Good bye, and good luck

re: Good bye, and good luck

Mikeal — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:17:24 GMT

Wow thats shocking. I'm sure TechEd will never be the same.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Michael Noel — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:20:20 GMT

Sorry to hear this Steve, MS is losing a great resource. Your presentations are legendary and your work in the security space is something I've referenced and utilized significantly over the years. I'm looking forward to running into you again somewhere else in the security world...

Best Regards,

Michael Noel

re: Good bye, and good luck

Ragnar Harper — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:28:54 GMT

It makes me sorry to hear this. No doubt you have inspired me and many others. Thanks for all the great stuff you have done!

Really hope I see you again soon!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Mike Watson — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:33:36 GMT

How is this possible? They're really screwing the pooch lately.

Sad day for Microsoft

Ragnar´s teknoPOWER — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:33:40 GMT

Steve Riley leaves Microsoft :( http://blogs.technet.com/steriley/archive/2009/05/06/good-bye-and-good

Sad day for Microsoft

Ragnar´s teknoPOWER — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:33:41 GMT

Steve Riley leaves Microsoft :( http://blogs.technet.com/steriley/archive/2009/05/06/good-bye-and-good

re: Good bye, and good luck

Joshua — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:41:43 GMT

Thanks for all the great presentations and everything you have given to the community, you will surely be missed

re: Good bye, and good luck

Aidan Finn — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:04:47 GMT

Thanks for the work up to now Steve. Seems to me like a silly move by the powers that be. You'll land on your feet elsewhere with greener pastures.

re: Good bye, and good luck

ted humphreville — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:16:57 GMT

Dear Steve,

Every adversity has a seed of greater or equivalent benefit- and it's for you to find it. (Napoleon Hill)

I only met you once, last friday, but I think you are a rock star.

I told you you reminded me of one of my Harvard professors who described how Einstein won the Nobel prize for photon research-an absolutely elegant presentation.

Elegant is good.

I went to college with Balmer and Gates and was in the same club.

You're part of my club.

Or can I be part of your club?

Good luck and when in doubt have a sense of humor

Ted

Steve Riley now on msinfluentials.com

Nick Whittome - The Naked MVP — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:23:21 GMT

How Microsoft could make such a catastrophic error is beyond me…. but there you have it. I can

re: Good bye, and good luck

Keith — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:28:42 GMT

Wow, that seems like a HUGE strategic error on Microsoft's part. Whenever I needed to sell someone on Microsoft products being secure, I pointed them at or showed them a Steve Riley presentation or TechEd video. This makes me glad I didn't bother signing up for TechEd this year as well.

This does not bode well for where Microsoft's priorities are at the moment.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Wes Miller — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:30:10 GMT

Huge mistake on Microsoft's part. Wish you the best of luck in quickly landing on your feet with even bigger and better opportunities.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Tony and Daniel, Microsoft Amsterdam — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:41:00 GMT

Man, we are sad to hear this. I agree with the comments above. Some mistake here...

Whenever you want to come to Amsterdam let us know! :-) Tony and Daniel

re: Good bye, and good luck

stuartm — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:45:14 GMT

That's a shame - I've enjoyed reading your blog and will continue to follow your articles over at the new blog. It was great seeing you at TechEd NZ - any chance of future presentations at TechEd events, or are they strictly for MS employees?

re: Good bye, and good luck

Simon Hancock — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:50:20 GMT

Sorry to hear that you leaving. Big mistake by MS, ITforums used to be made by you chats and freeflowing style that always led to the rooms being packed even if you were given the last slot of the day. Hope to meet up again as part of you new venture and wish you great success.

Simon

Steve Riley left Microsoft… WTF?

Tony Krijnen — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:59:07 GMT

Today the disappointing news reached us that our colleague and top Microsoft speaker Steve Riley has

re: Good bye, and good luck

Helmer — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:07:39 GMT

Hi Steva,

Sorry to hear that you have to leave Microsoft. I consider myself lucky that (thanks to Tony and Daniel) I was able to hear you speak at TechED EMEA in Barcelona last year.

Wauw....IT FOrums will never be the same without you and your great 'shows'....

ALl the best!

Helmer

re: Good bye, and good luck

Philip Santschi — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:14:48 GMT

Aw shucks. Some manager dude somewhere up there must have done what manger dudes do best: decide in utter ignorance. They'll probably find out two hours before TechEd NA starts. "Hey, where's the guy who used to do all those great presentations?" "You fired him!" "I did? Duh, I never knew!"

re: Good bye, and good luck

masakra — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:29:16 GMT

Oh man... So couple of weeks ago we was discussing about your visit in Poland at our conference and right now this happend :(

I'm really sorry about this. We're losing really great guy from MS. I hope that at least you will be speaker on next MS conferences.

I wish you good luck, and probably we will see somwhere someday...

Steve Riley left Microsoft…?

Tony Krijnen — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:30:57 GMT

Today the disappointing news reached us that our colleague and top Microsoft speaker Steve Riley has

re: Good bye, and good luck

KevinRemde — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:40:40 GMT

Very sad to hear this, Steve. Both your presentation style and your message are such a huge benefit to IT Pros and Network Security-minded professionals. It's a shame you won't be doing it while wearing the blue shirt. (wait.. did you EVER wear the blue shirt? :)

Best to you!

-Kevin

re: Good bye, and good luck

James Bannan — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:42:05 GMT

Very sorry to hear the news Steve - we'll miss you at TechEd in Australia. All the best, and I'll make absolutely sure to follow your new blog.

re: Good bye, and good luck

rodney.buike — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:43:22 GMT

Unbelieveable disappointing news! Truly wish you the best of luck wherever this career change leads you!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Ned Gnichtel — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:52:43 GMT

Highly unfortunate and, to my mind, a big mistake on the part of the company.

Good luck!

-Ned

re: Good bye, and good luck

Raymond Comvalius — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:10:32 GMT

Sorry to hear you're leaving. I truly learned a lot from your work and I will surely miss you at Tech Ed.

Good luck!

Ray

re: Good bye, and good luck

Marco Timmermans — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:16:58 GMT

Was looking forward to see you again at TechEd US, a shame that you will not be able to be there. I don't understand the beancounters. Hope to see you back in Europe

all the best

Marco

re: Good bye, and good luck

Kees de Vos — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:49:39 GMT

Strange times make for strange decisions. Steve you have been on my top 10 "Must see, must hear" list for years now and I am extremely confident you will keep that position. Only the company tag will change. Goodbye, thanks for the fish, and hope to see and hear from you soon!

Kind regards,

Kees de Vos

The Netherlands.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Robear Dyer, MS MVP — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:58:53 GMT

Now I'm certain MS is wandering in the dark. Thanks for all your many contributions over the years, Steve. Don't be stranger to the Security community.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Kevin Burney — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:41:41 GMT

I hope MS does not lose its focus on IT Security without an evangelist like Steve.

You will be missed by many.

Kevin Burney

re: Good bye, and good luck

AS147 — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:48:53 GMT

I just wonder whether the cost saving vs the potential (in my mind very real) hard costs /losses in revenue have been looked into before making this decision.

In a non MS security shop such as ours you alone made enough of an impression to open our "Symantec" only shop seriously look at MS for its security stuff. To say you are well known is like saying a few people knew of Elvis!!

The impact of your presence, presentations and non MS style engendered many in the industry to look at MS as a place to solve its security issues.

The reverse will know happen in many organisations and as security is so tied up with identity management there goes another opportunity to priovide an integrated and strategic solution set.

You will be missed but I doubt you will still be ever present in the community. Good luck

re: Good bye, and good luck

AS147 — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:51:21 GMT

Mistake... You will be missed but I doubt you will not still be ever present in the community. Good luck

re: Good bye, and good luck

Colin Bowern — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:58:13 GMT

Scratching my head on this one... Good luck in your pursuits and keep on fighting the good fight!

re: Good bye, and good luck

sea_compgeek — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:09:01 GMT

Sorry to hear this news... you'll be missed by us who deploy the MS solutions. Your sessions at TechEd were the first ones I signed up for. I just referenced your "social engineering" session example in a meeting today... who will carry the MS security torch? (or was that whole team let go as well?)

re: Good bye, and good luck

Aaron — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:28:14 GMT

Big mistake - techednz will never be the same again! I use your social engineering examples all the time to fellow IT staff and general staff. You have made a difference!

Good luck

re: Good bye, and good luck

Ascleong. — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:38:07 GMT

TechEd in Malaysia is not worth attending without Steve.. MS malaysia should consider getting in as an independent speaker. otherwise there will be one more less attendee..

re: Good bye, and good luck

Ultan Kinahan — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:04:09 GMT

Steve,

Having had the privilege to hear you talk at many conferences and talk to you personally you have always being one of the main reasons I would come back to a show, for its a show that you certainly put on with all the rants and raves between yourself & Mark M etc... For the time being the trade conferences will not be the same! I would look forward to your return to that area if you decide to do so! But I’m sure you will enjoy some time home also in the mean time with the family!

I can’t believe that Microsoft would cut such a valuable individual, sorry to hear it but I’m sure you will land a bigger & better position!

Good luck Steve!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Troy — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:24:57 GMT

Wow, this is indeed a shock, and a disappointment. You've entertained and (probably most of all) educated.

Good luck, I know I will continue to look out for you and your contributions.

Does this mean that Microsoft no longer has a commitment to trustworthy computing?

re: Good bye, and good luck

Sriyan — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:31:46 GMT

Steven- you have been one of the greatest technology ambassadors we have seen coming to the "less visited' countires such as Sri Lanka-you have left a lasting impression with your presentations, style, and incredible depth of knowledge. We hope technology will still take you all over theo world... as these parts of the world certainly need your inputs. Thanks for all you have been doing and all the very very best from "team Sri Lanka". You will sorely be missed !!!!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Troy J — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:37:02 GMT

Just sent this to steveb@microsoft.com:

Mr. Ballmer,

I am a small network consultant that generates very little business for Microsoft in the scheme of things, but I hope this is not falling on deaf ears.

Laying off Steve Riley, who I consider to be Microsoft’s face of security, is a terrible mistake. I am flying out Sunday to Tech Ed. The main focus of my trip is learning the most secure ways to deploy Microsoft products and how to disseminate that knowledge in a way so that I can actually sell Microsoft security to my customers. If you can think of anyone better and more inspiring in the entire Microsoft organization for me to see next week than Steve Riley I would love a name. And why restructure out one of your best speakers five days before the biggest North American event of the year? I think it is kind of shady to be honest. I have returned every year MOSTLY to see Steve. It has been a great conference in general but Steve was the main draw for me. I paid almost 2K to come and then have my key speaker pulled at the very last minute because he was laid off? Tacky.

Not to mention - what is Microsoft’s stance on security now? This is a very disturbing move. First Jesper and now this. Many people (myself included) were actually starting to believe that Microsoft really IS dedicated to security. Steve Riley was your security evangelist and was very good at it. I mean, have you even seen this guy? Check this out: http://www.microsoft.com/emea/spotlight/sessionh.aspx?videoid=1. Two of the best security guys that I have ever seen you had and lost. It’s tragic and scares me greatly, and it should scare you. I would think that this is one area of the company where you would want the best people. Dedicated to security? I am not sure I believe it anymore. And what do you do with ISA? In my opinion, there has never been a more vocal proponent of ISA from a security perspective than Steve Riley.

I am certain nothing can be done at this point but I wanted to at least share my concern and disappointment. I am really scratching my head here.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Troy J — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:44:59 GMT

Steve, I am really gonna miss you this year. I hope this is a good thing for you in the end and that you end up doing something similar. You were born to do this work and you are very good at it in addition to being the best security teacher I ever had the pleasure of learning from. Thanks so much and good luck to you.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Dennis — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:50:52 GMT

Damn.. Sucks totally. Really sorry to hear that Microsoft is losing you. Someone must have made a big mistake.

From this end of the global in APAC.. TechEds will never be as it is without you.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Hareesh G — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:14:16 GMT

Steve!!!

Sorry to hear this news. I went through all of your sessions which are excellent and i had a dream of meeting you whenever i see those webcasts. My dream came true when you had visited Hyderabad Microsoft for a security session. I had chat with you for 5 mins which i can't forget. Steve can we expect your presentations and webcasts in future????.

Steve, I wish you all the success and happiness in future.

Thanks,

Hareesh G

re: Good bye, and good luck

Andy Harper — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:15:44 GMT

A stupid move on Microsoft's part. I don't like the word stupid but it's all that is the only appropriate word for this mistake.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Curt Spanburgh — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:27:06 GMT

Steve Riley may now be gone from the Microsoft Stage but not from the Stage of the Tech world.

In Company with Steve Riley, at a conference, or at a table, your with an individual who is unique.

The Scene of this world is changing. I hope the change of Scene will be good for Steve Riley as he was good for us in his role at Microsoft.

re: Good bye, and good luck

HiltonT — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:50:21 GMT

G'day Steve,

I posted my thoughts on my blog. http://hiltont.blogspot.com/2009/05/is-this-microsofts-biggest-security.html

Regards,

Hilton Travis

re: Good bye, and good luck

Scott — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:52:26 GMT

Well, that fracking sucks. I looked forward to your TechEd talks every year. You were one of the highlights of TechEd.

I'll be interested to see what you do next.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Cedric — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:21:57 GMT

Hey Steve,

Really sorry to hear that, I hope you find a new job soon! Always loved to see your videos. Hope you can still keep in touch with all of us!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Michael — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:27:57 GMT

Steve, I'm sure you will have no problem finding your next Gig. I still remember dropping in to a presentation you and Jesper did a few years ago at TechEd and was blown away. Each year I would make sure I made it to all your presentations. I think that Microsoft should give us some money back now that you are not going to be at TechEd next week. Sucks!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Milo — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:50:38 GMT

Microsoft Security Advocacy will be a bit chilled this time... the flame is gone.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Greg Skyles — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:08:15 GMT

Wow...what utter incompetence on the part of MS management if they didn't realize what an asset you are, especially in your area of expertise. I still remember clearly walking out of the first presentation of yours I saw; it was like a light bulb went on and I finally got what the whole security thing was really about, past all of the hype and obfuscation. You were truly enlightening. I don't think MS knows what they've thrown away here.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Mike Bound — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:17:36 GMT

Just want to say all the very best to you Steve. Will miss you at TechEd New Zealand.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Wojtek Stec — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:39:46 GMT

Sorry to see you go Steve, your presentations were always a hilight and probably the first thing I sought out if you were appearing.

You kept us educated and entertained when discussing what could be quite a drab topic.

All the best in your future endavours, hopefully we'll see you in Australia again.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Sander — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:10:31 GMT

Somebody seriously f*cked-up! How is this possible?

I hope MSFT realizes the impact of their decision on the community

Sure going to miss your presentations and hope to see you again @ TechEd or another conference

Thanks for the great talks so far!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Darth Vader — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:27:28 GMT

Sorry Steve,

Wanna join tha dark side?? :)

//Darth

re: Good bye, and good luck

Ladung — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:49:21 GMT

Steve, it's glad to know previously back 2 years a go here in Indonesia and Malaysia. TechEd woud not be the same again.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Edmond Varwijk — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:26:39 GMT

Never had expected this. Thanks for all the great sessions and sure we'll meet again. Good luck with following up you career.

Edmond

re: Good bye, and good luck

Stigner — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:29:16 GMT

Hi Steve, I'm still in shock! I had the great pleasure of meeting you last time you where in Oslo, and I have to say besides giving a great persentation in regards to the future of securtity, i also enjoyed very much getting to know you. (Wich usually is not the feeling you get from meeting someone for just one day). Best of luck in the future, i have no doubt that it will be great.

Rock on Steve, and I hope to see you anytime soon.

Best regards,

Tommy Pedersen Oslo, Norway.

Steve Riley leaves Microsoft!

I'm a PC Blog — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:35:19 GMT

Just spotted a post over at Nick Whittome's Blog that mentions Steve Riley has been hit by the second

re: Good bye, and good luck

Ralf — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:36:32 GMT

How bad...

Glad I had the chance to see you on Hi-Ed last month - didn't thought that this would be the last time and still hope it wasn't.

Best wishes for your future.

CU, ralf.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Desmond Lee — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:48:50 GMT

Sorry to learn about this unfortunate piece of news. All the best in your future undertakings Steve!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Jaap Kranenburg — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:58:14 GMT

Very much unanticipated (read: strange and shocking) news...

A very big thank you to the financial world is in order... NOT! :-(

Good luck with all your future challenges!

Thanx for sharing your knowledge, grtz, Jaap.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Nathan Winters — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:34:51 GMT

Wow, that is truely a remarkable decision by MSFT.

Given the focus on security and the every increasing threat, this seems like a very strange decision.....

Good luck for finding something new to do, and hopefuly you will be back speaking at the big conferences very soon.

Cheers

Nathan

re: Good bye, and good luck

Alan Le Marquand — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:14:32 GMT

The person who coined the phrase "Madness in our Method", can't have imagine just how much madness went into this one. This is all madnes and no method and you will be truely missed at Microsoft. Good luck with find a new role.

Decizii de criza

Cristian's Blog — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:29:27 GMT

Microsoft a hotarat sa il concedieze pe Steve Riley ( http://blogs.technet.com/steriley/archive/2009/05/06/good-bye-and-good-luck.aspx

re: Good bye, and good luck

Jerry Smith — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:33:36 GMT

This is indeed a shock. Sorry to hear about this Steve. I can't help but think this is a huge blunder on Microsoft's part.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Kelly Martens — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:55:34 GMT

So did you have any clue this was coming? I hope you continue to keep your voice heard. MS is losing a good resource.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Dirk Van den Berghe — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:06:26 GMT

Hi Steve,

I wish you all the best and hope to see you again soon on some conference, let's hope for Berlin in November as a guest speaker. I would have loved to see you implement that an*l probe as an authentication method :)

greets from Belgium

Dirk Van den Berghe

re: Good bye, and good luck

Corne — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:35:40 GMT

Thanks for your work and your inspiring presentations. I enjoyed your performances. Keep up te good work Steve! You know how to motivate people and make them become security enthousiasts.

I wish you all the best.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Andy Cheung — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:44:15 GMT

Hi Steve, this is shocking, and all your fans from Hong Kong will sure miss you and your lively sessions in Tech Ed Hong Kong. Thank you very much and we wish you good luck.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Kevin Westby — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:13:02 GMT

The string of comments/reactions/best wishes/etc speak volumes and are a testament to the contribution you have made to the security community. I've always enjoyed your presentations and insight to the numerous topics you've addressed over the years.

I wish you all the best and am fully confident that you will land on your feet in a greener pasture.

Cheers,

Kevin

re: Good bye, and good luck

Matt Yoha — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:15:27 GMT

Steve, Good Luck in your new adventures. Keep writing, your one of the few tech authors that I actually enjoy. If your in Columbus, stop by the office, I owe you lunch.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Joe C — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:26:54 GMT

Steve, Good Luck in whatever comes next for you. Your blog, book, and conference sessions have been a cornerstone in my development as an IT Professional. I'm sure this community will follow you wherever you go next. This is shocking news and quite frankly I can't wrap my head around it. Already have the new blog marked as a favorite! Take care.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Earl Hoffman — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:32:08 GMT

Yet another example of The Corporation making a decision based on a balance sheet line item without considering the benefit it provides. I have no doubt, Steve, that you will land on your feet and we will be hearing much more from you in the future.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Willian Leite — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:40:44 GMT

Sad to hear that. I watch you presentation on Tech Ed Brazil and it was an increadible experience for me.

All the best and luck, and I'll keep following you in your new blog!

LUCK!

re: Good bye, and good luck

jeffa36 — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:44:32 GMT

Dear Steve,

As a colleague of yours for many years this comes as a great shock. I was honestly almost in tears today at hearing this news. You inspired many of us that present for a living and inspired so many customers to really think about security. We will greatly miss you at our events and we have lost our best drawcard. The most common question I always get when planning for Teched Australia is this. "Is Steve coming"?

Good luck to you mate and all the very best for the future!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Laurent Miltgen-Delinchamp (MVP) — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:54:51 GMT

Bonne chance pour de nouvelles aventures !

We will miss you at next TechED events!

re: Good bye, and good luck

David Hed — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:37:10 GMT

You where a true inspiration to me at SANS2002 where you where way ahead of your times with AD-integrated radius, 802.1x certificates and WPA...

I almost forgot Novell sacked the AppArmour team. If only management ever learned that Security is a process and not a product. Hopefully both you everyone involved get something out of it.

Im sure you will land on both your feet =)

re: Good bye, and good luck

JD — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:38:33 GMT

Wow totally unbelievable, we see where MS is going in their security posture just look at windows 7, security doesn’t sell product, goodbye uac. The easier flashier and cool something is the more it will sell. So what if someone else is pillaging your bank account in the background your machine is on 5 bot nets and runs slower than molasses on a cold day, and your company secrets disappear faster then an MS security professional in '10, we all know M$ got their $$$$$$ beforehand.

Good luck and MS will not see me at teched again.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Shaji Firoz (MVP) — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:47:08 GMT

Steve, you are free now! But keep empowering us!

re: Good bye, and good luck

GC — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:33:21 GMT

Steve, MS has made a big blunder on this. You will be missed at Teched. Keep the faith and please keep blogging.

re: Good bye, and good luck

GeoffD — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:39:36 GMT

I'm just one of the thousands of guys who sat in some of your presentations and read some of your articles. I learned a lot, and was encouraged to know that Microsoft valued your vision and evangelism.

I know that you will make a splash, wherever you land. Thanks for everything you’ve done for the community.

—Geoff

re: Good bye, and good luck

Nigel CC — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:40:18 GMT

Bad news for us! I would sugest "tec-leaders" to rise danger risk level as World Health Organization did with "A" flu. The world is weakened.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Michael Dragone — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:49:30 GMT

Wow, huge mistake. First Jesper leaves, now Steve is canned. Steve, you were the face of MS security. I will follow you on Twitter and at your new blog for sure. Best of luck to you.

Farewell Steve and thanks for all the fish

The Bit Bucket (Greg Low) — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:51:10 GMT

Microsoft lost a lot of good people this week. I have to say this change has me dumbfounded. Steve has

re: Good bye, and good luck

tfl — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:05:56 GMT

An incredibly stupid termination. Is this the end of Trustworthy Computing?

re: Good bye, and good luck

CS — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:34:45 GMT

wow! I'm shocked and disbelieved!!! I was actually looking forward to meet him at TechEd 2009...Best of luck to Steve and I'm sure he's going to do well where ever you go...

Chris

re: Good bye, and good luck

Frank — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:10:44 GMT

Sorry to hear this Steve. Best luck with your future.

Pity that Microsoft is cutting such a critical position with all growing threats and malware out there. Now it make me more wary of Microsoft patches now.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Levi Bertolino — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:24:58 GMT

Hello Steve.

I am of Brazil, this story really impacted much, much more will be cheering for you buddy.

Good luck in your career.

Sorry my English is not so good!

re: Good bye, and good luck

obsolete29 — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:28:05 GMT

I've enjoyed your blog Steve and I will certainly pick up your new blog on my reader. Best of luck.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Nawar — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:02:19 GMT

so sad to hear, you will be missed, all the best Steve

re: Good bye, and good luck

Shawn Travers — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:47:57 GMT

I know that you will find success in whatever you do, but this is a loss that Microsoft and the Microsoft community will not easily overcome. Best of luck!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Dustin — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:58:50 GMT

I have no words except that I'm truly shocked. A person that helped change the view of security on Microsoft is now gone.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Andrew — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:04:20 GMT

What a stupendously idiotic move of Microsoft's. How can it be sensible to sack such a popular speaker?

We should start a petition!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Graham Puddephatt — Fri, 08 May 2009 01:38:15 GMT

It feels like a sad day.

But you live to fight another day.

always enjoyed and learnt to fight another day. Thanks for the view points and challenges. MS's loss will be someone else's gain.

Always found the pics in your presentation an inspiring way to deliver a point. I try to do similar but never with the same quality and panache.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Dave — Fri, 08 May 2009 02:00:13 GMT

Steve,

I have loved seeing you at TechEd Aust every other year. I build my sessions by ticking all the Steve Riley sessions and then see what spots are left. A few times we have chatted after a presention and it is a pleasure to speak to someone so passionate and professional, with real world experience.

I don't work in Security specifically, but have always known it to be critical component of our systems. I take what you preach, read about it and then circulate it to the right people to get the debate happening in the office. I know that we have improved some of our security practices within the Australian Federal Governemtn because of your efforts preaching at us during conferences like TechEd.

I see lots of posts from people all over the globe here and want to ask one question - if Microsoft came to you now and said "Sorry Steve, our Bad, here's your job back" how do you think you would respond?

Perhaps we here in Aust can start fund raising - the Steve Riley TechEd Australia Travel fund and get you here as a guest speaker. I know it would be worth it.

Take care - I hope to see you speaking again some time soon.

Dave

re: Good bye, and good luck

Mark Dormer — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:17:50 GMT

Man, I hope the same thing happens to the decision maker as happened to Joe Lindstrom when he decided to kill off the MVP program......Joe who?????

Jesper and Steve were very good and now neither is at MS. I won't bother doing Teched anymore as the only preso's I ever bothered to sit through were his ones.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Emerson Gonzalez — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:19:27 GMT

Steve,

Until the last year I know you only for books. In the TechEd 2008 was very good to hear your vision for security and we will miss your great presentations...

I hope to see you again, maybe like ISA MVP Group again?

Cheer up!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Azra Rizal — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:39:43 GMT

Hi Steve,

It's me Azra from the Malaysian sub. It's been a pleasure knowing you at Microsoft, and I hope you will continue your good work in Information Security.

Myself, I'm also not sure wheter I will still be in Microsoft in these coming months.

God Speed!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Muiruri, Nairobi Kenya — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:49:10 GMT

MS Screwed up big time! You are the ONLY reason I ever attended TechED. I remember our brief debate about Outlook Anywhere in Barcelona three years ago. And man, what a presentation! Technology rockers are few and hardly any make sense; till Steve got on the scene.

Has MS pulled the plug on Trustworthy computing? They were never trustworthy to begin with and now to us security admins, they are acquiring the veneer of used car salesmen!

All in all, I hope to see you doing presentations somewhere soon.

Good bye and God bless!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Dan — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:00:26 GMT

Dude,

Really sorry to hear your in the same boat as me. I wish you well in whatever you do next. Thanks for your support with my customers over the years.

Best wishes

Dan MS UK

re: Good bye, and good luck

Rob D. — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:05:33 GMT

In describing airport security a few years ago, Steve called it "Security Theater", where everyone acts like they are doing something to make air travel safer, but it really isn't. Classic Steve! Point well taken, and now I ask myself that question whenever we talk about infosec, real security or security theater?

Good luck in the future! I hope you and Jesper write a version 2 of your book.

re: Good bye, and good luck

DARREN RILEY — Fri, 08 May 2009 23:25:52 GMT

WELL, I KNOW THAT MY BROTHER WILL BE MISSED!! Yes, HE is the "FACE" of the security division for MS. All of you know what he ment to MS and everyone else, for what you all have wrote about my brother, it is an honor & a blessing to have such a great man that i can call my brother. He was blessed to have so many friends. Please keep him & his family in your prayers that all goes well for him. Great job brother!!

love, your "little" brother.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Chris Groothoff — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:51:09 GMT

It is all the fault of the global recession and economic down turn - well that is the excuse that everyone is using.

Steve, there is now doubt that you have been a huge inspiration to many IT professional. Your presentations at Tech-ED in Australia have always been a huge success.

Your presentation style leaves many presenters wanting.

I have to recall one of my first Tech-ED's where you rocked up in a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts, where the only thing missing was a surf board standing in the corner and I thought that this was going to be "one of those presentations". From that day on, you have broadened my horizons about many aspects of security.

I hope that you keep writing books, keep blogging and one can only hope, you will be a guest speaker at Tech-ED in Australia 2009.

Good luck.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Reza — Sat, 09 May 2009 15:35:58 GMT

Steve, you were one of the best IT Security people around the world. One of the best speaker in the Microsoft's events. I wish that you back to Microsoft again and help people in security issues. We will still supporting you as you were one the best Security Expert in Microsoft. I believe that you will become MVP and will be speaker in Microsoft Tech-Ed again.

We are looking forward to see you in Security Seminars.

Wish good luck for you.

Wish success.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Mkline — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:41:50 GMT

I think the many comments say it all. We enjoyed hearing you speak and you will be missed.

I'm sure you did ok salary wise but in a company as big as Microsoft would keeping you on really have broken the bank?

Good Luck Steve

Thanks

Mike

re: Good bye, and good luck

Brent — Sat, 09 May 2009 17:43:38 GMT

This bad decision has to rank right up there with "Microsoft Bob" & "Windows ME". I'll I can say is that you can do better! Good luck, but I'm sure you won't need it! Thanks for everything you've done for the Microsoft and security communities!

re: Good bye, and good luck

MP — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:57:41 GMT

I will miss your presentations regarding security. Hope to hear from you soon

Steve Riley: employment ended with Microsoft!

Dirk Van den Berghe SharePoint Admin Blog — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:36:47 GMT

What a shock when I found out about Steve Riley being kicked out of Microsoft as part of a restructuring

re: Good bye, and good luck

Luis Vidal — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:44:42 GMT

really stupid decision, what is people of MS thinking??? they are making the same mistakes that IBM did 20 years ago...... i cannot believe this!!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Mike — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:29:22 GMT

I only saw you once, at TechEd in Australia, but you are the only presenter I have ever seen that had people standing in the isles and at the back because all of the seats were taken. How can MS get rid of someone like that?

Good luck for the future Steve,

Mike

re: Good bye, and good luck

Milos — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:12:57 GMT

Steve,

thanks for your work at the MS and nice public presentations.

I wish you all the good in you personal and professional life.

Looking forward to hearing soon from you.

Best rgards,

Milos

re: Good bye, and good luck

Jose F. Medeiros — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:56:12 GMT

Hi Steve,

Sorry to hear that you are leaving Microsoft. I am sure you will find a new poistion quickly. I am also looking, so I share your pain.

Sincerely,

Jose F. Medeiros

San Jose, California

re: Good bye, and good luck

C Olson — Mon, 11 May 2009 23:45:41 GMT

I was shocked when I read that they had eliminated your position. For Microsoft to eliminate a key security technology evangelist sends a strong message that its priorites may be misplaced.

I appreciate all of the support you have provided on security related issues over the years. If I can be of any assistance to you in your job search please let me know.

re: Good bye, and good luck

M Vi — Tue, 12 May 2009 04:17:39 GMT

Steve,

All the best with your new adventure. MS will miss you alot because of your knowledge and experience in security.

Scary thought is that one of the best in the industry is not working for the biggest software giant and the results will be many holes in the operating systems and apps.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Srees — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:27:58 GMT

Sorry to hear this Steve. Your sessions have been exemplary and we will continue to look forward for your thoughts in future. Good work thus far and Wishing you all the very best!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Mats — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:50:10 GMT

Steve,

I wish you the best of luck in the future.

As for many else I got to know you through IT-forum/TechED. The first ever seminar I attended was your and Jespers precond in kopenhagen. After that I have had many discussions with you during the years and your legendary presentations have been used to open many doors in my organisation. From being a "there is nothing but Cisco" org, MS products are now in use in the coms area and are being considered for frontline security duty. Naturally I did attend the "reunion" Session with you and Jesper in Barcelona back in November.

I hope and Belive that we will still see you around and I can only agree with everyone else that Teched is severly Cripled now.

For MS as a Company I belive they have made a HUGE misstake. You had the skills to talk techy to us and at the same time being able to do presentations for managers and decissionmakers at a strategic level. I know of no-one else exept Jesper who had this skill and knowledge. For me as an implemetor this will impact our decissons in the future,

Once again best of luck and Good Speed Steve

/mats from sweden

re: Good bye, and good luck

Janne — Thu, 14 May 2009 07:42:58 GMT

Unbelievable. TechEd is not the same this year.

re: Good bye, and good luck

dan — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:09:30 GMT

Thanks for your sessions in the past, and will follow the new blog. Good luck.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Andrew UK — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:36:28 GMT

YOu were hyped up Steve, I guess Microsoft decided you were not that great.

Sure you will come back, the great always do....

re: Good bye, and good luck

Alex — Mon, 18 May 2009 05:38:43 GMT

Hey man!

Sorry to hear that. I was on your presentations on TechEd Brazil on 2008.

I hope the best for you.

Regards!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Iain — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:32:54 GMT

No way! We will totally miss you from TechEd New Zealand. You rock dude. If you never make it down here again, at least I still have the Pringles can you autographed.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Terendo — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:53:53 GMT

Thank you for all great presetations Steve and good luck for the future!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Doug — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:44:54 GMT

I guess this means Microsoft no longer considers security important, back to Unix (HP-UX) for me.

Thanks for you presentations and books over the years.

All the best and good luck in your next endevour,

Doug

re: Good bye, and good luck

Marco (From the Netherlands) — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:04:24 GMT

Sorry to hear, this is really shocking and almost unbelievable. You are such an insperation for so many people! This is like Sea World without killer whales, beer without alcohol or IE8 without errors.

All the luck and health in your furture!

re: Good bye, and good luck

Aaron — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:47:11 GMT

I'm sorry to hear this, but I'm sure you'll land on your feet.

Your work has always been top tier, and I'll add my voice to those saying MS is making an epic error in letting you go.

Best of luck,

re: Good bye, and good luck

Ian — Sun, 24 May 2009 03:57:56 GMT

It seems someone was promoted above their level of competance.

How could they do this, Microsofts loss will certainly be an enormous gain for their opposition.

Could it be that the person involved is a mole for ???.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Andrew — Mon, 25 May 2009 04:50:39 GMT

Hi Steve, will miss your seminars/presentations you gave in Aucklkand NZ.

Look forward to seeing where you go!

Cheers!

re: Good bye, and good luck

David V. Corbin — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:34:28 GMT

Steve,

I want to echo all of the previous comments. I find it very difficult how Microsoft reached the decision, but over the past 35 years as a professional developer I have seen far too many "incomprehensible" acts by corporations.

One good thing...you are now elegible to become an MVP!!! <grin>

re: Good bye, and good luck

JMateo — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:28:40 GMT

This is amazing... Big mistake by Microsoft.

Steve, you are an excellent security professional.

Good luck in your new job.

re: Good bye, and good luck

Sanjay Tandon — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:30:24 GMT

Steve,

I'm shocked to learn that MS is letting you go!

We're hiring (and even if we weren't, I'd create a position for you.)

Best,

Sanjay

re: Good bye, and good luck

HansS — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:50:57 GMT

Usually restructuring is meant to make things better. This obviously is NOT. (It won't even make shareholders happy is my guess ;-) All this to say it makes me really sad. And that goes for many guys & dolls over here in the Netherlands, who were very much inspired and aware'd by you over the years!