It was a given in the technology industry for many years that if you wanted to find a company that excelled at computer security, you ought not look for it in Redmond, Wash., the home of Microsoft.
Today, although Microsoft may not strike fear in its competitors the way it once did, at least its customers don’t have the same level of fear for potential security flaws in Microsoft software. While the company still has its share of issues, in some quarters its emphasis on security in consumer products has become a gold standard.
On Tuesday, Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, plans to discuss security in a speech to government technology workers in Washington, D.C. To some, the thought of Mr. Nadella discussing good computer security is akin to the owners of the New York Knicks discussing winning basketball.
But Mr. Nadella and Microsoft have made big changes in their technology and their organization in order to keep hackers out and data safe. Mr. Nadella meets monthly with top security officials inside the company and has centralized what was generally a fragmented response effort when problems were discovered. This week, security specialists are also moving into the same physical space.
Times have changed for Microsoft. As for the Knicks, the jury is still out.