Microsoft, the technological giant, has announced major changes to its corporate policy, with cybersecurity now taking top priority. Every employee, regardless of their position, is now required to focus on data protection in their daily work.
Kathleen Hogan, the chief director of Microsoft, issued an internal memo outlining the new strategy: “When faced with a choice, the answer is clear and simple: security comes first.” This decision comes after years of criticism of Microsoft regarding vulnerabilities in their products.
The new policy is not just symbolic. It will directly impact career advancement and financial well-being. Contributions to the company will now play a significant role in considerations for raises, salary increases, and bonuses.
Microsoft is also implementing a new performance evaluation system where cybersecurity, along with diversity and inclusiveness, will be key factors. These elements will now be essential topics during regular “Connect” meetings where supervisors discuss an employee’s progress one-on-one.
For technical specialists, this means integrating security measures early in the product design process, adhering to established protocols, and ensuring robust default protection for customers.
Additionally, even top leaders within Microsoft will have cybersecurity responsibilities that they must fulfill as part of this new directive.
These changes are part of Microsoft’s broader Secure Future Initiative (SFI), which aims to enhance the security of the company’s networks, production, and engineering systems.
Some of these updates have already started to affect Microsoft products. For instance, the company will cease support for basic authentication for Outlook personal accounts in September. Furthermore, a simplified version of the Outlook web application will be discontinued on August 19.
Starting September 16, users of Outlook.com, Hotmail, and Live.com will need to access their mailboxes through applications that use modern authentication. This change could impact older versions of Outlook, Apple Mail, and Thunderbird, as well as some third-party email clients.
In her memo, Hogan underscored the global significance of these innovations: “We are building a critical infrastructure that moves the world forward. Customer trust places a significant responsibility on us: to safeguard them, our company, and the entire world from cyber threats. Every Microsoft employee contributes to this mission.”