Choose from three primary editions of Windows Server based on
the size of your organization, as well as virtualization and datacenter
requirements. Then, explore the expanded benefits of Software Assurance
for Windows Server that’s designed to support your transition to hybrid cloud.
Performance and scalability
Windows Server 2016 edition | Ideal for | Licensing model | CAL requirements* | Pricing Open NL ERP (US$)*** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Datacenter** | Highly virtualized and software-defined datacenter environments | Core-based | Windows Server CAL | $6,155 |
Standard** | Low density or non-virtualized environments | Core-based | Windows Server CAL | $882 |
Essentials | Small businesses with up to 25 users and 50 devices | Specialty servers (server license) | No CAL required | $501 |
*CALs are required for every user or device accessing a server. See the Product Use Rights for details.
**Datacenter and Standard edition pricing is for 16 core licenses.
***Pricing is shown in USD and may vary from country to country. Please contact your Microsoft representative for a quote.
Windows Server 2016 feature differentiation
Feature | Datacenter | Standard |
| Core functionality of Windows Server | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| OSEs / Windows Server containers with Hyper-V isolation | Unlimited | 2 |
| Windows Server containers without Hyper-V isolation | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Host Guardian Service | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Storage features including Storage Spaces Direct and Storage Replica | ✔️ | |
| Shielded Virtual Machines | ✔️ | |
| Networking stack | ✔️ |