Six new security features Windows Server 2022 for Shielded

Configure the Secured-core server components to reduce the attack surface of your system with minimal overhead.

- Christian Knermann

At first glance, Windows Server 2022 looks like a carefully modeled update of its direct ancestor, Windows Server 2019. Microsoft has clearly focused on evolution instead of revolution. However, a second glance reveals exciting new features, especially in the field of information security. Secured-core server sees Microsoft add no fewer than six components to its new operating system that boost the system’s security with minimal overhead. Whether an instance of Windows Server 2022 supports these features, and which ones, depends on the underlying hardware and whether you have a physical or virtual machine; the firmware and, in the case of a VM, the hypervisor, also need to be compatible.

Differences

Before I go into the details of and technical requirements for Securedcore server, I would like to prevent a misunderstanding. Microsoft also used the term “core” in connection with earlier editions of Windows Server, but that meant an installation without a graphical user interface. As early as Windows Server 2008 R2, you were allowed to choose between a core installation and a full installation with desktop display as part of the setup.

A Secured-core server and its functionality are different. You can use all of the new security features in conjunction with a graphical user interface in all editions. Windows Server 2022 Standard, Datacenter, and Datacenter Azure Edition support Secured-core servers, provided the hardware and virtualization are ready for them.

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