The U.S. Navy continues to use up to 100,000 computers on Microsoft's now-obsolete Windows XP and will pay millions of dollars for the privilege.
Microsoft put its popular Windows XP to rest a while back, but many still use the old OS and the Navy is one of them. Microsoft is no longer issuing any Windows XP security updates for free, but it still does offer such updates on a paid basis.
The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command is in charge of the communications and information networks of the Navy, which means that it's also responsible for ensuring the proper security, effectiveness, data integrity, network performance, and other such operations.
To protect its systems that still run the more-than-a-decade-old Windows XP, the institution agreed to sign a whopping $9.1 million contract with Microsoft to benefit from future security patches for Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Exchange 2003 and Windows Server 2003. The contract could spread over several years, extending into 2017, potentially reaching up to $30.8 million.
Windows XP reached its end of life in 2014, after 12 years of support. Microsoft Office 2003 and Exchange 2003 became obsolete, while the Windows Server 2003 will be reaching its end of life in less than a month, on July 14.
The Navy, for its part, started to move away from the old XP OS back in 2013, but it still had roughly 100,000 workstations running Microsoft's Windows XP or other old software as of May 2015.
Consequently, the Navy will pour big bucks into Microsoft to continue receiving Windows XP support until it manages to complete the transition to another OS.
"The Navy relies on a number of legacy applications and programs that are reliant on legacy Windows products," Space and Naval Warfare Systems spokesman Steven Davis explained.
According to Davis, this contract to keep using Microsoft's services is necessary so the Navy can maintain its operations effective until it manages to modernize or phase out the applications and programs involved.
Cybersecurity policies prevent Davis from sharing additional information regarding the systems in question or the purpose they serve, but it seems that Microsoft's applications relate to "critical command and control systems" on both ships and legacy systems based on land. The systems in question are tied to both NIPRnet and SIPRnet, which refer to the IP network the U.S. government uses for non-classified and classified information, respectively.
Without proper support from Microsoft, achieved through this pricey contract, these systems would be vulnerable and more susceptible to intrusion. The Navy will continue with its effort to move away from Windows XP, but for now this contract is paramount to data integrity, security, network performance, and more.
