This may be pretty embarrassing for software giant Microsoft.
Susan Bradley, a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) has dashed off a letter to company Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Steve Ballmer in her capacity as a customer, asking him to look into the issue of sub-standard patches that have crippled computers, and among other things, damaged Microsoft’s hard-earned reputation. Susan is a Windows expert, and has described the buggy problem as “worrisome”.
Susan is one of the moderators of the Patchmanagement.org email list, called a “listserv”. Among other activities, she also writes a weekly column on ‘patching’ for the “Windows Secrets” newsletter. Predictably, going by online reports, some senior honchos at Microsoft are not amused by Susan’s direct letter to the CEO, saying she should have consulted the lower rung, first.
Susan’s letter reads, “….may I respectfully request that you assign someone in a management position to investigate what is going on with quality control with patch testing lately?
“This month in particular leaves me deeply disturbed that issues that should have been found before these updates were released are being found by us — your customers — after they are released and we are having to deal with the aftermath. Bottom line, sir, this is unacceptable to all of us in the patching community, and quite frankly, it should be just as unacceptable to you.”
Here’s the rest of her letter.
Susan’s ire seems directed at many of the Sept. 10 updates, including one that emptied the Outlook 2013 folder. She has listed several examples in her email to buttress her case. Her ire may not be particularly misplaced given the fact that of late, Microsoft seems to be having some problems with security updates.
Susan has added the names of two other Microsoft executives, one of them being Gray Knowlton, to her mailing list, and has written some words of praise over his appointment.
Knowlton, a principal group program manager for Office, gave Microsoft’s side of view on the September problems in a message to the listserv, dubbing them “anomalies in our release operation.”
Image Credit: Microsoft
