There are few companies that are currently not feeling the impact of the corona crisis. So is Microsoft. The company warned that sales from the PC segment this year will be lower than expected. Also, the current crisis is causing Microsoft to change its plans regarding the rollout of Windows 10 updates.
From May this year, there will be no new updates for the time being and Microsoft wants to fully focus on improving the security of Windows 10.
In a Twitter message, the Redmond-based company announces that there will be no more new, optional updates for the time being.
These are updates for all versions of the operating system that Microsoft still supports, from Windows 10 to Windows Server 2008. Since these are optional updates, many people probably won't miss them. In addition, Microsoft's updates have become somewhat notorious in recent years, due to the many problems that surfaced after that.
Microsoft says the decision to pause optional updates was made because of the coronavirus and the impact it is having on customers. The company first wants to make sure that Windows 10 devices and services work as securely as possible by occasionally releasing security updates. The focus on improving security does not come out of the blue, now that people worldwide are working from home en masse and need a well-functioning and safe system. Microsoft saw a 775% increase in the use of cloud services such as Microsoft Teams, Power BI and Windows Virtual Desktop.
It is therefore more important than ever for Microsoft that the services work properly. In a blog post, the company recently announced that it is actively working with hospitals that have been targeted by hackers. Microsoft wants to ensure that security is optimal to prevent major problems such as a ransomware attack. People who work from home because of the corona virus are also increasingly the target of cyber attacks, according to various studies.
Do security updates
The regular updates for Windows 10 will be paused for a while, but you can still expect the security updates. This means that Patch Tuesday will also continue to exist. On the second Tuesday of the month, Microsoft rolls out a monthly security update for Windows systems and other Microsoft products via Windows Update.
“No changes will be made to the monthly security updates. These will simply be rolled out to ensure businesses and customers remain well protected," Microsoft said.
It is not clear when we can expect regular updates again. Most likely, this moment will not come until the coronavirus outbreak is under control and life gets back on track. And that is expected to take some time.
