Greater Control

• Network Access Protection (NAP): A new technology allowing them to define the health requirements of computers on a network and reduce the functionality of computers which don’t meet the specified requirements. NAP enables specific rules on the network, so if a user doesn’t have a firewall installed then they may be severely limited on the network to protect others using that resource.
• Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7): A brand new version of one of the world’s most popular web servers, incorporating ASP.NET, the .NET Framework 3.0, Windows Workflow Foundation and Windows SharePoint Services. It provides a central hub in integrating web applications and the user through key pillars that allow delegated administrations to offer an enhanced security layer.
• Better management over your infrastructure using policy based networking
• Quicker response time - allows you to make decisions and act upon them sooner rather than later
• New utilities and applications allowing you to centralise installations, configurations and adding server roles and resoures
• New monitoring and scripting technologies allowing you to centrally manage your Windows servers
• High security and management so you can remotely control and access your servers from remote locations

Higher availablity

• Windows Server 2008 Core: A stripped down and very basic version of the operating system providing services such as DHCP, DNS, file services and domain controller functionality without providing a user-interface. The whole system is command-line based, thus there are not as many services or programs running which reduces the attack vectors exposed on the network.
• More responsive systems actively monitoring the state of all server roles and giving feedback on possible future failings therefore reducing potential downtime
• Redesigned clustering software that offers unprecedented access in case hardware fails
• Allows you to install a number of key server roles in such a way that it requires less services and administration

Greater flexibility

• Read-only domain controller (RODC): A service which provides a read-only copy of the Active Directory to branch office users, enabling the users to logon faster and have efficient access to authenticated resources on the network, even in networks with poor physical security.
• Terminal Services: Allows users to remotely access computers and access applications without installing it. These applications run as if they are being run directly from the computer you are using to remotely access these services, and can run even in a web browser.
• Windows Deployment Services (WDS): This new service allows Windows to be rolled out to bare-metal computers with no operating system installed without moving out of your seat at your server. This reduces labour time and increases productivity.
• Interoperability and compatibity to ensure a fully seamless experience
• New deployment options which provide flexible and cost-effective solutions for your environment
• New solutions for mobile users and remotely connected users allowing them to securely access resources and applications available on the network

Fundamentals

• More manageable and secure computing for PC’s, laptops, mobile users and servers through policy based networking
• New scalable advancements that allow administrators to deploy even complicated infrastructures for your business or organisation
• Advanced reliability solutions to reduce loss of time, work, data and control of your network
• A brand new networking stack for better security and performance.