Windows Admin Center
One of the most useful tools that I have come across when managing Windows Servers is Windows Admin Center (WAC). If you haven’t heard about it before, it is a free tool that you can install and easily manage a number of Windows Servers and Windows Desktops. In my opinion it makes the built in Server Manager seem clunky and old fashioned.
What is Windows Admin Center? On a basic level it offers the ability to manage all of your Windows Servers (including Hyper-V and Core) and WIndows 10 Desktop computers via a web based interface.
WAC is web based which means it works on any OS. To prove my point, i’m using Chrome running on Deepin 15 (a great looking Linux distribution).
You can manage almost every aspect of a Windows Server from the web interface. Viewing local devices, opening the local Event Viewer and adding or removing server roles and features.
You can also review real time statistics of disk, network activity and how much memory is being used. Especially helpful on Hyper-V core servers.
Another nifty feature is the ability to start a Remote Desktop session from within your web browser, so no need to start a separate remote desktop session.
Another great feature of WAC is the extensions. There are a growing number of extensions that can be installed to administer roles such as –
- Active Directory
- DNS and DHCP
- IIS
- Containers
- Third party hardware from Dell and Fujitsu and other manufacturers.
As you would expect from Microsoft, there is also strong focus on Azure integration. From WAC you can configure various hybrid Azure services like –
- Azure Backup
- Azure Update Management
- Connect On Premise server to an Azure vNet
- Azure File Sync
I see Windows Admin Center as a great tool to help small to medium sized businesses who dont have the number of servers and workstations to make System Center a viable investment manage their servers and workstations. It also makes it easier to use Azure hybrid cloud features and start the process of moving infrastructure and services into the cloud.
If you would like to deploy Windows Admin Center into your infrastructure, send us an email at info@mantait.co.uk or click the contact button below.
