The United States' Navy is signing a deal of $9.1 million with Microsoft for continued Windows XP support

Back in 2014, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows XP. As expected, most businesses and even governments are still using the outdated, and unsecured operating system on their computers. With no support from Microsoft, running an outdated operating system is indeed very risky – especially for government organizations. Now, according to Ars Technica, the US Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command has signed a deal with Microsoft for continued support. The US Navy is reportedly paying Microsoft a whopping $9.1 million for special support for the outdated operating system. Ars Technica states:

“The renewal, according to SPAWAR officials, will buy the Navy “time to migrate from its existing reliance on the expiring product versions to newer product versions approved for use in Ashore and Afloat networks, and will provide hotfixes to minimize risks while ensuring support and sustainability of deployed capabilities.” Many of the systems are in shipboard administrative networks that have not been available for extended periods of maintenance; the Navy is also playing catch-up on its land-based network upgrades as the result of the long delays in the service’s Next Generation Network (NGEN) contract—the follow-up to the outsourced Navy and Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI).”

It’s worth noting that the ATM Industry Association is planning to upgrade to Windows 10 once it’s available. However, as it seems like, the US Navy is happy to stay with Windows XP, despite the security concerns. Nonetheless, tell us what you think of the deal between Microsoft and the US Navy in the comment section below!

Source: Ars Technica – Via: WC