In early October, Microsoft announced that the RTM version of Windows Server 2012 Essentials had been completed. Today, the company announced that the mall business and home office cousin to Windows Server 2012 is now available to purchase for the general public.
In a post on the company"s Server and Tools blog, Microsoft said that this version of Windows Server 2012 will still allow its users to protect its data, even if the server hardware itself decided to shut down. The blog states, "Even if hardware should fail, Microsoft’s online backup service helps keep data safe and secure in the cloud."
Microsoft has also said that Windows Server 2012 Essentials will be able to link up to both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8-based products via "My Server" apps.
This is a new product for Microsoft. It is the replacement for Windows Home Server, which Microsoft launched in 2007 but decided to discontinue earlier this year. A few years ago, the idea of a home server seemed like it would be a popular one but with more and more media being stored on cloud services, the need for a local server for media and data storage seems to be not as essential.
Source: Microsoft Server and Tools blog | Image via Microsoft