Where is that evaluation download?

We IT Pro Evangelists are often asked, “Hey.. Where can I find the download to try out such-and-such software?”

And after I find out what they actually meant by “such-and-such”, I usually just tell them essentially to “google it on Bing”. 

But that’s not sufficient.

So what I am doing instead, on this page, is to give you a list of the most important, most commonly requested downloads.  And here they are: 

• Windows Server 2012 beta (formerly codename "Windows Server 8")
• Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1
• Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 with SP1
• System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1
• System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2
• System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3
• Microsoft Virtual Academy
• Deploying and Managing Windows Azure Applications

And if you're interested in evaluating the newly released System Center 2012 management product (and all of the components therein), you can get them here:

• Microsoft System Center 2012 Evaluation

UPDATE BONUS: Here are links to the descriptions of a couple of very key certification exams:

• TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
• TS: Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuring

Try them all!

And if this is not exactly what you need, you can also go to the TechNet Evaluation Download Center and find everything an IT Pro could ever want to try out.