Microsoft launches Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 at GITEX for UAE Customers

Microsoft demonstrates the power of the most recent IT infrastructure innovations to this year’s GITEX Technology Week delegates, as the company unveils Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 in the Middle East.

Windows Server 2016 houses a cloud-ready application platform, robust built-in security, and tools to build software-defined infrastructures – everything customers need to embark on digital-transformation ventures. System Center 2016, Microsoft’s on-premises system-management platform, offers full support for software-defined data centres, and integrates tightly with the enhanced Microsoft Operations Management Suite (OMS), cloud based heterogeneous management tool for private and public clouds. 

“We are delighted to launch Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 at GITEX, mere weeks after their world debut” said Necip Ozyucel, Cloud and Enterprise Business Solutions Lead, Microsoft Gulf, “This underscores our deep commitment to a market that we have always believed is out in front of its global peers, in terms of vision and innovation. The UAE in particular is a nation of early adopters, from its government and businesses, right down to its tech-savvy consumers. The new editions of Windows Server and System Center stand ready to knit the third platform together – cloud, mobile, analytics and social networks all permeate our new digital lives, and GITEX is the perfect venue to demonstrate how we can all benefit from these technologies.”

Windows Server 2016

Windows Server 2016 provides advanced multi-layer security to protect organisations’ mission-critical applications and data. The OS provides IT departments with powerful baked-in tools to help prevent attacks and detect malicious activity. These tools include features to control privileged access, protect virtual machines and harden the platform against emerging threats with Credential Guard, Shielded Virtual Machines and Control Flow Guard.

The 2016 edition also supports the software-defined data centre. The Azure public cloud is built on Windows Server, using the operation system along with Hyper-V at uber-scale, to deliver some of the most efficient data centres in the world. Windows Server 2016 is designed to be scalable from global scenarios, right down to localised, small-data-centre level, offering massive cost and operational benefits to all, through software-defined compute, storage and network features inspired by Azure. 

By the time Windows Server 2016 was officially launched, on 26 September, more than 500,000 devices worldwide were running the final Technical Preview version of the server OS, which was released in April. Early evaluators ranged from large global enterprises and private cloud-hosting companies, to small businesses spread across the globe. 

System Centre 2016

Enhancements to Operations Management Suite (OMS), and the introduction of System Center 2016, have been designed to address the varying needs of cloud migrants, even within a single organisation. The on-premises capabilities of System Center 2016 and the enhanced Azure-based management tools in OMS, provide customers with the options they need to embrace the cloud safely, smoothly and at a pace that suits all stakeholders.

In System Center 2016, Microsoft has added a number of breakthrough features for customers managing hybrid data centre architectures. These include Linux Management, desired-state configuration, and software-defined data centre management, including Nano Server. Together with ongoing enhancement to OMS, Microsoft believes it has developed its most compelling hybrid-management offering to date.

Microsoft has also made improvements to software-defined storage, with optimised end-to-end quality of service (QoS) and faster data-retrieval, via storage tiers.