For people who have not been hit by this utter fiasco, the article does not capture the great outrage of system administrators and the strange trajectory of this story.
The Quick Assist app has been around for years and was the tool that system administrators around the world could use to support employees (after all, it was recommended by Microsoft themselves).
As the article pointed out, this app was replaced abruptly and very quickly and the old one was banned. So many sysadmins were surprised by the fact that, from day to day, they could no longer watch with employees (for support).
The new application requires a framework that ordinary employees cannot install (because administrative rights are required). Does the organization not have an Intune (additional license required) to push the framework to the employee’s computer? Bad luck. After that, the app needs to be updated. This is a Microsoft Store app so I hope you are familiar with Powershell…and of course admin rights are also required for that. The initial app version was also installed along with the old app (two quick apps in the start menu), so the confusion among end users was also great. The worst part is that Microsoft never responded to the complaints or released a vision to resolve them (uncertainty).
Meanwhile, Microsoft decided to push the framework through Windows Update. And now also the app so IT support staff can finally see with end users (and provide support).
All in all, it has damaged Microsoft’s image among modern workplace managers and support staff. You always see Google complaining about an app being pulled, but Google hasn’t done anything on that scale (as in, there’s no transition path, find out for yourself).
