Microsoft's Great Failure: What Can Be Learned To Prevent Next Events?

Microsoft Windows, angularammadam (photo: situ. pexels)

JAKARTA - On Friday, July 19, a large number of Microsoft Windows servers and services running on them experienced disruptions for most of the morning. Although many individual users may not be affected, thousands of companies and businesses, including the aviation and rail industry, are affected. This resulted in the termination of transportation services and others, causing huge financial losses to these companies.

According to Jerry Hilenbrand of Android Central, the main cause of this disruption is Microsoft's direct fault. Instead, an update from Windows' third-party component by CrowdStrice a Windows security vendor sent an update that damaged the computer's low-level system that was affected, resulting in a well-known blue screen of death on Windows. While Microsoft doesn't directly cause this disruption, the systems they are building allow this to happen.

CrowdStrice is known as a security provider that "securs the most critical risk area endpoint and workload of cloud, identity and data." However, Hildenbrand criticizes why services that CrowdStrice deems so important are not part of Windows Server itself. Given the high price of Windows Server licenses, the service should be provided by Microsoft itself.

In addition, Hildenbrand expressed concern about how optional software from third parties could have access to operating systems so low that it could cripple the machine if there was a configuration error.

He argues that Microsoft should not allow software from other companies to control their operating systems this way.

Although this disruption does not cause major disasters, Hildenbrand warns of possible more severe events in the future. For example, if similar disturbances occur in the national power grid or global mobile devices, the impact could be much more destructive, both economically and socially.

Hilenbrand hopes that incidents like these will serve as lessons for decision makers to prevent more serious events in the future. Although these incidents cause discomfort and loss, it is also a valuable educational tool to prevent bigger incidents from happening in the future