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Windows Server System

Windows Server System

$347.00
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How you learn:
Self-paced • Lifetime updates
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Toolkit Included:
Includes a practical, ready-to-use toolkit containing implementation templates, worksheets, checklists, and decision-support materials used to accelerate real-world application and reduce setup time.
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What does the Windows Server System course cover?

Windows Server System is covered here in 10 modules: Server Infrastructure Strategy and Role Alignment, Active Directory Design and Governance, Identity and Access Management Integration and 7 more. The outline lists 70 specific topics, opening with evaluate trade-offs between physical, virtualized, and hybrid server deployments based on workload density, compliance, and cost-per-core licensing implications.

How do you approach Windows Server System step by step?

The work is sequenced in 10 stages. It starts with Server Infrastructure Strategy and Role Alignment, moves through Active Directory Design and Governance and Identity and Access Management Integration, and ends at Operational Governance and Compliance. Each stage carries its own topic list, so the sequence is followed rather than summarised.

What is in Module 1 of the Windows Server System course?

Module 1 is Server Infrastructure Strategy and Role Alignment. It works through evaluate trade-offs between physical, virtualized, and hybrid server deployments based on workload density, compliance, and cost-per-core licensing implications., Map server roles (e.g., Domain Controller, File Server, Application Server) to business service requirements and availability SLAs., assess the impact of legacy application dependencies on modern server OS version adoption and lifecycle.

How is the Windows Server System course delivered?

The Windows Server System course is fully self-paced with immediate online access after enrolment. Access does not expire and future updates are included at no cost. It can be taken on any device, and a certificate of completion is issued by The Art of Service when you finish.

How much does the Windows Server System course cost?

The Windows Server System course is $347 as a one time payment. There is no subscription, no per seat licence and no hidden fee. Enrolment carries a 30 day satisfied or refunded guarantee, so it can be assessed in full before you commit.

Closely related courses: Windows Server Toolkit, Windows Server Software Toolkit, Windows Server Virtualization Toolkit, Windows Server 2012 Operating Toolkit.

More answers: what you get with every course, refund policy, all help answers.

This curriculum reflects the scope typically addressed across a full consulting engagement or multi-phase internal transformation initiative.

Module 1: Server Infrastructure Strategy and Role Alignment

  • Evaluate trade-offs between physical, virtualized, and hybrid server deployments based on workload density, compliance, and cost-per-core licensing implications.
  • Map server roles (e.g., Domain Controller, File Server, Application Server) to business service requirements and availability SLAs.
  • Assess the impact of legacy application dependencies on modern server OS version adoption and lifecycle planning.
  • Design role-based access control (RBAC) models for administrative delegation across distributed IT teams.
  • Balance security hardening requirements against operational supportability and change management overhead.
  • Define server standardization policies to reduce configuration drift and streamline patch compliance.
  • Integrate server deployment plans with data center capacity planning for power, cooling, and rack space constraints.

Module 2: Active Directory Design and Governance

  • Architect multi-domain or single-domain Active Directory forests based on merger scenarios, regulatory boundaries, and administrative autonomy needs.
  • Implement and test Group Policy Objects (GPOs) with enforced, blocked, and enforced inheritance to manage conflicting policy requirements.
  • Design Organizational Unit (OU) hierarchies that align with business units while minimizing GPO processing overhead.
  • Plan and execute domain functional level upgrades with awareness of legacy application and OS compatibility.
  • Implement privileged access management (PAM) controls for Domain Admins and enforce Just-In-Time (JIT) elevation.
  • Monitor and remediate replication failures across global sites using tools like REPADMIN and DNS health checks.
  • Define retention and recovery procedures for accidental object deletion using AD Recycle Bin and authoritative restore.

Module 3: Identity and Access Management Integration

  • Integrate Windows Server with Azure AD for hybrid identity, evaluating trade-offs between password hash sync, pass-through auth, and federation.
  • Configure and troubleshoot Web Application Proxy for secure remote access to on-premises applications.
  • Design claims-based access rules using AD FS for role-based application access across business partners.
  • Implement smart card and certificate-based authentication for high-security environments.
  • Assess the operational impact of multi-factor authentication (MFA) on helpdesk volume and user productivity.
  • Manage service account lifecycle using Managed Service Accounts (MSAs) and Group Managed Service Accounts (gMSAs).
  • Align identity synchronization schedules with compliance audit windows and change blackout periods.

Module 4: High Availability and Disaster Recovery Planning

  • Design failover clustering configurations for SQL Server, file services, and Hyper-V with quorum model selection based on node count and site distribution.
  • Configure Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) with appropriate resiliency settings (mirror, parity) based on performance and capacity requirements.
  • Implement stretch clusters across data centers and evaluate witness placement under network partition scenarios.
  • Define RTO and RPO for critical workloads and validate through scheduled failover drills and backup restoration testing.
  • Select backup methodologies (full, incremental, differential) based on recovery complexity and storage footprint.
  • Integrate Windows Server Backup with VSS to ensure application-consistent snapshots for Exchange and SQL workloads.
  • Evaluate third-party backup solutions for cross-platform support and long-term retention compliance.

Module 5: Security Hardening and Threat Mitigation

  • Apply Microsoft Security Baselines using Group Policy and analyze deviations using Security Compliance Manager (SCM).
  • Configure Windows Defender Exploit Guard features (ASR, EDR, Network Protection) with monitoring and exclusion policies.
  • Implement Just Enough Administration (JEA) to limit PowerShell command access based on role capabilities.
  • Design audit policies for privilege use, account management, and object access with log capacity and retention planning.
  • Respond to Kerberos relay and pass-the-hash attacks using LDAP signing, SMB signing, and constrained delegation.
  • Isolate high-risk servers using Windows Firewall with Advanced Security and IPsec policies.
  • Conduct regular privilege usage reviews and decommission stale administrative accounts.

Module 6: Performance Monitoring and Capacity Management

  • Deploy and interpret Performance Monitor (PerfMon) counters for CPU, memory, disk I/O, and network bottlenecks.
  • Configure Data Collector Sets for long-term trend analysis and correlation with business usage patterns.
  • Use Task Manager and Resource Monitor to isolate rogue processes and service resource contention.
  • Size virtual machines based on historical utilization data and forecast growth using exponential smoothing.
  • Optimize paging file configuration on systems with large memory allocations and memory-intensive applications.
  • Correlate event logs with performance data to diagnose intermittent service degradation.
  • Establish capacity thresholds and alerting rules that balance sensitivity with operational noise.

Module 7: Update and Patch Lifecycle Management

  • Design WSUS hierarchy or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager deployment based on network topology and bandwidth constraints.
  • Classify updates (security, critical, definition, optional) and assign approval workflows by risk category.
  • Implement patching schedules that align with change control windows and third-party application support agreements.
  • Test updates in a representative staging environment and document rollback procedures for failed deployments.
  • Manage cumulative update dependencies and sequencing for Windows Server 2016 and later versions.
  • Monitor update compliance across server fleets and generate executive reports for audit readiness.
  • Address end-of-support risks by planning OS migrations or extended security update (ESU) procurement.

Module 8: Hybrid Cloud Integration and Migration Strategy

  • Evaluate lift-and-shift versus refactor approaches for migrating on-premises workloads to Azure Virtual Machines.
  • Implement Azure File Sync to tier on-premises file server data to the cloud while maintaining local access performance.
  • Configure Azure Backup for Windows Server to meet offsite retention and ransomware recovery requirements.
  • Design hybrid DNS architectures using Azure Private DNS and conditional forwarders.
  • Assess latency and bandwidth implications of hybrid identity and hybrid management tools.
  • Use Azure Migrate to assess on-premises server dependencies and estimate cloud costs.
  • Define governance policies for hybrid environments, including tagging, cost allocation, and access control alignment.

Module 9: Automation and Configuration Management

  • Develop PowerShell scripts to automate repetitive administrative tasks and integrate with scheduled tasks or Orchestrator.
  • Implement Desired State Configuration (DSC) to enforce configuration consistency across server fleets.
  • Choose between push and pull DSC configurations based on network architecture and management scalability.
  • Use Just Enough Permissions (JEP) and script signing to secure automation workflows.
  • Version-control configuration scripts using Git and integrate with CI/CD pipelines for change validation.
  • Monitor configuration drift and trigger remediation using DSC compliance reports.
  • Document automation logic for auditability and knowledge transfer across operations teams.

Module 10: Operational Governance and Compliance

  • Define server provisioning and decommissioning checklists aligned with ITIL or COBIT frameworks.
  • Implement change management controls for server configuration modifications using approval workflows.
  • Conduct regular configuration audits using PowerShell or third-party tools to detect unauthorized changes.
  • Map server controls to regulatory standards (e.g., HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR) and document compliance evidence.
  • Manage software licensing compliance for Windows Server and CALs across virtual and physical environments.
  • Develop runbooks for common incident scenarios (e.g., domain controller failure, disk full, patch rollback).
  • Establish KPIs for server uptime, patch compliance, mean time to repair (MTTR), and change success rate.
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