14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will discontinue Windows 7 in January 2020, and given that the operating system is still running on more than 35 percent of the desktop PCs worldwide, there’s a high chance lots of customers would just miss the upgrade deadline.
The Bath and North East Somerset Council says that by killing off Windows 7, Microsoft basically forces them to spend no less than 1.5 million pounds to purchase new hardware and software in order to move to supported Windows and thus keep devices secure.
And what’s worse, local officials say, Microsoft doesn’t even want to negotiate “the annual charge for a license,” as per SomersetLive.
The council uses Windows computers to connect to government services and access the NHS platform. Most of these devices run Windows 7, and without security patches, they would obviously be exposed to hackers when accessing services outside the network.
Upgrades already planned
However, local officials want to upgrade to Windows 10 by the January 2020 deadline, and approximately 150 PCs and 100 laptops would be completely replaced because they are already running on old hardware. Servers will be upgraded as well as part of the transition.
Nevertheless, council representatives accuse Microsoft of using its dominant position on the market to force customers to pay for its products. The cited source quotes an officer report as indicating that Microsoft increased licensing fees by 110 percent and wasn’t willing to negotiate.
“Unfortunately, they are a monopoly, so we have no alternative than to choose the cheaper buyout option and sweat our license assets until their end of life in 2025,” the report reads.
“The Microsoft licences have a six-year life, terminating in 2025, where again we will face a choice of either a large capital purchase or sign up to another Microsoft subscription service well in excess of the annual £450,000 being quoted currently.”
Microsoft hasn’t offered a statement on these accusations, but the Windows 7 end of support is something that we’ve been aware of for a long time, so there is no excuse for running out of time to perform the upgrade.