Microsoft has attracted the scorn of a number of IT administrators after a recent policy change affecting its Windows remote desktop software, Quick Assist.
The company recently announced that the current version of Quick Assist will be retired on May 16 and replaced with an updated version distributed via the Microsoft Store.
However, some have expressed their frustrations with the new approach, which they say ignores a number of requirements and common pain points for administrators.
Windows Quick Assist update
One of the main problems, as noted by multiple IT admins in the replies section of the original blog post, is that installing the new version of Quick Assist requires regular users to have administrator privileges, with obvious ramifications from a cybersecurity perspective.
As it stands, it also appears there is now way for IT administrators to trigger an installation of the new-look Quick Assist across all managed endpoints.
“[The] best thing about the existing Quick Assist is that it’s guaranteed to be on every Windows 10 computer, which means we don’t have to walk someone through an installation over the phone,” complained one IT admin.
Another suggested the manual installation process will be a nightmare for companies with small IT departments, whose staff are likely already overburdened due to issues arising from the transition to remote and hybrid working and the steep rise in cyberattacks since the start of the pandemic.
Although Microsoft has not responded directly to the criticism, engineer Kapil Tundwal did offer a rationale for requiring admin privileges to install the new version of the Quick Assist app.
He also promised Microsoft is working to rectify the fact that both old and new versions will co-exist on business computers after the update, creating confusion for end users and taking up local storage capacity without cause.
TechRadar Pro has asked Microsoft whether it plans to adapt its approach based on the concerns of IT administrators.
