A few days ago, we reported that the U.S. Department of Defense had announced a new three year $617 million deal with Microsoft that will give some branches of the U.S. military access to Windows 8, Office 2013 and more software products. Today, Microsoft confirmed that agreement and offered up some more information on the new deal with the DoD.
Microsoft"s press release states that the actual contract was awarded to Insight Public Sector, a large reseller of Microsoft products, which in turn will provide the software to the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and the Defense Information Systems Agency. Microsoft said this deal will cover close to 75 percent of all DoD personnel and is the "most comprehensive licensing agreement" it has made with the U.S. military.
Microsoft also expanded on how Windows 8 will be used in the Army and Air Force. It stated:
The increasingly mobile DoD workforce will also use Windows 8 to empower productivity from any location, and any supported device, while taking advantage of enhanced security. The U.S. Army’s Network Enterprise Technology Command headquartered at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and the Air Force Program Executive Office for Business and Enterprise Systems at Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex in Alabama, have been working closely with Microsoft on achieving Army Golden Master and Air Force Standard Desktop Configuration compliance for Windows 8.
The DoD has previously claimed this new Microsoft deal will also save them a lot of money in the long run, saying that the U.S. Army will save $70 million for each year of the three years contract.
Source: Microsoft | Image via Department of Defense