Windows Server 2016 is the cloud-ready operating system (OS) that delivers new layers of security and Microsoft Azure-inspired innovation for the applications and infrastructure that power your business. 

Windows Server 2016 is the platform of choice when considering security, software-defined datacenter features that can were born in Microsoft Azure and now exist on-premises, and as an application platform that can not only run traditional applications, but also provide the necessary frameworks to allow customers to prepare their applications for migration to the cloud. 

• Minimize attack surface, increase availability, and reduce resource usage with just-enough OS using the Nano Server deployment option, which is 25 times smaller than Windows Server while still providing a desktop experience. 
• Make the move to the cloud easier by running your workloads in Microsoft Hyper-V, the same hypervisor that runs Azure and Azure Stack.
• Deploy applications on multiple operating systems with best-in-class support for Linux on Hyper-V.
• Upgrade infrastructure clusters to Windows Server 2016 with zero downtime for your application/workload, and without requiring new hardware, using mixed-mode cluster upgrades. Support.
• Increase application availability with improved cluster resiliency to transient failures in the network and storage.
• Add incremental resiliency to your clusters by using Cloud Witness to connect to resources in Azure. 
• Automate server management with native tools such as Desired State Configuration and Windows PowerShell 5.0. 
• Manage Windows servers from anywhere by using the new web-based GUI—Server management tool—a service running in Azure. Especially useful for managing headless deployment options such as Nano Server and Server Core. 

Cybersecurity

Security Windows Server 2016 gives you the power to prevent attacks and detect suspicious activity with new features to control privileged access, protect virtual machines (VMs), and harden the platform against emerging threats. 

Hyper-V Containers

Use Hyper-V Containers for a unique additional level of isolation for containerized applications without any changes to the container image. Hyper-V containers provide isolation at the hardware level, giving administrators the peace of mind that they have come to appreciate with hardware-based virtualization protection as it incorporates the same isolation methods. 

Windows Server 2016 is a cloud-ready OS boasting many new features that have been inspired by Azure. These features can act as the foundation of a software-defined datacenter (SDDC). 

Virtual Infrastructure Management

However, clouds—be they public or private—need to be managed and System Center 2016 is the datacenter management tool that has benefitted from the key investments to achieve this. System Center 2016 has been updated to unlock all of the key capabilities within Windows Server 2016, which make it possible for you to implement and manage a full software defined data center based on Windows Server 2016.