AfterDawn: Tech news

Microsoft signs $617 million contract with Department of Defense for products

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jan 2013 8:49 User comments (12)

Microsoft signs $617 million contract with Department of Defense for products Microsoft has signed its largest ever contract with the U.S. Department of Defense.
At $617 million, the contract will give the Air Force, Army, and Defense Information Systems Agency complete access to Microsoft products including Windows 8 and Office.

The agreement is good for just about 75 percent of the Defense Department's active employees.

1.5 million DoD computers will have access to the products for three years. Although they have not been fully released yet, the licensing agreement includes Office 2013 and SharePoint 2013 Enterprise.

There were 7 bids for the contract, but it was ultimately won by Insight Public Sector, a Microsoft reseller.

Microsoft's Department of Defense Business GM Tim Solms added: "Microsoft has longstanding relationships with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and DISA, and we are honored to expand our support of ongoing technology modernization efforts across all three organizations. This agreement enables us to provide the best technology tools to an incredibly broad range of servicemen and servicewomen across the DoD, and we are looking forward to implementing to support their mission goals."

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12 user comments

15.1.2013 21:24

Your tax dollars at work!

25.1.2013 21:28

I sincerely hope that the DoD doesn't implement Windows 8 on computer systems critical to National Defense.....

35.1.2013 21:45

Originally posted by ivymike:
I sincerely hope that the DoD doesn't implement Windows 8 on computer systems critical to National Defense.....


My thoughts exactly! Though I've only heard about Win8 being a security nightmare, I've not actually looked into the details.

BUT! This is where Google comes in handy :D

45.1.2013 22:03

And just like that our security falls in the hands of MS technology...

55.1.2013 22:11

Besides being a security risk using Windows 8 they will need to train a Zillion people how to use the useless software.

65.1.2013 22:31

I'm sure the folks at the DoD will customize Windows 8 to their liking......It will definitely keep the cyber people busy!!!

76.1.2013 02:28

I used to work for this company back in 2002/2003 at their corporate headquarters on Harl Ave. in Tempe, AZ.

GET THIS.......they (Insight) would actually allow, and by 'allow' I mean PROACTIVELY ENGAGED the police to freely come on their property and issue wheel boots and tickets to those employees with out-of-state license plates that have not switched to AZ plates within 30 days.

Mind you .........Insight is located in an office park and the parking lot and entrance are quite secluded so effort needs to have been made to get there. There's no cop in the world 'stumbling' onto the property as they were merely patrolling.

Point being, It's no wonder that Insight won this.

While I actually kinda like the company......I do think ownership (actually a board because the two brothers have given control) has gone to shit. Company has issues and needs to get their shit together as CDW has.

86.1.2013 03:26

I am hoping that the DoD will make the best of a bad operating system and do what they did with 2,000 PS3's.....The DoD coded a custom military-grade linux OS and loaded it on these PS3's then hooked 'em together for a supercomputer. Perhaps the DoD will make some code changes to Windows 8 to suit their needs.

97.1.2013 17:52

Any distro of linux would have been more secure and a fraction of the cost, and it could be given a GUI anyone would be able to use. I work for the DoD and wonder if any consideration is given to any operating systems other than microsoft. Just as a side thought I wonder if Mac OS competed and the 6 billion dollar price tag discouraged Uncle Sam.

107.1.2013 18:01

Originally posted by dodger5:
Just as a side thought I wonder if Mac OS competed and the 6 billion dollar price tag discouraged Uncle Sam.
Lol, you can bet they didn't compete. If our government could have figured out a way to spend 6 billion, instead of 617 million they would have!

118.1.2013 08:28

Does Windows 8 still not update after 15 % /

1211.1.2013 18:42

Originally posted by Justoneguy:
Your tax dollars at work!
U.S. Govt. Contractors (Corporations) do not pay a dime on Taxes and yes, they take ours >>> Amend #CitizensUnited

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