Introduction
Microsoft System Center is one of the three pillars of Microsoft’s Cloud OS vision that will transform the traditional datacenter environment, help businesses unlock insights in data stored anywhere, enable the development of a wide range of modern business applications, and empower IT to support users who work anywhere while being able to manage any device in a secure and consistent way. The other two pillars of the Cloud OS are, of course, Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Azure, and Microsoft Press has recently released free Introducing books on these platforms as well.
Whether you are new to System Center or are already using it in your business, this book has something that should interest you. The capabilities of each component of System Center 2012 R2 are first described and then demonstrated chapter by chapter. Real-world and under-the-hood insights are also provided by insiders at Microsoft who live and breathe System Center, and those of you who are experienced with the platform will benefit from the wisdom and experience of these experts. We also included a list of additional resources at the end of each chapter where you can learn more about each System Center component.
Acknowledgments
Three groups of people have helped make this book possible, and as authors we’d like to thank them all here.
First, the following experts at Microsoft have contributed sidebars that explain and demonstrate some of the powerful and exciting capabilities in System Center 2012 R2:
▪ Chris Samson
▪ David Apolinar
▪ Heath Lawson
▪ John McCabe
▪ John Savill
▪ Marton Csiki
▪ Mike Gaal
▪ MS Anand
▪ Nick Rosenfeld
▪ Rob Davies
Second, the following Microsoft insiders have peer-reviewed the content of this book to help us ensure it’s as accurate as possible:
▪ Anshuman Nangia
▪ John Ballard
▪ Justin Incarnato
▪ Laura Cruz
▪ Michael Kelley
▪ Martin Booth
▪ Matt Galbraith
▪ Richard Rundle
▪ Won Huh
▪ Wally Mead
Finally, we’d also like to thank Carol Dillingham, Content Project Manager at Microsoft Press; Christian Holdener at S4Carlisle Publishing Services; and copyeditor Roger LeBlanc.
Errata & book support
We’ve made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this content and its companion content. Any errors that have been reported since this content was published are listed at:
http://aka.ms/IntroSysCentR2/errata
If you find an error that is not already listed, you can report it to us through the same page.
If you need additional support, email Microsoft Press Book Support at [email protected].
Please note that product support for Microsoft software is not offered through the addresses above.
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