M55625A - What's new in Microsoft Server 2025

Duration

1 Day

Level

200 - Intermediate

Vendor

Microsoft, Windows Server

Legacy MOC Code

None

Course
Overview

This one-day course provides IT professionals, system administrators, and solution architects with a comprehensive introduction to the latest features and enhancements in Microsoft Windows Server 2025. Designed to help participants quickly understand and implement the new capabilities, the course focuses on areas such as security, hybrid cloud integration, storage, networking, and management. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on labs, participants will gain practical experience with the tools and technologies that make Windows Server 2025 a powerful platform for modern IT environments.

Key topics include built-in ransomware protection, SMB over QUIC for secure file sharing, and enhanced support for Azure Arc and hybrid workloads. Participants will also explore improvements in Storage Spaces Direct, data deduplication, and Hyper-V scalability, as well as updates to management tools like Windows Admin Center and PowerShell. The course concludes with a deep dive into the new deployment and migration tools, equipping attendees to plan and execute seamless upgrades to Windows Server 2025.

By the end of this course, participants will have the knowledge and skills to leverage the innovations in Windows Server 2025, enabling them to modernize their IT infrastructure, improve security, and enhance operational efficiency. This course is ideal for organizations and individuals looking to stay ahead in today’s rapidly evolving IT landscape.

Audience
Profile

This course is designed for IT professionals, system administrators, cloud architects, and decision-makers responsible for managing and modernizing IT infrastructure in organizations of all sizes. It is ideal for individuals seeking to understand and implement the latest features and enhancements in Microsoft Windows Server 2025 to improve security, performance, and hybrid cloud integration.

Participants should have:

  • A solid understanding of Windows Server 2019/2022 architecture and features.
  • Experience managing and configuring Active Directory, Hyper-V, and file services.
  • Basic knowledge of Azure services and hybrid cloud environments is recommended but not required.


This course is tailored for IT professionals who need to stay current with Microsoft technologies and adopt modern tools to improve infrastructure reliability, security, and performance. Whether managing on-premises data centers, hybrid environments, or planning migrations, participants will gain actionable insights and hands-on experience to optimize their IT operations with Windows Server 2025.

Course
Outline

Module 1 – Desktop experience and upgrade

  • Session Overview:
    • In-place upgrade from Windows Server 2012 R2
    • Desktop shell
    • DTrace
    • Email and accounts
    • Feedback Hub
    • File compression
    • Pinned apps
    • Task Manager
    • Wi-Fi
    • Windows Terminal
    • WinGet
  • Hands-On Activity:
    • Using and Customizing Windows Terminal on Windows Server 2025.
    • Windows Server 2025 DTrace
    • Installing PowerToys using winget in Windows Terminal on Windows Server 2025


Module 2 – 
Enhanced Security Features

  • Session Overview:
    • Hotpatch
    • Credential Guard
    • Active Directory Domain Services
    • Delegated Managed Service Account
    • Windows Local Administrator Password Solution
    • OpenSSH
    • Security baseline
    • Virtualization-based security enclaves
  • Hands-On Activity:
    • Creating a Delegated Managed Service Account (dMSA)
    • Lab 2 Installing and Configuring Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS)
    • Configuring OpenSSH
    • Implementing a Security Baseline
 

Module 3 –  Hyper-V, AI, and performance

  • Session Overview:
    • Accelerated Networking
    • Dynamic processor compatibility
    • Hyper-V Manager
    • Hypervisor-enforced paging translation
    • GPU partitioning
    • Network ATC
    • Scalability
    • Workgroup clusters


Module 4 – 
 Storage Enhancements

  • Session Overview:
    • Block cloning support
    • Dev Drive
    • NVMe
    • Storage Replica compression
    • Storage Replica Enhanced Log
    • ReFS native storage deduplication and compression
    • Thin provisioned volumes
  • Hands-On Activity:
    • Configuring a Dev Drive


Module 5 – 
Azure Arc and Hybrid

  • Session Overview:
    • Simplified Azure Arc Setup
    • Pay-as-you-go licensing
    • Windows Server Management enabled by Azure Arc


Module 6 – 
Software-Defined Networking

  • Session Overview:
    • Network Controller
    • Tag-based segmentation
    • Default network policies in Windows Server 2025
    • SDN Multisite
    • Enhanced performance of SDN layer 3 gateways


Module 7 – 
Other features

  • Session Overview:
    • Windows Containers portability
    • Windows Server Insider Program
 
 

Other
Information