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Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate Overview

Windows Server 2012 RC delivers value in four key ways:

1. It takes you beyond virtualization. Windows Server 2012 RC offers a dynamic, multitenant infrastructure that goes beyond virtualization technology to provide a complete platform for building a private cloud. Going beyond virtualization lets you scale and secure workloads, cost-effectively build your cloud, and more securely connect to cloud services.

2. It delivers the power of many servers, with the simplicity of one. Windows Server 2012 RC offers you excellent economics by providing an integrated, highly available, and easy-to-manage multiple-server platform.

3. It opens the door to every app on any cloud. Windows Server 2012 RC is a broad, scalable, and elastic server platform that gives you the flexibility to build and deploy applications and websites on-premises, in the cloud, and in a hybrid environment, using a consistent set of tools and frameworks.

4. It enables the modern workstyle. Windows Server 2012 RC empowers IT to provide users with access to data and applications from virtually anywhere, from any device, with a rich user experience—while simplifying management and helping maintain security, control, and compliance.

Cloud computing can present many opportunities for helping you solve your organization's fundamental business and IT challenges.

Through Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate (RC), we've brought our cloud experience to you—from building and operating public clouds to delivering a highly dynamic, available, and cost-effective server platform for the private cloud. It provides solutions to help you cloud optimize your IT so you can fully meet your organization's unique needs.

SQL Server 2012 and SQL Server history:

Go beyond virtualization:

Offers a dynamic, multitenant infrastructure to help you scale and secure workloads to build a private cloud. Windows Server 2012 can help you provide:

Complete Virtualization Platform

A fully isolated, multitenant environment features tools that can help guarantee service-level agreements, enable chargebacks through usage-based billing, and support self-service delivery.

Increased Scalability and Performance

A high-density, highly scalable environment can be modified to perform at the optimum level based on your needs.

Connectivity to Cloud Services

A common identity and management framework enables highly secure and reliable cross-premises connectivity.

Power of Many Servers, Simplicity of One

Delivers a highly available and easy-to-manage multi-server platform. Windows Server 2012 can help you provide:

Continuous Availability

New and improved features offer cost-effective, high IT service uptime. They are

designed to endure failures without disrupting services to users.

Management Efficiency

The automation of an even broader set of management tasks and the simplified deployment and virtualization of major workloads offer a path to full lights-out automation.

Cost Efficiency

Taking advantage of commodity storage, networking, and server infrastructure and increased power efficiency offer superior acquisition and operating economics.

Every App, Any Cloud

Offers a broad, scalable, and elastic server platform that gives you the flexibility to build and deploy applications and websites on-premises, in the cloud, or across both. Windows Server 2012 can help you deliver:

Flexibility to Build On-Premises and in the Cloud

Developers can use a consistent set of tools and frameworks enabling them to build symmetrical or hybrid applications across the data center and the cloud.

A Scalable and Elastic Infrastructure

Windows Server 2012 offers new features to increase web site density and efficiency, and provides frameworks, services, and tools to increase scalability and elasticity for multitenant-enabled applications. Windows Server 2012 enables service providers to better build, provision, and manage a hosting environment.

An Open Web and App Development Environment

Windows Server 2012 enables critical applications and enhanced support for open standards, open source applications, and various development languages.

Modern Workstyle, Enabled

Provides users with flexible access to data and applications while simplifying management and maintaining security, control, and compliance. Windows Server 2012 can help you offer:

Access to Applications and Data from Virtually Anywhere on Any Device

Seamless, on-demand access to virtualized work environments is available from virtually anywhere, including branch locations and public connectivity services.

A Full Windows Experience Anywhere

A personalized and rich user experience is enabled from virtually any device while adapting to different network conditions quickly and responsively.

Enhanced Data Security and Compliance

Granular access to data and corporate resources is enabled by central audit and access policies based on strong identity, data classification, and simplified administration for remote access.

Licensing Overview

Windows Server 2012 delivers a dramatically simplified licensing experience. Shaped by feedback from customers and partners, the new Windows Server licensing approach will help make choosing the right Windows Server easier while delivering the following benefits.

Simple

It’s easier than ever to determine the right Windows Server edition for you. Choose from just four editions of Windows Server 2012, based on the size of your organization and your requirements for virtualization and cloud computing.

Economical

All editions of Windows Server 2012 deliver excellent economics and ROI for your business. For example, Datacenter edition with unlimited virtualization rights provides the benefits of cloud-level scale with predictable, lower costs. Standard edition now offers all of the same enterprise-class features as Datacenter and is differentiated only by virtualization rights.

Cloud-optimized

Businesses today are rapidly adopting a hybrid approach across private and public cloud computing. Windows Server 2012 offers the right edition for you, no matter where you are on your path to the cloud; Datacenter edition for highly virtualized cloud environments, Standard edition for lightly virtualized environments progressing toward cloud, or Essentials edition for an ideal cloud-connected first server.