Windows Server 2022 is a robust server operating system developed by Microsoft, built upon the foundation of Windows Server 2019. Released on August 18, 2021, it is designed for enterprise environments to handle complex workloads, scale applications, and seamlessly bridge on-premises infrastructure with cloud services. Key Feature Pillars
Microsoft focused development around three primary themes: security, Azure hybrid integration, and application platform modernization.
Secured-Core Security: Introduces advanced multi-layer protection by combining hardware, firmware, and OS capabilities. It defaults to Virtualization-based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI) to proactively prevent complex malware and firmware vulnerabilities.
Network & Storage Upgrades: Encrypts web and network traffic by enabling HTTPS and TLS 1.3 by default. It adds support for DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and features SMB over QUIC for secure, high-speed file sharing without a traditional VPN.
Azure Hybrid Integration: Deeply incorporates Azure Arc to enable seamless cloud management of on-premises servers. It also features improved virtual machine management using the Windows Admin Center interface.
Application Platform Modernization: Significantly reduces Windows Server Core container image sizes by roughly 33%, allowing for much faster deployment and loading times for developers running containerized applications. Available Editions
Windows Server 2022 scales across different business sizes through three main editions: Windows Server 2022 | Microsoft Evaluation Center