Windows Server 2019 Essentials will be the last: after only the cloud

Windows Server 2019 Essentials may be the latest version of this type, according to Microsoft. The company has published an article stating that it has carefully studied the current situation in small and companies, which are the main users of the Essentials versions of Windows Server, drawing the conclusion that these versions are now necessary but will no longer be made available in future with all probability.

Microsoft says in its article that the integral transition to cloud computing will be inevitable, and that it is postponed only because there are applications that require a non-cloud server (on premise, locally) to run. The fact that many companies still require a version of Windows Server to be installed locally is the only reason Microsoft has not already made the move to the cloud. There are no strictly technical reasons for this choice, but exclusively ” policies “.

Windows Server 2019 Essentials does not differ much from Windows Server 2016 Essentials in the basic features: the license includes 25 CAL (Client Access Licenses) for access by 25 users or 50 devices, and the cost is lower than the standard version.

Windows Server 2019 Essentials can be configured as a domain controller, but in this case, it may be the only machine to fill that role, it must perform all Flexible Single Master Operations (FSMO) roles and cannot have bidirectional trusts with other Active Directory domains.

Compared to Windows Server 2016 Essentials, the 2019 edition brings with it new hardware support and new features of Windows Server 2019 Standards such as Storage Migration Services, System Insights, and so on. However, it will not include the Essentials Experience role that made it easier to share files and manage devices: the Windows Admin Center is now available.

The passage is historical and is a clear sign of the direction that Microsoft intends to take in the years to come. Switching from a local server to a cloud server will change many things in managing your company’s IT infrastructure and product development. It will still take a few years for the transition to become permanent, but companies now relying on Microsoft products such as Windows Server 2019 Essentials must start thinking about their medium-term strategy to adapt to change.

Predicting changes in the server operating system market as a result of these changes is difficult, but this change will impose some changes that will certainly have a significant impact.