Start early with the Windows Server pre-day
Windows Server: Secure, manage, and accelerate with AI (PREB20)
Monday, November 16 | 1:00–5:00 PM PT | Moscone Center
This is a demo-filled, deep-dive workshop built for Windows Server professionals and led by the engineers and product team who build Windows Server. You’ll see how to manage your servers across Azure, hybrid cloud, and on-premises environments, and get an early look at what’s coming in the next version of Windows Server, including local AI, security, Hyper-V, Active Directory, networking, and storage. Expect practical tips you can take back to optimize, modernize, and get the most out of your Windows Server fleet.
How to sign up
The pre-day was added after Ignite registration opened, and it’s a paid add-on that you select during registration. That means it doesn’t show up when you search the session catalog, and many people who registered early never saw it. Here’s how to get a seat.
If you haven’t registered for Ignite yet:
- Visit the Microsoft Ignite registration website and select Register.
- Choose the in-person Conference pass.
- When you reach the pre-day options, add Windows Server: Secure, manage, and accelerate with AI (PREB20). The pre-day has an additional fee of $325.
- Finish registration. The pre-day will appear in your confirmation.
Already registered for the in-person event?
- Sign in to your registration using the same account you used to register.
- Open your registration page and select “Add a Pre-Day pass“.
- Add Windows Server: Secure, manage, and accelerate with AI (PREB20) and complete checkout; additional fee of $325 applies.
- Watch for an updated confirmation email. If it doesn’t arrive, check your junk folder.
Seats are limited, and the Windows Server pre-day has sold out in past years, so we recommend adding it soon.
Windows Server sessions on Thursday, November 19
All four of our sessions are on Thursday in the Moscone Center area. The venues are close together with 30 to 45 minutes between sessions, so you can catch all of them. Add them to your schedule from the session catalog.
| Session | Speakers | What you’ll see |
When and where |
| BRK418 (Breakout): What’s new and what’s next for Windows Server | Neil Hinnant, Elden Christensen | The latest release news and a preview of the next version of Windows Server, covering Hyper-V, Active Directory, storage, and networking, and how the next release raises the bar for security, performance, and AI. |
Thursday, Nov 19 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM |
| BRK419 (Breakout): From VMware to Hyper-V: Hyperscale virtualization in your datacenter | Jeff Woolsey, Davanna White | How Windows Admin Center Virtualization Mode helps you build cost-effective, cloud-connected on-premises virtualization with Hyper-V in Windows Server. |
Thursday, Nov 19 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM |
| THR897 (Theater): Cloud management for every Windows Server | Theo Tran, Cindy Wan | Consistent management with Azure Arc wherever your servers run, plus lower ESU costs, free hotpatching, and SQL Server optimization. |
Thursday, Nov 19 10:45 AM – 11:10 AM |
| TT1701 (Table talk): On-prem inferencing with Windows Server | Dan Cuomo | A small-group conversation on running AI workloads on-premises: planning AI-ready server hardware, and thinking through performance, security, and operational consistency. |
Thursday, Nov 19 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM |
Come find us at the Windows Server booth
Windows Server has its own booth in the Hub, open November 17 to 19. Stop by to see demos, ask the product team your toughest questions, and tell us what you need from Windows Server. Bring your upgrade plans, your hotpatching questions, and your AI ideas.
Can’t be there in person?
The digital pass is free and includes keynotes and a wide range of sessions. Breakouts and Theater sessions will be streamed or available on demand. Table talks and the pre-day are in-person only.
Get hands-on before you arrive
Want a head start? Join the Windows Server Insider Program to try preview builds of the next version of Windows Server and share feedback with the team. Several features you’ll hear about at Ignite are already in Insider builds, and we’ve covered them here on Tech Community, including Trusted Launch for virtual machines, ReFS boot, and Windows NVMe-over-Fabrics initiator preview.
We can’t wait to see you in San Francisco. If you have questions about our sessions or the pre-day, refer to the Ignite event page for more information or leave us a comment below.