US Army recruits Microsoft
The US Army, Air Force and DISA have expanded access to Microsoft technologies through a cost-saving modernisation agreement.
Entering a transformative three-year Joint Enterprise Licensing Agreement for enterprise licenses and software assurance, Microsoft says the agreement provides all three organisations with a single vehicle for accessing their latest solutions.
They will be in support of top IT priorities around data center consolidation, collaboration, cybersecurity, mobility, cloud computing and big data.
Becoming the most comprehensive licensing agreement Microsoft has ever established with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the deal covers nearly 75% of all DoD personnel.
The net new contract was awarded to Insight Public Sector, a division of Insight Enterprises Inc., one of the largest global Microsoft Large Account Resellers.
"Microsoft has longstanding relationships with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and DISA, and we are honored to expand our support of ongoing technology modernisation efforts across all three organisations," says Tim Solms, general manager, Microsoft Department of Defense Business.
"This agreement enables us to provide the best technology tools to an incredibly broad range of servicemen and servicewomen across the DoD, and we are looking forward to implementing to support their mission goals.
As part of this agreement, all three organisations can begin using the newest versions of Microsoft products, including Microsoft Office 2013, SharePoint 2013 Enterprise and Windows 8.
"The ability to standardise on SharePoint 2013 Enterprise will unlock new levels of cross-agency information sharing through improved enterprise search and social communications features while powering advanced business intelligence and reporting capabilities," Microsoft says.
"Access to Office 2013 will equip each organization with the latest versions of productivity tools that personnel rely on every day, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint.
"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."
