Microsoft Announces Windows Server 2012

It is very apparent that the marketing bonanza surrounding Windows 8 is overshadowing the launch of Windows Server 2012.

So there is a good chance that you may have missed the rather quiet introduction of Microsoft's new core business product, which was granted just an online launch event.

In its announcement, Microsoft pushes the new operating system as the foundation of the "cloud OS" and the phrase that the software has been built from "the cloud up". Beyond the buzzwords, the Windows Server 2012 arrives with significant updates that especially address virtualization, storage, networking and automation. According to Microsoft, "hundreds of new features" have found their way into the operating system.

“The operating system has always been the heartbeat of IT and is now undergoing a renaissance in the new world of continuous cloud services, connected devices and big data,” Satya Nadella, president of the Microsoft Server and Tools division, said. “Microsoft’s unique legacy in the most widely used operating systems, applications and cloud services positions us to deliver the cloud OS, based on Windows Server and Windows Azure, helping customers achieve a datacenter without boundaries.”

Of course, Windows Azure is part of the equation that Microsoft wants customers to use their variables with.

Windows Server 2012 is offered in four editions, ranging from Datacenter ($4,809 and up), Standard ($882 and up), Essentials ($501, up to 25 users) and Foundation (OEM only).

Wolfgang Gruener is a contributor to Tom's IT Pro. He is currently principal analyst at Ndicio Research, a market analysis firm that focuses on cloud computing and disruptive technologies, and maintains the conceivablytech.com blog. An 18-year veteran in IT journalism and market research, he previously published TG Daily and was managing editor of Tom's Hardware news, which he grew from a link collection in the early 2000s into one of the most comprehensive and trusted technology news sources.

See here for all of Wolfgang's Tom's IT Pro articles.