Blood-crazed Microsoft axes Trustworthy Computing Group
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Microsoft is closing its Trustworthy Computing Group as part of the loss of 2,100 jobs announced in a restructuring plan unveiled on Thursday.
The Trustworthy Computing Group will be disbanded, with responsibilities for Redmond’s security and privacy programs getting folded into its Cloud Enterprise Division, and its Legal Corporate Affairs group.
Remaining staffers will report to either Microsoft cloud and enterprise chief Scott Guthrie or Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith, respectively.
Redmond is also pulling down the shutters on its Silicon Valley research lab as part of the latest phase of its restructuring plan, GeekWire adds. As previously reported, veteran Redmond-watcher Mary Jo Foley also thinks the research lab is for the chop.
Microsoft is looking to slash its headcount by 18,000 staffers over the course of the year.
The software giant’s Trustworthy Computing Group was created eight years ago as part of a reorganisation that took place after the completion of development work on Windows Vista. Microsoft had been talking about trustworthy computing as a concept years before this, as a way addressing concerns about the security and reliability of Windows in particular and worries about its privacy and business practices more generally.
Redmond is spinning the closure of the unit as a way for remaining Trustworthy Computing staffers to be pushed closer to Microsoft’s engineering teams. On prominent former Microsoft staffer, Caspar Bowden, said Trustworthy Computing was in any case “one-third engineers, two-thirds PRs”.
Early reaction to disbanding the group among independent security watchers has generally been negative.
“Who needs security anyway? Disbanding TwC, what a short-sighted move by Microsoft,” said security veteran Chris Eng.
“Microsoft shuts down Trustworthy Computing Group just as Apple Google begin visibly competing on privacy security,” noted Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union, in an update to his personal Twitter account.
However, security watcher Debasish Dey took comfort from the possibility that former Trustworthy Computing will be integrated more closely with Microsoft’s engineering teams. “Security can be ground up rather patching later practice,” he said. ®
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