03 Dec 2001
Sources close to the UK government have said that it is unhappy with the cost implications of Microsoft's licensing changes, which could amount to an extra £60m a year.
vnunet.com's sister publication Computing has learned that the government is already considering alternative options should negotiations over a new licensing deal fall through.
Ministers are now in negotiations with Microsoft and want the same or better value for money as they get from current spending.
Microsoft refused to comment on the additional costs to the government, but Duncan Reid, Microsoft UK licensing manager, said: "We are in discussions with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and have submitted an initial proposal. We expect feedback soon."
Microsoft has already signed massive licensing deals with the NHS and Ministry of Defence. "We hope to provide similar benefits through the proposals we have submitted to the OGC," said Reid.
Computing revealed last week that local government user group the Society of IT Managers is discussing a huge licence deal to cover UK councils.
Have your say on this article
Newsletters
Latest stories from Public Sector
Latest videos
You may also like
Public Sector jobs
Technology Patent Wars
Case studies from large organisations across all sectors
... And rich media, and flexible working, and peaks in traffic ...
Upcoming Events
Join us for this Computing web seminar, in which the Head of BI at the Co-operative Group Nick Colebourn will be explaining just how he reigned in the Group’s sprawling database estate and how significant savings were realised and data quality improved as a result.
Date: 31 May 2012
Time: 11:00 AM
Live June 13th 11:00am: Register now. During this web seminar we will be looking at the sorts of incidents that can bring data centres grinding to a halt and what can be done about them.
Date: 13 Jun 2012
Time: 11:00 am
Receive the latest jobs direct to your inbox
Are you being paid what you are worth?
