Gates Puts Focus on Trustworthy Computing

Chief Software Architect Bill Gates has told all employees that security will now take precedence over features in Microsoft’s software design process. His memo kicks off a companywide initiative, called “Trustworthy Computing,” that will be the third security-related initiative in a year. The latest initiative has a better chance of succeeding than the previous ones because it comes from Microsoft’s top executive, and because it’s the first to target all Microsoft product groups. However, recent events show just how long and arduous the journey will be to the new world of Trustworthy Computing, and how vigilant customers must remain in the meantime.

Trustworthy Computing

Microsoft’s Advanced Strategy and Policy Group under Chief Technology Officer Craig Mundie has been working to define Trustworthy Computing. Specific details are yet to be provided, but Gates’s e-mail outlined the following key aspects:

Availability. Products should run when customers need them, and redundancy and automatic recovery should be available to reduce the frequency and duration of system outages.