Microsoft’s Nadella Tells Staff to Make Cybersecurity Top Priority
Among other efforts to shore up its anti-hacking defenses, the company is tying some executive pay to meeting security milestones.
The Microsoft Corp. logo. The company is increasing its cybersecurity staff.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergFacing harsh criticism for failing to contain several major cyberattacks, Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella sent a blunt message to his staff Friday urging them to make cybersecurity a top priority.
“If you’re faced with the tradeoff between security and another priority, your answer is clear: Do security,” Nadella wrote in a companywide memo. “In some cases, this will mean prioritizing security above other things we do, such as releasing new features or providing ongoing support for legacy systems.”
Nadella’s memo came as Microsoft announced a series of new anti-hacking initiatives that include basing a portion of senior leaders’ compensation on meeting cybersecurity milestones and adding cyber chiefs to its product groups.
Microsoft has faced increasing scrutiny for its role in a number of high-profile hacks, and a government panel last month described the company’s security culture as inadequate and in need of urgent reforms. Microsoft in November unveiled the Secure Future Initiative, its most significant security plan since co-founder Bill Gates halted Windows development in 2002 and ordered engineers to prioritize product safety over new features.
But some rivals, government officials and customers have questioned whether the recent overhaul went far enough — and have called for Nadella to issue a memorandum that echoed Gates’ missive.
Read More: Microsoft Hack Woes Conjures Ghost of Gates Memo: Cyber Bulletin