Every Microsoft employee is now being judged for their security work

At Microsoft, we provide mission-critical infrastructure that the world depends on to achieve more. With this trust in us comes a great responsibility: protecting our customers, our company and our world against cyber threats. As Microsoft employees, we all have a role in this responsibility.

As Satya mentioned in his May 3 email and again during the start of FY25 on July 9, security is our number one priority, and everyone at Microsoft will have security as a core priority. When faced with trade-offs, the answer is clear and simple: safety above all. Our commitment to safety is enduring. New and innovative attacks will require us to continue to learn, innovate and defend. Yet, working together, we will make non-linear improvements, remain alert, and meet our customers’ expectations. They count on us and our future depends on their trust.

Our new Top Security Priority reinforces our commitment to security and holds us accountable for creating secure products and services. It’s now available in the Connect tool for most employees, and we’re partnering with geographic HR teams to expand access to all employees around the world. Top Security Priority is not a check-the-box compliance exercise; It’s a way for every employee and manager to commit to and be responsible for prioritizing safety, and a way for us to codify their contributions and recognize them for their impact. We must all act with a safety-first mindset, speak up, and proactively look for opportunities to ensure safety in everything we do.

The central priority will have two parts:

Essential and common elements that apply to all employees

An optional section for employees to further specify how they will enable Top Security Priority based on their role, team, organization, etc.

All employees will define their top security priority as part of their first FY 2025 Connect, with the intention that during regular Connect conversations, you and your manager will discuss the progress and impact of your top security priority . This process will follow the same approach as our other core company-wide priorities for Diversity and Inclusion and Managers. You can learn more about Security Core Priority here, including FAQs and examples of enabling Security Core Priority for three main role types: technical, customer and partner facing, and all other roles.

As we begin our 50th year as a company, I know we all feel honored and humbled to still be here – as a relevant and consequential company – pursuing our mission together. When we empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more, we tackle society’s biggest challenges and empower the world. What a big, bold, meaningful mission we have, but none of us can take it for granted. We are here because our customers trust us and we must continue to earn their trust every day.

Thank you for your commitment to our Top Security Priority that will help protect Microsoft, our customers, and our partners.

Kathleen