Microsoft Windows Server 2012 has now gone on general release, with the software giant hailing the product's 375 new features and cloud readiness.
The product is being ushered in as a replacement for Windows Server 2008 R2 and is available in four different versions. These include an OEM, datacentre and SMB-focused edition.
Microsoft claims the pre-release version of Windows Server 2012 was downloaded 600,000 times worldwide and that 19,000 UK IT professionals have signed up for technical training on the product.
Speaking to IT Pro, Mike Schutz, general manager of product marketing for Windows Server and Management, said the product is the "cornerstone" of the vendor's "cloud OS" strategy.
The aim of this is to provide a consistent user experience across Microsoft's private, public and hybrid cloud platforms.
"The reason we have made such significant advancements [with this product] is because it directly aligns with some of the learning we have had by building and operating our big cloud services, such as Bing and Hotmail," he said.
To this end, the new product features a raft of Hyper-V, network virtualisation and automation enhancements compared to its predecessor.
"It's a big step forward...there is no workload or application that is off limits for virtualising now. We can support very large virtual machines, [of] up to 64 cores [and] a terabyte of memory," said Schutz.
"It is a really deep and broad release. There's a little something for everyone."
