Windows Server 2012 R2 hits general availability, 180 day trial download also available

Along with the Windows 8.1 general availability, Microsoft announced on Friday the general availability of Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center 2012 R2 and a new release of Windows Intune. These releases are part of Microsoft’s “wave 2” of the company’s cloud operating system.

Microsoft wants to help organizations transform their current server environment into a highly elastic, scalable, and reliable cloud infrastructure. Microsoft hopes to achieve this using what the company calls “Cloud OS” which consists of Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center 2012 R2, and Windows Intune.

“At the heart of Cloud OS is Windows Server 2012 R2. Delivering on the promise of a modern datacenter, modern applications, and people-centric IT, Windows Server 2012 R2 provides a best-in-class server experience that cost-effectively cloud-optimizes your business,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Microsoft believes that Windows Server 2012 R2 offers businesses of various sizes the kinds of storage, networking and security needed to operate not only for today, but for future as well. “With the increase in new applications, the explosion of data, and growing end-user expectations for continuous services, there has come a significant increase in storage demands. Windows Server 2012 R2 offers a wide variety of storage features and capabilities to address the storage challenges faced by organizations,” Microsoft explains.

You can head over to the VIA link listed below to see a complete breakdown of new features that come with Windows Server 2012 R2. You can hit the download link below to snag the 180-day trial as well.