Vic DoJ may break away from Microsoft - News - Software

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Vic DoJ may break away from Microsoft

By Andrew Colley, 0
July 01, 2003
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Vic-DoJ-may-break-away-from-Microsoft/0,130061733,120275868,00.htm

Victoria's Department of Justice may break away from a whole-of-government software supply agreement between Microsoft and the state government.

A spokesperson for the DoJ confirmed that the agency was considering conducting research and development to ensure that it was "best placed for options" after its software contract obligation to Microsoft expires in 2005.

The spokesperson remained tight-lipped about the nature and content of the proposed research and development exercise but indicated that it revolved around the department's software requirements.

Under its current arrangement with Microsoft, the DoJ is invoiced for software user licenses based on the number of computers in its fleet.

The DoJ is paying Microsoft AU$273 per year over three years for each desktop it owns, regardless of whether the software company's applications are installed on them or not.

Microsoft determines the number of PCs in the department electronically, streamlining the billing process. However, the deal effectively locks alternative software providers out of the department.

It is understood that the Department of Justice's IT division supports between 3,000 and 4,000 desktop computers.