Updated: March 14, 2022 (September 14, 2020)

Windows Server Licensing Scenarios

Wes Miller analyzes and writes about Microsoft’s security, identity management, and systems management technologies. Before joining Directions on Microsoft, Wes... more

The reasons for choosing one edition of Windows Server over another have fundamentally changed over time.
Customers may not be licensing and running the optimal edition of Windows Server for their workloads.
Customers may be able to reduce their costs by migrating systems running Datacenter to Standard.

Customers may not be running the best edition of Windows Server for their workloads—they should consider the workload of each host (physical) server to determine which edition of Windows Server should be licensed and running for that workload. A down-edition migration is not necessarily straightforward but could be financially worthwhile to perform while migrating servers from Windows Server 2008 R2 and older to Windows Server 2012 or newer.

Why Does This Matter?

Over time, differences between Windows Server OS editions have changed.

Windows Server 2008 R2 and earlier versions featured editions differentiated by scalability and technical features, with the highest editions (called Enterprise and Datacenter) offering support for larger RAM capacity, larger processor counts, and certain edition-specific features.

Atlas Members have full access

Get access to this and thousands of other unbiased analyses, roadmaps, decision kits, infographics, reference guides, and more, all included with membership. Comprehensive access to the most in-depth and unbiased expertise for Microsoft enterprise decision-making is waiting.

Membership Options

Already have an account? Login Now