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Security from A to Z: Microsoft

Time: 01:15 EST/06:15 GMT | News Source: ZDNet | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum

Microsoft's role in unwittingly creating a hole for the security industry to fill cannot be underestimated.

By producing an operating system that was ubiquitous and yet, when coupled with the rise of the Internet, all too vulnerable to attack, the software behemoth generated a need that other businesses gladly stepped in to service.

For many years an embarrassed Microsoft struggled to up its security credentials--spending money to train its programmers to write more secure software, and launching its so-called Trustworthy Computing Initiative, which focused on improving the security and reliability of its products. This effort even included including conducting "security audits" of software prior to release to nail down as many bugs as possible.