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5 new capabilities to automate Windows Server management with Azure Automanage

  • By Bernardo Caldas, Vice President of Program Management, Core OS and Edge Infrastructure

Customers of all sizes trust Windows Server to run their business and mission-critical workloads. With the launch of Windows Server 2022, we’ve added new capabilities that bring the best of Windows Server and Azure together. Whether you’re migrating to the cloud, modernizing applications, or managing a hybrid environment, you can take advantage of unique innovations such as Azure Automanage, Azure Arc for Servers, and Windows Admin Center in Azure.

Today, we are announcing new updates to Azure Automanage machine best practices and Azure Automanage for Windows Server that allow IT admins and DevOps professionals to simplify and optimize IT management with automated operations.

Azure Automanage machine best practices

Azure Automanage machine best practices is a unique capability on Azure that allows you to optimize IT management with automated operations. It simplifies the steps to discover, onboard, and configure certain services in Azure that would benefit your virtual machines.

  • Custom configuration profiles: Custom configuration profiles in both Windows Server and Linux virtual machines is now available in preview. This new capability allows you to select the Azure services, including Azure Backup, Azure Security Center, and Azure Monitor to name a few—that fit your unique needs.
  • Support for Azure Arc-enabled servers: The integration with Azure Arc allows you to automate frequent, time-consuming management tasks for Azure and on-premises workloads by applying the Automanage service to your on-premises Windows Server and Linux virtual machines. With Azure Arc, you can see your Azure and non-Azure servers side-by-side in the Azure portal with Azure Arc—now available in preview.

Azure Automanage for Windows Server

Along with helping automate tasks, Automanage for Windows Server can also enable differentiated innovation for your virtual machines on Azure.

  • Hotpatch: With many organizations moving to a zero-trust security model, you can now deploy security updates without having to reboot your Windows Server virtual machine. Hotpatching reduces the need to schedule security updates because you can deploy updates as soon as they become available.
  • Securely access file servers: Another challenge has been securely accessing file servers remotely over an untrusted network and without a VPN when you’re on a mobile device or working remotely. Now, generally available—SMB over QUIC. SMB over QUIC introduces an alternative to the TCP network transport, providing secure, reliable connectivity to edge file servers over untrusted networks like the internet.
  • Preserve on-premises IP addresses: Lastly, when you migrate to Azure, there are some virtual machines that cannot change their IP address. Now generally available is an extended network for Azure, which allows you to migrate Windows Server workloads to Azure while preserving the original IP address.

For customers who have moved Windows Server to Azure, you can take advantage of Azure Hybrid Benefit and free Extended Security Updates only on Azure. To get started with planning Windows Server 2012 and 2012 end of support, please read our end-of-support blog for additional guidance, you can also refer to our Extended Security Updates frequently asked questions.

Follow along at Microsoft Ignite

Watch our sessions on Azure Automanage and Windows Admin Center:

Get started with Azure Automanage and Windows Server 2022

Azure Automanage has some new capabilities:

Windows Server 2022 includes a broad set of capabilities—here are top ways to get started:

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