Windows Server Essentials 2016 – Server Licence for Small Organisations (25 users max.)

Windows Server Essentials 2016 is the simplified edition of Microsoft's server system, designed for very small organisations: practices, workshops, associations, offices of a few people. Its distinctive feature comes down to two figures and one piece of good news: it is limited to 25 users and 50 devices, and in return no client access licence (CAL) is required. The access right is included in the server licence, which radically simplifies compliance and budget.

What Essentials does

• Built-in domain controller — Active Directory preconfigured by the installation wizard, with no advanced expertise required.
• Centralised file sharing — company folders and personal folders per user, with permissions managed from a simplified dashboard.
• Automatic backup of client machines — each PC on the network is backed up to the server, with full restore possible in the event of a disk failure.
• Remote web access — a secure portal to consult your files from outside, with no VPN to configure.
• Unified dashboard — users, devices, backups and health alerts brought together in a single console.

What Essentials does not do

Let us be clear to avoid any disappointment: Essentials does not allow Hyper-V virtualisation in production like the Standard and Datacenter editions, is not intended for cluster deployments and cannot exceed the caps of 25 users / 50 devices. If your organisation grows or you need virtual machines, opt for Windows Server Standard, not forgetting to add the corresponding CALs.

Installation and activation

The key is sent to you by email within 24 hours at most. Install Windows Server Essentials 2016 from the official image, let the wizard configure the domain, then enter the key in the activation settings.

System requirements and end of support

64-bit processor (2 cores recommended), 2 GB of RAM minimum, 160 GB of disk space, Gigabit network card. Extended support for Windows Server 2016 ends in January 2027: plan a migration if the server is to last beyond that.

Buy Windows Server Essentials 2016

Odin Key is operated by CHKEY OÜ, an Estonian company. Official invoice, support in English by email and live chat. Key sent by email within 24h after payment.