Windows Defends

The Windows 8.1 update detected that my ZoneAlarm for Windows 8.0 was not compatible with 8.1. It then took the below actions.

1. Disabled ZoneAlarm
2. Enabled Real-Time Protection using Windows Defender
3. Displayed an Action Center notice about ZoneAlarm.
4. Gave a link in the Action Center notice directly to the ZoneAlarm web page about the incompatibility and fix status

Congratulations, Microsoft! Great job of:

• Defending the customer's computer
• Alerting the customer to a security issue with their software
• Displaying crucial information about the customer's product
• Providing a direct link to the customer's Anti-Malware app developer page about the issue and its status

Wow! These update-related actions are a truly excellent  automatic adjustment to a bad security situation. After reading the Action Center notice, I opened Windows Defender and fully expected to have to manually set it up. It was already running real-time protection!

This is one of the best customer-oriented software behaviors I have seen in a long time. Again, kudos to Microsoft for a job well-done.