What’s coming in Windows Server 2022?

By Chris Walden, Editor for TechNet UK

06/07/2021

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TechNet UK

An image of the Windows logo, beside an illustration of Bit the Raccoon.

Windows Server 2022 is currently in preview, but what can you expect from this new edition? From advanced multi-layer security to hybrid capabilities with Azure, there are updates and upgrades across the board for you to look forward to.

Extra Security

With the constant rise of cyber-security threats and the growing impact of incidents, security is our top priority. Windows Server 2022 includes new security capabilities, such as secured-core servers and secure connectivity.

Secured-core server brings powerful threat protection together, providing multi-layer security across hardware, firmware, and the operating system. It uses the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 and System Guard to boot up Windows Server securely and minimise risk from firmware vulnerabilities. It also includes virtualisation-based security (VBS) features like Credential Guard and Hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI). Credential Guard provides preventative defence for sensitive assets, and HVCI applies hardware-rooted security to prevent malware from tampering with the system.

Secured connectivity adds an extra layer of security during transport for additional protection. Windows Server 2022 improves connection security, with faster and more secure encrypted HTTPS and TLS 1.3 enabled by default.

Explore Azure capabilities

With Azure Arc, you can manage, secure, and govern Windows Server on-premises, at the edge, or in multi-cloud environments from within Azure. Through Azure Arc, you can easily employ Azure management capabilities such as Azure Policy, Azure Monitor, and Azure Defender for those servers. What’s more, a few simple clicks in Windows Admin Center can enable connectivity to Azure Arc.

Windows Server 2022 enhances the seamless connectivity of file servers on-premises to file servers on Azure. Using Storage Migration Service to migrate data to servers allows you to maintain low latency while reducing your on-premises storage footprint.

A flexible application platform

With Windows Server 2022 there are several platform improvements for Windows Containers, including application compatibility and the Windows Container experience with Kubernetes. This includes reducing the Windows Container image size, which in turn leads to faster download time and better performance. There are also several other enhancements that simplify the Windows Container experience with Kubernetes, including support for host-process containers for node configuration, IPv6, and consistent network policy implementation with Calico.

In addition to this, there are updates to Windows Admin Center that makes it easy to containerise .NET applications. Once the application is in a container, you can host it on Azure Container Registry to then deploy it to other Azure services, including Azure Kubernetes Service.

Give it a go today

Feel like giving Windows Server 2022 a go? You can check out the preview build if you’re a Windows Insider, or via the Evaluation Center. Keep an eye out for more events and webinars in the lead up to the release!