Technology comes with risks. Amid a mobile-first world and the transition of storage and services to the cloud, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has pointed out the constant need of companies to assume an "operational security posture."
This is why Microsoft is launching a new cybersecurity initiative headlined by the Cyber Defense Operations Center, which is a facility in Microsoft's Redmond headquarters that looks like some sort of war room.
Microsoft is also launching another initiative called the Microsoft Enterprise Cybersecurity Group.
The Cyber Defense Operations Center houses security response personnel who have undergone training to protect against, detect and answer threats, as Microsoft described in a blog post.
The Microsoft Enterprise Cybersecurity Group, on the other hand, will connect security experts from all over the world with the CIOs and CISOs of companies to provide them with cybersecurity reports, threat monitoring and detection, and capabilities to respond to incidents.
"It's a perimeter-less world, it's a world that is constantly evolving, it's dynamic, and you're under constant attack. That's the environment that we have to deal with," Nadella said.
Nadella made the statements at Microsoft's government cloud conference, held in Washington D.C. Here, Nadella revealed his company's plans to be able to defend businesses better from online threats such as malware and phishing.
The Cyber Defense Operations Center will be linked to a network that includes thousands of Microsoft's data analysts, security experts, engineers, program managers, developers and operations specialists from all over the world. The network will also include governments, security partners and businesses.
The Cyber Defense Operations Center and Microsoft Enterprise Cybersecurity Group will analyze data that would include more than 300,000 user authentications that are submitted to Microsoft monthly by businesses and consumers.
Microsoft was once seen as a representation of all that is wrong with tech security, with an anecdote claiming that co-founder Bill Gates once tasked all of the company's engineers to exclusively fix bugs on Microsoft software instead of writing up new code.
However, the company has recently been cleaning up its image, with its efforts impressing even security specialists such as F-Secure chief research officer Mikko Hypponen.
"They've changed themselves from worst in class to the best in class," said Hypponen. "The change is complete. They started taking security very seriously."
The latest initiatives look to help businesses adapt to an environment where they are always under attack, brought about by the increased reliance of enterprise systems on the cloud and on mobile devices.
