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Microsoft Scores Big with 3-Year Defense Department Contract By Barry Levine January 9, 2013 9:42AM     In its announcement, Microsoft said the "increasingly mobile DoD workforce" will use the latest versions of Microsoft Office and SharePoint from any location, and on "any supported device, while taking advantage of enhanced security." The software has been customized to meet the Defense Department's specific security needs.   Related Topics Microsoft Enterprise Security Windows 8 Office 2013 SharePoint 2013 Department of Defense Insight Enterprises Top Tech News Latest News What's in Store for Apple's iOS 7? Reality TV's New Stars: Small Biz Soundbars Up the Ante on TV Sound Google Glass Raises Privacy Concerns Pentagon Gives iOS 6 Security OK Microsoft has scored a big win for Windows 8 and its key Office software . The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has signed a three-year contract with one of Microsoft's resellers to provide the Air Force, the Army and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) with the new operating system, Office 2013 and SharePoint 2013 Enterprise. The software giant said the new agreement provides a single route for the three organizations to access Microsoft technologies in support of such IT priorities as data center consolidation, collaboration, cybersecurity, mobility, cloud computing and Big Data. The contract was awarded to Insight Public Sector, a division of Insight Enterprises Inc., one of Microsoft's largest Large Account Resellers. Microsoft said that it will cover three-quarters of all DoD personnel, and is the most comprehensive licensing agreement the company has ever had with that agency. In addition to licensing, the agreement provides software assurance benefits and training. $617 Million The deal, which covers more than 2 million information technology users, is worth about $617 million. The Army expects to save over $70 million annually through the agreement and the Air Force is projecting yearly savings of $50 million. DISA said that it would see savings over 10 percent for the life of the agreement. Officials told the American Forces Press Service (AFPS) that this is the best pricing DoD has received for Microsoft desktop and server software licenses. The agreement, DoD Deputy Chief Information Officer David L. DeVries told AFPS, is part of a "move afoot throughout the department to bring about efficiencies" in IT functions at the huge agency. He noted that DoD is "the largest corporation out there," and added that "no one comes close to our scale , so when we talk about something that produces a standardized way of buying, installing and maintaining" enterprise software, it becomes "a huge deal." 'Enhanced Security' In fact, the Department is touting the agreement as what it describes as a "significant pathfinder on how to do major contract awards," and represents the culmination of about a year's worth of effort among the three organizations. Army Deputy CIO Michael E. Krieger told news media that the time was needed to negotiate terms meeting "the complex technical and security requirements" of the three organizations in one agreement. In its announcement, the company said that the "increasingly mobile DoD workforce " will use the latest versions of the productivity tools from any location, and on "any supported device , while taking advantage of enhanced security." The software has been customized to meet the Defense Department's specific security needs, and is designed to facilitate DoD's focus on mobile computing. Tim Solms, general manager of the Microsoft Department of Defense Business, said in a statement that his company had "longstanding relationships" with the organizations, and noted that the deal allows the company to expand its support of ongoing technology modernization at the organizations. Insight Enterprises provides hardware, software and service solutions to business and government clients around the world, and is No. 460 on the 2012 Fortune 500 list.   Tell Us What You Think Comment: Name: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computers are engineered to withstand drops, spills, dust and grime, and to perform in the harshest environments. Rugged reliability, low cost of ownership and accolades from reviewers are just a few of the reasons why Toughbook computers keep winning over the world's toughest users. Click here to learn more.  Microsoft/Windows 1.   Windows 8.1: No Cost, Big Pressure 2.   Should Enterprises Skip Windows 8? 3.   IDC: Windows Phone Now in 3rd Place 4.   Windows Blue Officially 8.1 and Free 5.   Uneasy Alliance for Microsoft, Google Windows 8.1: No Cost, Big Pressure Can update stem dislike, confusion? Average Rating: Should Enterprises Skip Windows 8? Interface makes IT cringe, analyst says. Average Rating: IDC: Windows Phone Now in 3rd Place BlackBerry OS quarterly share declines. Average Rating:

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Network Security Spotlight

Syrian Electronic Army Hacks Financial Times The Financial Times is the latest victim of the Syrian Electronic Army, a group that supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.K.-based newspaper said a blog and its Twitter accounts were hacked.   Patch Tuesday Hyper Focuses on IE 8 Microsoft on Tuesday issued 10 security bulletins that fix 33 vulnerabilities. These updates include MS13-038, which will address the Internet Explorer 8 issue described in Security Advisory 2847140.   Surge of Venture Capital Buoys Tech Security Sector With companies and governments spending billions to repel cyberthreats, a surge of venture capital is pouring into companies developing cybersecurity technologies, the front line of the conflict.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

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Mobile Enterprise Spotlight

What's in Store for Apple's iOS 7? There's been talk recently that Apple's products are beginning to coast on their glorious past. So, with Apple's big Worldwide Developers Conference opening next month, speculation is heating up.   Google Glass Raises Congressional Privacy Concerns The buzz around Google Glass continues, but it's not all good. Some in Congress have questions. "We are curious whether this new technology could infringe on the privacy of average Americans," their letter to Google says.   Windows Phone Now No. 3 in Market, BlackBerry No. 4 Has Microsoft Phone moved into a coveted though distant third place for smartphone platforms behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS? A new report says yes, while BlackBerry has slipped to No. 4.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

U.S. Could Use Cyberattack on Syrian Air Defenses The Pentagon has cyberattack capabilities that allow the U.S. military to help blind Syrian air defenses without firing a shot -- abilities central to a debate over whether to intervene in the 2-year-old civil war.   HP and SAP Team To Advance HANA Database Technology The two tech leaders are working on a system that SAP says could fundamentally change the database market. HANA is SAP's technology that keeps data in-memory, for super fast processing.   Cloud Computing Gains Another Competitor with Google Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure now have a full-on rival in Google, with its I/O announcement that it is opening its hosted Compute Engine environment for virtual machines to all comers.

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