Windows Server
While Windows Home Server fans such as myself are stressing over the possibility that Microsoft will cancel this solution, it occurs to me that the future needn't be so uncertain: Windows 8 provides virtually all of the features that make WHS special, while overcoming the issues that made a server in the home a nonstarter for most.
more Continuing the theme from my previous article in this series, Office 365 also integrates tightly with other Microsoft products, including Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials. In this article, I'll examine this integration, which occurs via the Office 365 Integration Module.
more Each week on the Windows Weekly podcast, I select one or more software picks for Windows or Windows Phone but also occasionally for Mac OS X, iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), or Android. Here's a complete rundown of my software picks from 2011.
more In September, I wrote a lengthy preview of Windows Server 8 for the November 2011 issue of Windows IT Pro Magazine. That article had to be cut down for space considerations and because some of the material overlapped with other Windows Server 8 content in the same issue. Here for the first time is my full Windows Server 8 preview, in unedited form.
more In a special Inside Podcast, I join Dan Kregor to chat about some of the new features announced by Microsoft for Windows Server 8.
more Microsoft has also overhauled its central management console, Server Manager, in Windows Server "8," and dramatically so. This screenshot gallery focuses on the key admin interfaces in the Developer Preview of this release, shows off the new integrated Active Directory domain controller install and promotion process, and provides a peek at a coming Windows Server feature: Windows Server Online Backup.
more Here's a screenshot gallery showing off the process of interactively installing the Windows Server "8" Developer Preview.
more Today, Microsoft holds day two of its BUILD Conference with a keynote address that will unveil Windows Server 8 and its cloud strategy. I'm live blogging the event with fellow bloggers Ed Bott, Mary Jo Foley, Kip Kniskern, Rafael Rivera, Paul Thurrott, Tom Warren, Long Zheng. Join in! The event begins at 9:00 am PT/12 pm ET.
more Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is a simple and elegant server that promises seamless integration with online services like Office 365. But until more preconfigured SBSE servers and the required Office 365 add-in appear, this product is essentially unfinished. I expect the situation to improve by the end of the year.
more I'm happy to report now that Windows Home Server 2011, while not without some minor issues, is rock solid, and just as viable a solution for home users as was its predecessor. I use and rely on Windows Home Server 2011, and recommend it highly.
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