The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded a $90 million, five-year contract to Dell Computer Corp. to provide, install and maintain Microsoft software for 140,000 computers at the agency. The deal makes Microsoft the primary software provider for DHS.
The five-year contract has an option for a fifth year, bringing the total amount of the contract to $110 million. For Microsoft, it is the second large government contract landed this summer. In June the software giant won a $478 million, six-year deal with the Army.
The DHS contract calls for standard desktop configurations for employees, including Windows XP and Microsoft Office Professional.
DHS says the Microsoft deal provides the agency with a common e-mail application. Other advantages cited by DHS officials include cost reductions in deployment, implementation and maintenance.
In addition, DHS hopes to realize operational efficiencies in software licensing and upgrades.