Opinion: Microsoft needs to release support articles before updates

This week’s patch day had a little bit of a bitter style to it, and this time not due to the standard of the patches that Microsoft launched. For those who tried to test the assist pages of the primary updates for Microsoft’s supported desktop shopper and server working techniques, you’d discover that the articles weren’t printed but.

The updates however had been distributed by way of Home windows Updates and different replace administration techniques from 19:00 onward.

It’s unclear why the publication of the assist articles was delayed, however some articles weren’t printed for a superb hour after launch. What is obvious is that the sequence of occasions is problematic, as directors and residential customers couldn’t test what the supplied updates truly included.

Did they resolve safety points and repair different non-security points? Did Microsoft listing confirmed identified points, or weren’t there any?

With out assist articles, it’s unattainable to inform. One of many saner issues to do on this case is to postpone the set up of updates till the assist articles grow to be obtainable.

The answer: publish assist articles early

Since this isn’t the primary time that that is taking place, it could be time to work on an answer that ensures that assist articles are at all times printed earlier than updates are launched. One simple choice to make sure that is to publish the assist articles upfront, as an example an hour earlier than the updates are launched by Microsoft.

The assist articles do not present safety data that’s actionable, that risk actors might use and exploit previous to the discharge of the updates. Directors and customers however might discover out if updates they’re about to put in have identified points and whether or not they handle points that they expertise.

Help articles can nonetheless be up to date ought to the necessity come up so as to add final minute data to them earlier than launch. Microsoft might even label them as previews till the precise updates are launched to make it possible for clients perceive that the article could also be up to date earlier than the precise launch of the patch.

Now You: What’s your tackle this?

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