Failover clusters are used by IT professionals who need to provide high availability for services or applications; failover clusters help IT departments keep their mission-critical services up and running.

In Windows Server 2008 R2, the improvements to failover clusters are aimed at simplifying failover clusters, making them more secure, and enhancing their stability. Cluster setup and management are easier. Security and networking in failover clusters have been improved, as has the way a failover cluster communicates with storage.

In addition to the enhancements in failover clustering, the new virtualization tools, Web resources, and management enhancements help save time, reduce costs, and provide a solid foundation for enterprise workloads. Windows Server 2008 R2 gives customers greater control, increased efficiency, and the high availability that is needed to succeed in today’s global marketplace.