Solution providers say the MS-CRM issue is particularly embarrassing for Microsoft because SP2 breaks a relatively new out-of-the-box application: MS-CRM 1.2, which shipped in January. Microsoft said it has 2,500 MS-CRM customers, representing 100,000 individual users.
"This is really stupid," said another East Coast Microsoft partner, who asked not to be identified. Solution providers will be put in an awkward position if they have to go back to customers to perform fixes, especially since they already persuaded those accounts to take a chance on MS-CRM, he said.
"Let's just say I'm glad I don't have a ton of MS-CRM customers," said one West Coast Microsoft Business Solutions partner.
Yet Microsoft isn't the only company issuing warnings about the SP2 update. Artisoft notified its partners last week to delay installing SP2 until full testing was completed, and IBM reportedly told internal users to wait on SP2 implementation.
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
