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Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

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Re: Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

#51

Post by robomc »

docjay wrote: post #28
NordSteve wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The second paragraph of the email: We strongly advise transitioning your users to a different Microsoft 365 offer for nonprofits, before the subscription is cancelled, to avoid disruption and data loss. Connect now with your current Microsoft partner – or find a partner – to get started. Learn more about what happens to your data and access when your subscription ends. That last sentence links to https://learn.micros…

I wish they’d just use clear and blunt language, rather than “strongly advise” and “to avoid.” I’m reminded of my bank sending “Important account information” mail that contains advertising OR actual important information, but at like a 20:1 ratio. “YOUR FILES WILL BE DELETED ON {DATE}” seems like it would have solved any ambiguity.

Yeah the subject of the email should be "Action Required To Prevent Data Loss" or something

Re: Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

#52

Post by cavem0nkey »

Brian_K_White wrote: post #41
cavem0nkey wrote: post #38

No Microsoft is not to blame. Whoever sells themselves into an all encompassing ecosystem with no exit plan or backup is to blame. It’s absolutely stupid thinking even if it’s the norm these days. The cloud is a convenience at most and an expensive one. You do everything you need to do somewhere else and pray that no one else gets in or you get shot. This is a warning to everyone else. Heed it.

MS is absolutely to blame for their part. Sure also the victim should have known better. So what?

Microsoft wouldn’t have a business if there weren’t so many fools around.

Re: Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

#54

Post by WalterBright »

I abandoned Microsoft Outlook Express many years ago after discovering that it kept the files in hidden directories, and were in some scrambled, undocumented format. There was no backup mechanism for it.

I replaced it with Thunderbird Mail.

Re: Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

#55

Post by V__ »

vtbassmatt wrote: post #17
pdonis wrote: post #11

Did Microsoft give fair warning of what was going to happen to the data in the cloud that was stored there under these licenses? (I don't have a Slate account so I can't read the full article to see if this is addressed.)

Yes. Disclosure: I work at Microsoft. But I also am the volunteer IT guy at a nonprofit, and am speaking entirely in that context. I was quite unhappy to get a mail back in (checks archives) January that our grant would be discontinued and we’d either have to make do with the web versions of things, migrate someplace, or start paying. They also reminded us several more times before the drop date. I don’t really under…

A non-profit I help out sometimes, was affected, and I have to say the emails were not that clear. Because it's hard to figure out what is part of a license, the free tier etc. I let it lapse, because we migrated of Office, but apparently the license also applied to Intune.

Fine, so I bought licenses but apparently Microsoft deletes "some" of the data. All groups were still there, users and the device ids.. but not the devices themselves. I could see all devices associated to a user but couldn't recreate or restore them in device management. Thus, I had to re-enroll multiple devices. Will migrate off Intune in the future, since it's garbage but haven't found a good alternative for Android devices yet.

Re: Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

#57

Post by WalterBright »

12_throw_away wrote: post #5

Yep, this is the sort of thing happens when you've deeply internalized that trustworthiness and continuity is not important. Microsoft today is not a serious company, it is not run by serious people, and it is at the forefront of a deeply unserious industry.

It's what happens when you don't have a backup strategy. Even paper works as a backup.

Re: Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

#59

Post by WalterBright »

mentalfist wrote: post #4
jmclnx wrote: post #2

Yes :) But really depends. I saw somewhere NPR lost 70 years of content doe to a Cloud bill not being paid on time or something ? I forgot the details. I am sure there will be more of this since companies are depending on the Cloud for their data storage. Now with AI, who knows what will happen. I expect Cloud Admin people will eventually be replaced by some AI type system. Companies really should backup all data and…

Nine PBS (PBS member station) lost 50tb/70 years of archives due to cloud provider ending operations abruptly

And today you can buy a 20tb drive for under a grand.

Re: Over 170k Nonprofits Lost All Their Data. Is Microsoft to Blame?

#60

Post by Grimblewald »

petcat wrote: post #33
12_throw_away wrote: post #5

Yep, this is the sort of thing happens when you've deeply internalized that trustworthiness and continuity is not important. Microsoft today is not a serious company, it is not run by serious people, and it is at the forefront of a deeply unserious industry.

What does "serious" mean in this context?

producing an os with a focus on utility to end user would be a start. Even just something that makes some form of effort to give users a return on investment on their hardware. Right now, you unluck massive headroom, battery life, and stability, on a laptop by simple putting linux on it. All that despite windows enjoying better all around driver support from manufacturers.

A serious company would never have allowed its core product to turn into the clown show it currently is, yet here we are, a massive corporation pushes an OS that feels vibe coded, and is largly propped up by what little residual community goodwill/ignorance exsists.

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