14 DAY TRIAL // United Kingdom’s Department of Health is currently in talks with Microsoft over extended Windows XP support, with a new report claiming that Redmond could provide patches and security updates for computers belonging to Whitehall for another 12 months.
Windows XP support is coming to an end on April 8, so after this date, computers running this particular operating system won’t receive any other patches and security updates.
As a result, security experts warn, Windows XP machines could be vulnerable to attacks once new security glitches are found, which means that hackers could easily compromise users’ data unless they migrate to a newer operating system. The Register is reporting that the DoH is now discussing with Microsoft another 12 months of extended support until its own IT administrators manage to upgrade all computers to a newer OS version. No details have been provided, but according to unconfirmed information, the contract could be worth up to 40 million pounds (€48 million / $66 million).
Neither Microsoft nor DoH issued comments on the current state of negotiations, but it appears that an agreement is very close to be reached, which means that a public announcement that would also include financial information, could be released in the coming weeks.
“We are currently negotiating a package of support with Microsoft for the wider NHS system and expect an agreement to be concluded shortly,” a DoH representative told the source.
The UK DoH is not the only entity negotiating with Microsoft a contract for extended Windows XP support, as several banks in the United States and Europe are also trying to make sure that their computers are perfectly safe after end of support by purchasing more updates and security patches.
Basically, the idea is pretty much the same: Microsoft would provide patches for an additional of 12 to 24 months until companies complete the upgrade to a newer operating system, be it Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. The software giant could thus get up to $100 million (€73 million) for extended support from each large company that needs to protect Windows XP computers after retirement.
According to reports, no less than 95 percent of ATMs worldwide are still on Windows XP, so banks need to move fast to upgrade all machines to a newer and more secure platform. Windows XP will be discontinued in less than 20 days, so everybody seems to be running out of time on this.