Update: Microsoft Upgrades Severity Warning On Office XP Flaw

However, Microsoft said those who downloaded the Office XP Service Pack 3 are protected.

As Microsoft continues to release bulletins and fixes for Office XP and Office 2003, IT administrators and service providers that run customer networks are looking forward to Microsoft's upgraded Software Update Services 2.0 (SUS 2.0) patch-management solution, which extends support for patches beyond Windows to Office and other applications.

The beta of SUS 2.0 is expected to debut and be demonstrated at Microsoft Management Summit 2004 next week, with availability to follow within a few weeks, sources said.

One ISV in the desktop migration and patch-management arena said customers look forward to more secure versions of Windows and Office that are in the works. In the meantime, they are adapting to a new world in which downloading patches and fixes are part of daily corporate life.

"One of the hottest drivers of our products is their ability to address patching," said Robert Naegle, director of corporate marketing for LANDesk, South Jordan, Utah, which makes desktop migration software. "People have resigned themselves to this being a fact of life. "