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Inside Microsoft's security war room

Time: 08:53 EST/13:53 GMT | News Source: News.com | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum

Tired of having to fight for a free conference room, Microsoft's security chief, Mike Nash, decided in early 2005 that the company needed a dedicated "war room" where his team could handle emergency responses.

And while he was at it, why not have two? That way, the folks working on fixing a security crisis could have a little breathing room from those drafting the public and customer communications around the issue.

"They were tired of the communications people hearing of things that were half-baked," Nash said.

The Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) was completed in June 2005. The engineering conference room includes four flat-panel screens that can display live TV or a computer screen as well as a couple dozen chairs, though the place is often standing-room-only in a real crisis.