Microsoft Celebrates 10 Years of Trustworthy Computing

Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing initiative is now 10 years old, and the Redmond-based company is proud of this achievement.

The Trustworthy Computing (TwC) Initiative was aimed at ensuring that all users were able to have a secure, private, and reliable experience when on their computers.

The move was announced ten years ago in an email that Bill Gates sent to all employees, and which also defined some of the key aspects of Trustworthy Computing.

“The impetus for Bill’s email was a growing recognition of the role of computing in society, as well as our responsibilities as an industry leader,” Craig Mundie, Microsoft chief research and strategy officer, explains in a memo sent to the company’s employees.

“Today, information and communications technology (ICT) underpins every aspect of our personal and professional lives. While it is indisputable that ICT has transformed for the better how we live, society still confronts some long-standing and evolving challenges.”

Security is of great importance when the electrical power grid is involved, as well as when it comes to financial and telecommunications systems. Privacy must be protected too, Mundie explains, adding that Microsoft also has to ensure that its products and services remain reliable.

“As the world continues to change, this TwC milestone provides an opportunity to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. Our internal and external work over the past ten years has unquestionably raised the bar in software quality, and demonstrated our commitment to building trustworthy products,” he continues.

Mundie notes that Microsoft has been recognized as a leader in secure development courtesy of its Security Development Lifecycle and that it was also the first company to publish privacy standards for developers.

Additionally, Windows error reporting enabled the Redmond-based company to improve the reliability of its product through “addressing system crashes, increasing productivity and alleviating user frustration.”

“I want to thank you for the many contributions that have made this progress possible; we should all be proud of the journey we have taken together,” Mundie states in the said email.

“In a world where we are dependent on IT in every aspect of our lives, and where Microsoft is and will be integral to the computing and cloud experiences of billions of users worldwide, our dedication to Trustworthy Computing is even more important today than it was ten years ago.

“For this reason, the Senior Leadership Team instructed the Trustworthy Computing Group to “extend TwC to services” to help ensure that, from box to cloud, we provide a secure, private and reliable experience that is second to none. This can only be accomplished, of course, if we remain dedicated to the TwC effort.”

The focus will shift on the new variety of devices and services with “TwC Next,” the ensuing decade-plus of Trustworthy Computing, Mundie concludes. Additional info on TwC Next can be found on Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing website.