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Azure

Windows Server on Azure

Trusted cloud platform for your Windows Server workloads
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Run your business-critical workloads with hybrid cloud agility and advanced security.
OVERVIEW

Migrate Windows Server workloads to Azure

  • Protect your Windows Server workloads with multilayered, built-in security.
  • Migrate your Windows Server estate to simplify the integration of AI advancements.
  • Maximize your Windows Server investments with Azure Hybrid Benefit and free Extended Security Updates.
BENEFITS

Secure, adapt, and innovate

Cloud agility anywhere

Unify and manage your servers across hybrid, multicloud, and on-premises environments with Azure Arc.

Enhanced security

Boost security with advanced threat protection, simplified updates, and new server message block (SMB) features.

Scale, performance, and efficiency

Get a protected, highly scalable virtualized infrastructure with Azure Virtual Machines.

Built-in security and compliance 

Microsoft has committed to investing USD$20 billion in cybersecurity over five years.
We employ more than 8,500 security and threat intelligence experts across 77 countries.
Azure has one of the largest compliance certification portfolios in the industry.
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PRICING

Reduce costs with Windows Server virtual machines

Save money and scale your environment as your business needs change. Use your existing on-premises licenses for Windows Server and SQL Server with Azure Hybrid Benefit. You can also save by purchasing your compute resources in advance with reservation pricing.
CUSTOMER STORIES

Learn from Windows Server customers

Frequently asked questions

  • You can migrate a range of guest operating systems to Azure. This includes all the supported Windows Server versions and VMs from VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V environments with Azure Site Recovery. VMs migrated from these on-premises virtualization platforms run as native Azure infrastructure as a service (IaaS) VMs and are not dependent on the on-premises hypervisor. Windows Server customers using VMware can move or extend VMware environments to Azure with Azure VMware Solution.
  • We'll meet you where you are, whether you decide to stay on premises or adopt a hybrid model. In the meantime, check the end-of-support date for your version of Windows Server. Keep it running with Extended Security Updates, and ensure that you’ve upgraded to the latest version to take advantage of all the innovations. Many Windows Server customers operate both on-premises and in the cloud and can benefit from adaptive cloud innovations. Learn how to simplify complex environments that extend across datacenters, the edge, and multiple clouds with Azure Arc.
  • Explore Azure Virtual Machines pricing and the pricing calculator to choose the VMs that best suit your needs.
  • Yes. Azure Hybrid Benefit lets you use your existing Windows Server licenses with Software Assurance or Windows Server subscriptions for significant savings on Azure. Depending on your edition of Windows Server, you can convert or reuse your licenses to run Windows Server VMs on Azure and pay a lower base compute rate. For each license, Azure will cover the cost of the OS for up to two VMs while you pay only the base compute VM costs.
  • Yes. There's no upfront cost, and you pay for only what you use. Azure provides flexible purchasing and pricing options for all your cloud scenarios, including Azure Hybrid Benefit and Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances. Azure also offers a comprehensive set of tools to help you manage your cloud spend, including Microsoft Cost Management. Use the pricing calculator to determine your total cost of ownership (TCO), and learn more about Azure pricing.
  • It's important to keep Windows Server up to date. Your options for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 include:
  • Microsoft Learn offers a variety of training modules that you can use to learn about migration and modernization options for on-premises server workloads. A common approach for hosting Windows Server on Azure is with Azure Virtual Machines. To learn how to plan and deploy Windows Server Virtual Machines on Azure, follow this learning path. You can read more about how to use Azure compute services and Windows Virtual Machines in our detailed documentation.
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NEXT STEPS

Azure Migrate and Modernize

Find curated resources and expert help to migrate or modernize on-premises servers to Azure.
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Start free

Windows Server on Azure

Try Windows Server in the cloud with an Azure free account.
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Get started

Contact Sales

Start a chat session or call Sales.