Microsoft announced today that it will launch the next major release of Windows Server later this year with better support for hybrid workloads, Linux workloads, and hyper-converged infrastructure.

This release will succeed Windows Server 2016, which was made generally available in October 2016. While Microsoft moved to twice-yearly updates for Windows Server starting last year, the company bundles those changes into a long-term servicing channel once every two or three years for administrators who prefer less frequent releases.

Those companies that haven’t moved over to the semi-annual channel will get their first taste of Windows Server’s Linux and Kubernetes support, which are currently in beta.

Venture Beats

This is smart for Microsoft to move to faster release cycles it’s more revenue for them and better for security.