Grant Dasher

You know you did something right when you get to be a part of the NYT crossword! I am so proud of our .gov team. They are truly building something special. (And I thank Cameron D. for letting me be a little part of it.)

Today marks the start of my 23rd year at Microsoft... and also the moment I share that I have accepted the Microsoft Voluntary Retirement package. My Microsoft career has been the privilege of a lifetime. I’ve been fortunate to work on challenging, identity‑focused programs alongside some of the brightest people in the company. I started as an “orange badger” on the Directory Services support team, learning from mentors who shaped everything that followed: technical depth, customer focus, and a belief that identity sits at the center of security. In 2004, I moved into the Rapid Response Engineer (RRE) role, a new model built around being onsite with customers during their most challenging moments. During that time, we were able to fundamentally shift the support experience from reactive to proactive. I’m proud to have helped build and grow the Active Directory Health Check / Risk Assessment Program with an incredible group of engineers. After Premier, I moved into Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS/ISD) exclusively working onsite with Department of War customers. Here I helped build and deliver the Enhanced Security Administrative Environment (ESAE) offering designing hardened administrative environments and privileged access strategies for some of the most sensitive missions in the world. During COVID, I had the opportunity to move into the Identity product group. My initial goal was simple: stop requiring US Government customers to stand up federation servers just to support PIV/CAC authentication. That work ultimately brought Certificate‑Based Authentication into the platform as a core capability for our federal customers. Shortly after, the White House issued Executive Order 14028, followed by OMB M‑22‑09 — both signaling the need for stronger identity capabilities across government. We translated those requirements into product work, helping drive features that are now foundational to Entra ID. I’m also proud to have delivered to US Government and Defense Industrial Base customers, focused identity and Zero Trust guidance across areas like FedRAMP, the DoD Zero Trust Strategy, CMMC, and the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model and the identity journey to the cloud. This work only happened because of deep collaboration across Microsoft’s security teams. Microsoft has been my professional home for more than 22 years. The people, the mission, and the impact have meant everything to me. I’m deeply grateful for the teams, customers, and opportunities that shaped this journey. And none of it would have been possible without the support of my family. Thank you, Carla Brewer, for carrying so much of the load over the years of long hours and crazy travel. While this Microsoft chapter is closing, I’m excited for what comes next. More to share soon.

“Bundling distinct vulnerabilities undermines the purpose of CVE.” 🔥 “A software update may remediate many vulnerabilities. An advisory may describe many vulnerabilities. A coordinated release may include many fixes. But the CVE IDs associated with those fixes must continue to identify the underlying vulnerabilities, not merely the release vehicle used to deliver remediation.”