Microsoft has finally made the Release-to-Manufacturing (RTM) versions of Windows Server 2016 and System Centre 2016. They are now officially available to customers.

The Windows Server 2016 is ready for traditional and cloud-native applications, as reported by the Top Tech News.

The System Center 2016 will be utilized to help companies deploy, configure and manage their virtualized, software-defined datacenters and hybrid cloud infrastructures.

According to Mark Jewett, Microsoft's senior director of product marketing for the cloud platform, "The Windows Server 2016 release is just one of many reflecting Microsoft's deep commitment to the hybrid cloud."

Jewett said Microsoft's approach to hybrid cloud deployment will allow for more uniform software development, with developers able to deploy applications and services at optimal locations based on their particular business needs and technical requirements.

According to Top Tech News, the OS now also offers portability to Microsoft Azure with a new feature called Azure Hybrid Use Benefit that allows Windows Server virtual machines to be run in Azure at a discounted rate.

The effort to enhance the latest version of Windows Server for the hybrid cloud is part of Microsoft's wider strategy to focus on hybrid cloud across its portfolio, including its Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure services.

The goal is to refocus its efforts on building a comprehensive set of capabilities across all of its platforms, according to Microsoft.

The new operating system also provides operators with a consistent interface, allowing resources to be managed and updated by DevOps across the hybrid cloud.

Furthermore, there are a number of Windows Server 2016 editions offered, including Datacenter, Essentials, Hyper-V Server, MultiPoint Premium Server, Standard and Storage Server, as reported by Beta News.

The Datacenter and Standard versions will carry per-core licensing,

Essentials, MultiPoint Premium Server, and Storage Server will have per-processor licensing.

With the Datacenter Edition, users will be able to run an unlimited number of operation system environments or Hyper-V containers. Nonetheless, the Standard Edition will only allow its users to run two.