Paul Mooney

Microsoft Next Generation

Microsoft just announced a realignment of the company into three divisions, each of which will be led by its own president. The Microsoft Platform Products & Services Division will be led by Kevin Johnson and Jim Allchin as co-presidents; Jeff Raikes has been named president of the Microsoft Business Division; and Robbie XBOX Bach has been named as president of Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division. In addition, the company said Ray Ozzie will expand his role as chief technical officer by assuming responsibility for helping drive its software-based services strategy and execution across all three divisions.

Jim Allchin plans to retire when Windows Vista ships. “I absolutely love this company, and I am fully engaged in making great products,” Allchin said. “My passion for Microsoft is as strong as ever. While I will call it a day at the end of next year after Windows Vista ships, I’m confident the world-class team of people I’ve been fortunate to work with will ensure we execute on our long-term mission.”

Eric Rudder, senior vice president of Server and Tools, will be taking on a new role working directly for Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect. Rudder will focus on some of the company’s key advanced development efforts as well as overall technical strategy. Rudder will transition into his new role following the launch of Visual Studio and SQL Server 2005.

Microsoft Platform Products & Services Division

Kevin Johnson will succeed Allchin, taking ownership of the Microsoft Platform Products & Services Division, which comprises Windows Client, Server and Tools, and MSN. To ensure a smooth transition, Johnson and Allchin will serve as co-presidents until Allchin’s retirement next year. The new division’s mission is to enable exciting user experiences and drive customer value through continued innovation in the software platform and software services delivered over the Internet. 

Microsoft Business Division

The Information Worker business and Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) will combine to form the Microsoft Business Division, with Doug Burgum, senior vice president, reporting to Jeff Raikes. This division will deliver software and software-based services that enable organizations to succeed in today’s constantly evolving workplace by amplifying the impact of their people. Microsoft is uniquely positioned for this opportunity with the new division’s programs, servers and software-based services addressing the spectrum from structured business processes to personal productivity needs.

Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division

The new Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division, which combines the current Home and Entertainment Division with the current Mobile and Embedded Devices Division, will consolidate Microsoft’s industry engagement around devices to deliver even richer and more relevant scenarios for individuals at work, at home and when they’re mobile. It will also bring more focus to the company’s efforts in entertainment and related devices and services. Accordingly, the senior vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile and Embedded Devices Division, Pieter Knook, will report to Robbie Bach.

I think that was a good move, the people at the top of the Mobile and Embedded Division were useless. I wish Microsoft would spin-off MSN and relocate them to NYC. Is Microsoft rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, or will we see improved productivity and efficiency in Microsoft Next Generation?

Internet Security

We are all concerned about computer security and we are all responsible for keeping our systems secure. Recently I received a Black Belt in Security from Joe Stagner’s team at MSDN.

Webcasts are a great way to learn and keep informed, so Symantic is offering:

Internet Security Threat Report Volume VIII

Presented by: Dean Turner, Executive Editor, Symantec Internet Security Threat Report
Date: Thursday, September 22, 2005
Time: 9am PDT

Symantec's latest Internet Security Threat Report, to be issued on September 19, 2005, analyzes data collected from over 24,000 security devices deployed in over 180 countries. It covers the six-month period from January 1 - June 30, 2005 and includes analysis of network-based attacks, a review of known vulnerabilities, highlights of Adware, Spyware, and malicious code, an analysis of Spam and Phishing data and a forward looking analysis in Future Watch. For example, in the last six months of 2004 Symantec documented 1,862 new vulnerabilities, a 31% increase over the previous six-month period. Webcast attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the state of overall Internet threats, what these threats mean to their organization, and what we might expect in the future.

From what I've heard The Mozilla Foundation's FireFox has had 25 vendor-confirmed vulnerabilities in the past six months, while IE 6 has 13.