In response to customer outcry, organizations holding off on deploying the Windows 8.1 Update will be able to get security updates for their systems for another three-and-a-half months, as opposed to the 30 days that Microsoft originally promised.
When the Windows 8.1 Update
designed to improve the mouse and keyboard experience of Windows 8.1 was initially released last week, Microsoft said that it was a mandatory update. Any future security updates, starting from next month, would require the update to be installed.
This was met with a frustrated response from IT personnel. Not only did the update cause
problems with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) deployments (though this was fixed today), it was also of a sufficient scale and size that organizations that were partway through deploying Windows 8.1 don't want to switch to the update partway through, due to the need to re-test and re-validate it.