Microsoft kills off Windows Home Server

Microsoft has announced it is to end development of the Windows Home Server platform.

The company said that the small-scale server platform would be discontinued and that customers would be steered toward the Windows Server 2012 Essentials platform with the next release of the server operating system.

"Windows Home Server has seen its greatest success in small office/home office environments and among the technology enthusiast community," the company said.

Microsoft will add features found only in Home Server - such as DLNA-compliant devices and media streaming - into Windows Server 2012 Essentials.

Microsoft first unveiled Windows Home Server in 2007, promoting the device as an end-user solution for storing media collections and file archives.

As cloud-based storage systems have made web-based backup and archiving cheaper and more practical, however, users have flocked to hosted solutions rather than on-premise platforms. Windows Home Server has instead developed into a hobbyist and small office platform.

The last version of the storage platform was released in 2011.

Microsoft said that it will offer Windows Home Server 2011 in its sales channels through the end of the 2013 calendar year.

The company is now hoping that users will opt to run the Windows Server 2012 Essentials platform for their home and small office servers. The entry-level server offering is targeted at smaller businesses with limited IT resources and growing businesses that are looking to adopt their first on-premise server deployments.