If you are thinking about a secure server platform for your applications, you need to start with the type of server you are planning to use for your application; for example, the Server Core installation of Windows. The concept of Server Core is not new. It was introduced as part of Windows Server 2008. It helps to reduce the attack surface by minimizing the services running on the server, and by eliminating the need for the binary installation files to reside on the server. The general principles of attack surface can be found in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_surface article. If your application can run on the Server Core installation of Windows, from a security standpoint, it is recommended to use Server Core as the installation type.

Once you have identified the correct server type for your application, you can start working on the role and feature required for this server. An administrator who has proper rights on a server can add or remove roles on a...