at KinguinWe compare prices from leading online shops to help you buy the best games at a low price.
Windows Server 2022 is Microsoft's server-focused operating system, released in 2021 and built on the same codebase as Windows 11. It's designed to give organizations a reliable, secure platform for hosting applications, managing files and printing, running virtualized workloads, and connecting on-premises infrastructure to the cloud.
This release introduced advanced multilayer security as a core theme, including secured-core server capabilities that combine hardware, firmware, and operating system protections to defend against sophisticated threats. It also added secured connectivity improvements, such as faster HTTPS performance and support for industry-standard SMB AES-256 encryption for internal file transfer traffic.
Windows Server 2022 is available in multiple editions to match different organizational needs. The Standard edition suits smaller deployments with limited virtualization requirements, supporting up to two virtual machine instances per license. The Datacenter edition is built for highly virtualized environments and private clouds, offering unlimited virtual machine and container rights once all host cores are properly licensed. A Datacenter: Azure Edition also exists specifically for Azure-hosted virtual machines and Azure Stack HCI deployments.
Licensing follows a per-core model across all editions, generally requiring a minimum of 8 cores per processor and 16 cores per server, with separate Client Access Licenses (CALs) needed for users or devices connecting to core server services. Organizations using Remote Desktop Services for full desktop or application sessions also need separate RDS CALs on top of standard CALs.
This platform suits IT professionals, system administrators, and businesses of all sizes running server infrastructure, whether that's a single file server or a large virtualization cluster. Activation typically uses a Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Key Management Service (KMS) in volume licensing environments, or a standard product key for smaller retail-style deployments.
Advanced multilayer security – Combines secured-core server protections with hardware, firmware, and OS-level defenses.
Secured connectivity – Delivers faster HTTPS connections and SMB AES-256 encryption for internal file transfers.
Hybrid cloud integration – Connects on-premises servers to Azure for unified hybrid infrastructure management.
Flexible application platform – Supports containers, virtualization, and modern app hosting alongside traditional workloads.
Multiple edition options – Choose between Standard, Datacenter, and Datacenter: Azure Edition based on virtualization needs.
Per-core licensing model – Requires minimum core coverage per processor and server, plus CALs for client access.
Improved Windows Admin Center support – Simplifies infrastructure management across on-premises and cloud environments.
Backward-compatible tooling – Works with familiar server management tools and administrative workflows.
5 questions
Still have a question?
Browse all FAQs