.0 includes a new core server application programming interface that allows feature modules to be developed in either native or managed code. Customizable configuration, scripting, event logging, and management tool feature sets give software developers a powerful platform for building web server extensions. IIS 7.0 allows distributed configuration of IIS settings so that administration can be delegated to developers based on site or application features. This makes it easier to modify and manage features as a web application moves from development to test to production.
IIS 7.0 introduces new administration tools including a GUI IIS Manager, a command-line tool, and a WMI provider for reading or changing settings in the configuration store. The new IIS Manager UI allows seamless local, remote, and cross-site administration and deployment without the need to open special administrative ports on the firewall.
The IIS 7.0 core web server features a server engine in which you can add or delete modules according to your goals. This can enhance security by drastically reducing the attack surface of the web server and also simplifies patch management. Security as well as stability are also improved by enhanced application pool isolation. Diagnostic and troubleshooting enhancements in IIS 7.0 provide real-time inspection of requests running on the server and make it possible to filter for and trap errors that are difficult to reproduce. Comprehensive tracing capabilities allow an in-depth understanding of request paths, error information, timing details, and other debugging clues to help developers troubleshoot and repair problems so that applications make it into production quicker and with fewer bugs.
To summarize some of the most significant improvements to Windows Server 2008 as a web hosting and development platform:
Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can make sure that critical applications such as Exchange, SQL Server, and management information software is properly integrated with Windows Server 2008. Progent's business application experts can verify that your line-of-business software operates with maximum availability, security, and performance.
Progent's CISA, CISM, GIAC, and CISSP certified security engineers can assist you in taking advantage of the many security enhancements incorporated into Windows Server 2008 and can help you create and document corporate-wide security policies, design and test disaster recovery procedures, assess the strength of your information security, and check compliance with regulatory requirements.
Progent's 64-bit migration experts can help you determine the potential costs and benefits upgrading to a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and can assist you with planning, validating, and implementing a migration to 64-bit computing. Progent can also help you move up to 64-bit versions of other Microsoft server platforms such as Exchange Server, SQL Server, and System Center Operations Manager. For your client computers, Progent's certified Windows 11 planning and migration consultants and Windows 10 upgrade experts can help you assess the business value of upgrading to Windows 11 or Windows 10 and can help you design and carry out an efficient migration to a modern release of Microsoft's client OS.
For ongoing support, Progent offers low-cost remote online troubleshooting, onsite repair, Help Desk services, remote network monitoring, system management, and staffing services.
Microsoft has terminated mainstream support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, making it prudent to consider upgrading to an up-to-date release of Windows Server. If you are currently running Windows Server 2008 and are interested in upgrading to a newer version of Windows Server, Progent offers cost-effective Windows Server 2012 R2 upgrade consulting.
If you are considering the creation of a hybrid network model that integrates on-premises resources with public cloud services like those offered by Microsoft Azure, Progent can help you evaluate and deploy Windows Server 2016, which incorporates major elements of Azure technology and is designed to support hybrid networks. See Progent's Windows Server 2016 hybrid cloud solutions.
Progent's Consulting Services for Microsoft Technology
For organizations of any size throughout the United States, Progent's Microsoft-authorized consultants offer affordable online computer assistance and IT consulting services for the entire family of Microsoft .NET Enterprise Servers. Progent offers Microsoft Windows Server 2022 solution design and integration help, Windows Server 2019 upgrade consulting, Windows Server 2016 hybrid cloud solutions, Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 upgrade assistance, Windows Server 2008 expertise, and Windows 2003 Server maintenance. Progent's planning, integration, update, and support capabilities cover system design, configuration, and management outsourcing for
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Progent in addition offers a broad array of remote desktop services including Windows 11 planning and migration support, Windows 10 configuration support, Windows 8.1 support, Microsoft Windows 7 technical support, upgrading to 64-bit computing, Microsoft Office desktop and Microsoft 365 collaboration support, and automating workstation deployment.
If your business needs immediate remote help from a certified consultant, go to Progent's Emergency Online Computer Help.
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