[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

Microsoft  launched the Windows Server 2012 in a global online event.  Microsoft says it has built Windows Server 2012 from the cloud up, applying its experience operating global datacenters that rely on hundreds of thousands of servers to deliver more than 200 cloud services.

Satya Nadella (President,  Server and Tools Business, Microsoft): The operating system has always been the heartbeat of IT and is now undergoing a renaissance in the new world of continuous cloud services, connected devices and big data.

Windows Server 2012 took four years in the making, and Microsoft says enterprise customers are already seeing value in early deployments. A survey of 70 early adopter customers from across the globe revealed that they expect, on average, 52 percent reduction in downtime, 41 percent reduction in workload deployment time, and 15 hours of productivity time saved per year, per employee. 91 percent of the companies surveyed expect a reduction in server administration labor, and 88 percent expect reduction in network administration labor,  according to Microsoft.

Windows Server 2012 comes in four flavors – Foundation (15-user account limit, OEM only), Essentials (25-user account limit, $501+), Standard ($882+), and Datacenter ($4809+). There are also volume licensing options available.

You can watch a video of the launch here.