Getty Images/iStockphoto
System Center and Windows Server have a deep-rooted connection, having served as Microsoft’s premier solutions for managing on-premises environments and essential workloads for many years.
With the anticipated launch of Windows Server 2025, Microsoft plans to simultaneously introduce System Center 2025. This strategic release will enable administrators to leverage the enhancements and new features available in the latest server operating system. By doing so, they can effectively adopt Windows Server 2025 in their environments to capitalize on forthcoming advancements. Among the key highlights for System Center is a focus on bolstering security and enhancing its connectivity with Azure services.
System Center comprises a range of Microsoft tools specifically engineered to oversee and sustain on-premises infrastructure within data centers. While it accommodates Linux and Unix platforms, Microsoft has primarily optimized it for administrators managing Windows Server installations.
The suite of tools included in Microsoft System Center comprises several components:
What sets System Center apart from other management solutions offered by Microsoft is its focus on overseeing and monitoring on-premises resources. The capabilities of System Center exceed those natively available in the Windows operating system, and it does not provide just another interface to manage your resources.
Azure Arc employs the Azure portal for managing resources beyond the Azure cloud. While upcoming features in System Center 2025 will incorporate Azure Arc to bring some cloud functionalities to on-premises operations, such as Azure Monitor, Azure Arc is tailored for businesses seeking the option to integrate additional cloud services.
Windows Admin Center serves as a web-based management interface for Windows systems. Administrators managing extensive infrastructures will likely prefer the centralized operations offered by System Center. In contrast, Windows Admin Center is more appropriate for smaller setups with limited Windows Server usage and clusters that do not handle highly specialized tasks.
Microsoft is set to roll out a series of new features and enhancements in System Center 2025, aimed at updating the management tool to better accommodate newer operating systems, protocols, and IT standards, as well as to bolster security. Here are some of the notable new features and enhancements.
In this release, Microsoft has enhanced support for diverse environments. Originally, System Center was designed with a focus solely on managing Microsoft environments. However, over time, Microsoft has expanded its capabilities to support management of competing technologies, including Linux operating systems and VMware hypervisors. Despite these additions, third-party product support often felt secondary.
A key advancement in System Center 2025 is its improved management of varied systems. Microsoft has stated that System Center Virtual Machine Manager now more effectively converts VMware virtual machines to operate seamlessly with less compatibility issues when migrating to a Hyper-V platform.
Furthermore, Microsoft plans to introduce support for virtual Trusted Platform Module in VMware environments within Data Protection Manager 2025, adding an essential layer of hardware-based security for organizations handling sensitive information.
Microsoft is set to enhance System Center Virtual Machine Manager to accommodate the latest Linux distributions. For organizations utilizing Microsoft’s Azure Stack HCI platform, updates will be introduced in System Center Virtual Machine Manager and Operations Manager, starting with version 23H2. These improvements will provide administrators with better oversight of deployments, whether they are on-site or part of a hybrid cloud setup.
Additionally, System Center Data Protection Manager will interface seamlessly with SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. Administrators employing this tool alongside Hyper-V will have the added capability to exclude specific disks from backup processes, offering enhanced flexibility.
Much of the focus of Microsoft’s work in System Center 2025 is on fortifying security. The company has nearly removed the old and insecure Credential Security Support Provider and New Technology LAN Manager authentication methods. The new iteration of System Center will incorporate TLS version 1.3 along with the latest encryption protocols to safeguard data transmitted between System Center components.
Furthermore, Microsoft has updated System Center Data Protection Manager to store passphrases securely in Azure Key Vault, a cloud-centric feature intended for preserving cryptographic keys and secrets. This upgrade aims to mitigate the risk of a single point of failure, should a threat actor or a rogue administrator gain unauthorized access to the passphrases needed to decrypt organizational backups.
With the release of System Center 2025, any new Hyper-V virtual machine created using System Center Virtual Machine Manager will automatically be designated as a Generation 2 VM. This change reflects Microsoft’s strategy to set Generation 2 as the default in Windows Server 2025 Hyper-V. This progression underscores the company’s commitment to bolstering security within the virtualization landscape. Generation 2 VMs leverage the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, ensuring a secure boot process, while also incorporating virtual SCSI controllers that enhance performance and provide greater flexibility with support for larger boot volumes.
In November 2023, Microsoft unveiled an Azure Arc-enabled edition of System Center Virtual Machine Manager. This release marked the elimination of Azure Profiles support from both System Center Virtual Machine Manager and System Center Service Provider Foundation, as these functions were integrated into the new Azure Arc version.
The Azure Arc-enabled version of System Center Virtual Machine Manager is tailored to offer administrators a unified experience through the Azure portal for essential VM management tasks, even in hybrid configurations. Administrators currently managing VMs with the existing Virtual Machine Manager can smoothly transition to Azure and utilize the Azure portal for actions such as starting, stopping, pausing, and deleting VMs. Additionally, VM resources, including templates, virtual networks, and storage, can be accessed through the Azure portal.
Brien Posey is a former 22-time Microsoft MVP and a candidate for commercial astronaut. With more than 30 years of experience in IT, he has held positions including lead network engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense and network administrator for some of the largest insurance firms in America.