Proof we're not bluffing

Orin Thomas breaks down what happened after the MCSE and what Microsoft’s Windows Server certification story looks like now—especially for Windows Server 2025-era realities. He explains the difference between certifications and newer “credentials,” walks through the Windows Server Hybrid Admin Associate path (two exams: AZ-800 and AZ-801), and calls out a key modern twist: the exams are “open book” to Microsoft Learn in a split view—helpful, but not “ask an LLM to do your homework” helpful. He also highlights practical options like the Active Directory Applied Skills Credential, then maps what gets measured across real admin work: deploying and managing Active Directory in hybrid scenarios, managing Windows Server and workloads with tools like Windows Admin Center and Azure Arc, securing servers, handling virtualization with Hyper-V, working with containers, planning failover and recovery, migrating servers and workloads, and monitoring/troubleshooting the stuff that actually breaks on Tuesdays.

We produced this as a pre-recorded, streamed event that feels confident and live—without forcing your speakers to learn interpretive dance with a countdown timer. We handled show development, built a cohesive graphics package, prepared the guest so the delivery stayed crisp and human, produced the footage, edited it into a clean, watchable session, and streamed it to multiple social channels. The result is a polished digital event that protects your team’s time, keeps presenters relaxed, and delivers a professional on-air experience that’s ready for both the live moment and on-demand life afterward.

In this Windows Server Summit session, Modernizing Server Management and Connectivity With Azure Arc, Thomas Maurer is joined by Aurnov Chattopadhyay (PM, Azure Arc) to show how Azure Arc brings on-prem, multicloud, and edge servers into the Azure control plane—so you can manage them like native Azure resources. They walk through onboarding options (PowerShell script, at-scale automation, Windows Admin Center, and Arc Setup built into Windows Server 2025), then get specific about connectivity choices: public endpoints, transparent proxy, Private Link over VPN/ExpressRoute, and the Arc Gateway (preview) to funnel many servers through a single gateway.

Once servers are connected, Aurnov demos the “Windows Server Management enabled by Azure Arc” experience and the services it unlocks, including Azure Update Manager, Azure Machine Configuration (Azure Policy Guest Configuration), Azure Change Tracking and Inventory, and Azure Run Command for secure remote scripting—plus how properly licensed Windows Server machines can access key Azure management capabilities at no additional cost.

We produced this Windows Server Summit session as a pre-recorded, streamed event that feels relaxed and polished—because we did the hard parts so your team doesn’t have to. We handled show development, built the graphics package, prepped the guests so they sounded natural (not rehearsed into oblivion), produced the footage, edited it into a clean, watchable episode, then streamed it to multiple social channels with calm direction and rock-solid execution. The result: a professional live-event vibe, happier speakers, fewer surprises, and an on-demand asset that keeps working long after the stream ends.