Top 10 Benefits of Windows Server 2003

Efficient and secure networked computing is more important than ever for a business to remain competitive. Windows Server 2003 lets organizations take advantage of existing IT investments, and extend those advantages to partners, customers, and suppliers by deploying key features like cross-forest trusts in the Microsoft Active Directory® service as well as Microsoft .NET Passport integration. Identity management in Active Directory spans the entire network, helping ensure security throughout the enterprise. It's easy to encrypt sensitive data, and software restriction policies can be used to prevent damage caused by viruses and other malicious code. Windows Server 2003 is the best choice for deploying a public key infrastructure (PKI), and its autoenrollment and autorenewal features make it easy to deploy smart cards and certificates across the enterprise.

With its familiar Windows interface, Windows Server 2003 is easy to use. New streamlined wizards simplify the setup of specific server roles and routine server management tasks so that even servers without a dedicated administrator are easy to manage. In addition, administrators have several new and improved features designed to make it easier to deploy Active Directory. Large Active Directory replicas can be deployed from backup media, and upgrading from earlier server operating systems such as Microsoft Windows NT® is easier with the Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT), which copies passwords and is fully scriptable. Maintaining Active Directory is easier with new features, such as the ability to rename domains and redefine schema, giving administrators the flexibility to handle organizational changes that may occur. In addition, cross-forest trusts let administrators connect Active Directory forests, providing autonomy without sacrificing integration. Lastly, improved deployment tools, such as Remote Installation Services, help administrators quickly create system images and deploy servers.

Reliability is enhanced through a range of new and improved features including memory mirroring, Hot Add Memory, and health detection in Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0. For higher availability, the Microsoft Cluster service now supports up to eight-node clusters and geographically separated nodes. Better scalability is provided with the ability to scale from a single-processor to 32-way systems. Overall, Windows Server 2003 is faster with up to 140 percent better file-system performance as well as significantly faster performance for Active Directory, XML Web services, Terminal Services, and networking.

Windows Server 2003 provides many technical advances that help organizations lower total cost of ownership (TCO). The Windows Resource Manager, for example, lets administrators set resource usage (for processors and memory) on server applications and manage them though Group Policy settings. Network-attached storage helps consolidate file services. Other improvements include support for Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA), Intel Hyper-Threading technology, and multi-path input/output (I/O), all of which help "scale up" servers.

IIS 6.0, the Web server included in Windows Server 2003, provides enhanced security and a dependable architecture that offers application isolation and greatly improved performance. The result: higher overall reliability and uptime. And Microsoft Windows Media™ services makes it easy to build streaming media solutions with dynamic content programming as well as faster and more reliable performance.

The Microsoft .NET Framework is deeply integrated into the Windows Server 2003 operating system. Microsoft ASP.NET enables high-performance Web applications. With .NET-connected technology, developers are freed from having to write tedious "plumbing" code and can work efficiently with the programming languages and tools they already know. Windows Server 2003 provides many features that boost developer productivity and the value of applications. Existing applications can be easily repackaged as XML Web services. UNIX applications can be easily integrated or migrated. And developers can quickly build mobile-aware Web applications and services through ASP.NET mobile Web Forms controls and other tools.

Developers, administrators, users, and partners can quickly find and reuse XML Web services through a new service known as Enterprise Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) Services. This dynamic and flexible infrastructure for XML Web services enables organizations to run their own internal UDDI service for intranet or extranet use. UDDI Services helps organizations organize and catalog programmatic resources. By applying categorization schemes such as geography, Quality of Service (QoS), or organization in UDDI Services, organizations can establish a structured and standardized way to describe and discover services.

Expected to be available as an add-in component, the new Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) allows administrators to better deploy and manage policies that automate key configuration areas such as users' desktops, settings, security, and roaming profiles. A new set of command-line tools lets administrators script and automate management functions, allowing most management tasks to be completed from the command line if desired. Support for Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS) helps administrators automate the latest system updates. And the Volume Shadow Copy service improves backup, restore, and system area network (SAN) manageability tasks.

With the new shadow copy feature, users can retrieve previous versions of files instantly, without requiring costly assistance from a support professional. Enhancements to the Distributed File System (DFS) and File Replication service (FRS) provide users with a consistent way to access their files wherever they are. For remote users who need high levels of security, the remote access Connection Manager can be configured to give virtual private network (VPN) access to users without those users having to know the technical connection configuration information.

Organizations have access to a wide range of solutions and expertise available worldwide, including 750,000 partners delivering hardware, software, and services as well as 450,000 Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs).