Microsoft’s CIO Ron Markezich spoke to about 100 people at an event sponsored by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.
Markezich doesn’t sell software. Instead, he implements it, in addition to telecom and IT hardware, at Microsoft itself. It was extremely interesting hearing how Microsoft’s IT department operates in comparison to its peers at other Fortune 1000 enterprises. Marckezich said that Microsoft uses other vendor’s software if Microsoft doesn’t produce an enterprise-class product in a particular category. In terms of security products, that means they use Computer Associates’ eTrust and Sybari. In the case of Sybari, Microsoft thought anti-virus was such an important feature that they bought the company.
The Microsoft IT department does lab testing and uses all Microsoft products before they are distributed to clients. Using a phrase I never heard before, Markezich says that they “eat their own dog food.” They also help improve their products by using advisory boards. In addition, Microsoft gets end user feedback by sending out employees to clients’ offices for 1-2 weeks at a time. The lessons the IT department learns are often documented as a best practice and then distributed to clients via avenues like a Security Center of Excellence.