Lock down and connect your server: firewall, hardening, patching, private networking, and secure file sharing.
A public Windows server is a target from the moment it boots, so security is a day-one job, not a later step. These guides cover hardening the OS, controlling the network, and patching without breaking things: RDP lockdown, the Windows Firewall, secure file sharing, and a sane update strategy.
Work through them in order, or jump straight to what you need.
Patch Windows Server safely in production with a risk-based update strategy, maintenance windows, rollback protection, staged deployment, reboot control, post-patch validation, and Windows Server 2025 Hotpatch guidance.
Configure Windows Firewall safely on a Windows Server VPS: check profiles, audit inbound rules, restrict RDP, create narrow port rules, enable firewall logging, test connectivity, and avoid remote lockouts.
Harden a Windows Server VPS before production with practical controls for accounts, RDP, Windows Firewall, Defender, SMB, audit logging, patching, services, backups, and Microsoft security baselines.
Windows Server 2025 brings SMB over QUIC to Standard and Datacenter editions, not just Azure Edition. We walk through the full setup: File Server role, free Let's Encrypt certificate via win-acme, SMB binding, and a Windows 11 client connection. Tested live on a Raff Server in us-east.
Deploy your first Windows Server, connect over RDP, and get the basics set up: plans, versions, users, and first-day configuration.
BrowseSet up and scale remote desktop (RDP, multi-user RDS, RemoteApp), plus how Windows Server and RDS CAL licensing actually works on a VPS.
BrowseSPLA, BYOL, RDS CALs, M365 Shared Computer Activation. What to buy, how to activate, how to stay compliant.
BrowseRun a domain on your VPS: domain controllers, users and groups, Group Policy, and DNS.
BrowseGenuine, fully-licensed Windows with full admin and RDP. We handle the Microsoft licensing, billed monthly with nothing upfront. On NVMe SSD, backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee.