Google has just announced expanded support for Windows on its Google Cloud Platform, in a move the company hopes will help it to lure in more enterprise customers.

Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 join a small but steadily growing family of operating systems already supported by Compute Engine, including Linxu distros like Debian, SUSE, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu.

The move means that Windows Server users will be able to deploy servers running Active Directory or ASP.NET using Cloud Launcher, while extending their existing infrastructure into Google Cloud Platform via VPN. A few additional enhancements have also been thrown into the mix for Windows Server users, including generic receive offload (GRO) and multi-queue (MQ) support.

Google also says that organizations can deploy SharePoint, SQL Server and other popular MS apps on top of the servers you deploy at Google Cloud Platform. Organizations can easily move their existing server licensing into the cloud using the Microsoft License Mobility program.

The updates will reduce “the number of Windows Server instances required to serve web based applications and helps our customers more effectively contain their infrastructure and operational costs,” said Alex Gaysinsky, a product manager for Google Cloud Platform, in a blog post.

Google is still playing catch up with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure in the infrastructure-as-a-Service stakes, and so its support for Windows Server is clearly a bid to lure more enterprise customers into its fold. Google had already introduced a preview of Windows Server operating systems late last year, and has now made the Windows virtual machine images generally available on the Google Cloud Platform.

In a second blog post, Google also attempts to leverage Windows Server 2003’s end of life to its own ends, throwing in a few tips about how Compute Engine can be used for targeting and migrating applications. The company is also offering a special trial period for those who need help migrating from Windows Server environments to the Google Cloud Platform.

“If you’re running software circa 2003, it’s probably worth taking a close look at exactly what’s available today,” quipped Google’s Miles Ward, global head of solutions at Google Cloud Platform, and Evan Brown, a solutions architect.

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