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Day Is Night: Microsoft Says Security Is Its Competitive Advantage

Overhype

from the you-have-got-to-be-kidding dept

Fri, Jul 9th 2004 1:19am — Mike Masnick
Really not quite sure what to make of this, but apparently Microsoft believes that if they just say something it must be true. In the past few weeks there have been so many major Microsoft security problems, it's been nearly impossible to keep count. Yet, Steve Ballmer is going to stand on stage with a straight face at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference and claim that security is their competitive advantage. Even worse, he's doing this despite claiming the same thing last year, which included a number of promises about Microsoft's security upgrades, most of which they haven't actually done. Now, there are plenty of sites that bash Microsoft for being Microsoft, and that's really not worth wasting time over. However, if Microsoft really wants to claim they're serious about security, shouldn't they show us they're serious about security, rather than just telling us?
5 Comments

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  • identicon
    momo, 9 Jul 2004 @ 6:23am

    Where did this come from?

    I think they've been taking PR lessons from Bush.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      thecaptain, 9 Jul 2004 @ 7:34am

      Re: Where did this come from?

      "Yes sir...security is our strength, we are the most secure software out there and we're going to keep making it even MORE secure...."

      "...now watch this drive."

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mark, 9 Jul 2004 @ 8:22am

    Security

    Microsoft is a company completely in the thrall of marketing, so you have to understand "security" as a marketing buzzword. One of the basic tenets of marketing is the customer is driven by the perception you create of the product. No doubt Ballmer and others at MS truly believe that if they just keep congratulating themselves for their excellent security, customers will fall in line. And to be honest, they might be right; after all, there are plenty of people out there who think Bill Gates is a brilliant programmer.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    achacha, 9 Jul 2004 @ 1:34pm

    security

    Given the track record of Microsoft claims, I suspect he was trying to say:

    "We hired a lot more security guards for our campus, security is our competitive advantage since we are stealing other companies ideas and they can't steal anything from us..."

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    aNonMooseCowherd, 9 Jul 2004 @ 10:01pm

    preaching to the sheep (IT managers)

    They probably assume that most IT managers are so inept technically that they have no way of evaluating Microsoft's claims, and if the company says its products are secure, then it must be true.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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