The world is currently undergoing a major health crisis named COVID-19. The governments of the world and local on-ground authorities are doing their best to control the disease. Apart from them, the leading organizations around the world have also raised their helping hands to make the work of the authorities easier and efficient.
Microsoft is also one of them. They have done a commendable job in providing technical support from their side. However, there are many more kinds of stuff they can do to offer relaxations to their customers by re-analyzing the competitive decisions they have made in the past. Let us discuss how they can do that.
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How is Microsoft Helping to tackle Novel Coronavirus?
As already mentioned, Microsoft is already playing its part by providing technical supports from its side. This is how they are aiding to combat COVID-19:
- In Italy, which has been hit hardest by the pandemic, the Microsoft is contributing by purchasing and timely delivery of medical equipment across Milan and other major affected areas. They are also helping to manage business and educational processes for the companies and students, respectively.
- They have launched a “Give with Bing Option” to collect donations for the local groups who are battling on the ground.
- In Seattle, which is one of the worst affected areas in the USA, Microsoft has delivered 3,000 hand sanitizers to Plymouth Housing.
- In China, they have offered monetary and product assistance that also includes communication and data help to hospitals and patients.
- Because of the lockdown, the economic crisis has hit the most vulnerable families. Microsoft is ensuring that food reaches to the ones who need them the most, by supplying 120,000 and more lunches.
- Despite reduced working hours and reduced service needs, Microsoft is committed to paying its hourly employees their regular wage.
- Microsoft’s AI for health is helping the researcher with the computing power they require. A $20 million is specially dedicated to this work.
- Microsoft has made its paid collaboration tool, Microsoft Teams, free for six months.
- Microsoft is using its supply chain to deliver essential medical equipment and medicines to the frontline health worker.
Apart from these, Microsoft is supporting in many other ways too, details of which you can get from here.
What more can Microsoft Help us with?
Because of this pandemic, most of the IT workers around the globe are forced to get locked and work from home. So, in order to make their task more comfortable and more efficient, Microsoft can comfort them with some relaxation.
1. Deliver Windows 7 Security Patches to Everyone
From January 2020, Microsoft had stopped providing any supports to its one of the most popular Operating Systems, Windows 7. This was done so that maximum users could switch to Windows 10. Although in March 2020, the immigration to Windows 10 from Windows 7 was flat. The users have found an excuse to pause their migration in the form of the Corona Virus situation. Maybe because of chaos and a sudden work from the home load, Windows 7 users did not find this the right time for switching.
Also, while working from home, a considerable number of people have to get back to their old devices which are running on Windows 7. Students are also obliged to attend online lectures, and they might also have to switch to old Windows 7 systems.
Microsoft can provide at least a single security updated for these Windows 7 users.
2. Delay the release of Windows 10 version 2004
While working from home, people want their systems to work smoothly and stable. They don’t wish to get a disturbance in any way that can delay their work. That is why it would be better, Microsoft postpones the release of the Windows 10 updated version 2004.
For those of you who don’t know, Windows 10 version 2004 is the name of the upcoming major update for Windows 10 OS. Microsoft release two significant updates in a calendar year; version 2004 is one of those.
Although, there is no direct relation of COVID-19 with the update that would be launched. But the thing with Windows 10 updates is they come with bugs and sometimes a lot of them and takes time to get stability. Also, the upcoming version is supposed to bring a lot of changes and add new features. The features that were frozen to release in the last update are expected to make their presence in this one. It can be a hindrance to the workflow for the short term, because people may need time to get used to the new things.
So Microsoft must seriously ponder on postponing the update further.
3. Prolong the life of Windows 10 1809 Home and Pro
Windows 10 version 1809 is going to reach the end of service on May 12. Though it was declared “ready for business” in March 2019 just over a year. So instead of releasing version 2004, Microsoft can extend the support for version 1809 Home and Pro versions. Since the Enterprise version is already getting an extra year, so it won’t be a much problem for Microsoft to do the same for Home and Pro versions of 1809 too.
4. Stop the ‘Optional, Non-Security’ updates
Many times you might have accidentally clicked on downloading and installing the Windows ‘optional, non-security’ updates. These are not so significant but sometimes time-consuming updates. They can sometimes be hard on your system resources too. If yours is a low-end system, then these updates are totally useless for you.
Fortunately, Microsoft has already started to work on stopping these optional updates and will most probably transfer them in their Tuesday Patch updates.
5. Begin the Beta-Testing Program for Updates
Now, you might be wondering Microsoft is already running an Insider Program that has an Insider rings, a group of beta testers, so what a need for another beta-testing program is?
Well, the answer is because the Insider Program is a big flop. If it is working to its potential, then why every update comes with a vast amount of bugs?
Insider Program consists of 18 million testers. Most of these might not even know the stuff they are doing. The main objective of the Insider Program is to test patches shortly before their stable release. But it has been limited to only the marketing purpose of the upcoming update.
So, Microsoft should scrap or redesign its Insider Program and develop a better program for beta testing of every Windows update. The testers must be limited in number and must know what they are doing so that they can provide proper, valuable feedback and pick out the bugs.
Final Words
So these are the five ways in which Microsoft can help the already suffering people living in the shadow of this global pandemic. If they could implement these, they might make the lives of millions of users a little less complicated. This will also raise their goodwill among its customers, which can be a lot more beneficial in the future.
Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.
