Resource: Windows Server 2016 Security Guide Whitepaper

Microsoft starting testing the next version of Windows Server in mid July by creating a Windows Insider program similar to the consumer/business programs for testing the Windows 10 client feature updates.

There is no definitive date on when Windows Server vNext will come out but the latest version, Windows Server 2016, was released in September 2016 and became generally available on 12 October 2016.

Windows Server Insider Preview Build Releases Tracker

That means you can go ahead and test what is coming down the road but it is also important to be well versed in the capabilities of Windows Server 2016 - especially the security related features.

"Security affects everyone in your organization from upper-level management (such as CEO-level) to the information worker. A lack of security is a real risk for organizations; a security breach can potentially disrupt all normal business and bring your organization to a halt. Recent studies from McKinsey, the Ponemon Institute, and Verizon show that cyber security has a $3 trillion impact each year in terms of lost productivity and growth, with the average security breach costing $3.5 million. It is imperative for organizations to detect and prevent security breaches."

The Microsoft Windows Server Team has just released a new white paper that goes into detail about those security enhancements.

The 18 page PDF file (1.05MB) covers these areas:

-- Staying current with Windows Server security updates

-- Configuring Windows Sever security settings

-- Microsoft Security Compliance Toolkit

-- Backing up information and systems

-- Using Operations Management Suite to manage and monitor windows Server 2016

-- Protecting priviliged identities

-- Hardening Windows Server 2016

-- Improving threat detection

-- Hardening Hyper-V environments

You can download the document from here and also get more information from the Windows Server Security portal.

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