By Andy Martin, Director, Navy Team at Microsoft
Microsoft has reached an important milestone with the U.S. Department of the Navy: the signing of the first-ever department-wide Enterprise Software License Agreement. Long-time Microsoft partner Softchoice Corporation will implement the three-year contract, which will cover all Microsoft licenses and software assurance across all three Navy networks and the Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN).
This new deal provides the Navy and Marine Corps with numerous benefits, such as:
- better visibility into its IT assets
- improved mission performance through productivity, unified communications and collaboration tools (Office 2010, Lync, UC/Collaboration)
- improved client management and network monitoring through System Center
- assistance with moving to Windows 7 and building a foundation for rapid transition to Win 8
- an approach that helps the Navy standardize IT assets service-wide via private clouds
- better governance over spending and control and better control over their IT spend
The agreement also helps the Navy and Marine Corps manage their upcoming transitions away from the Navy/Marine Corps Internet (NMCI) to the NextGen Enterprise network. While both the Navy and Marine Corps will own their respective networks, the agreement accommodates the Marine Corps’ desire to operate its network, while the Navy prefers a contractor-operated network.
The agreement is truly a testament to the long-term partnership Microsoft is proud to share with the Navy and Marine Corps. The Navy will now have a single centralized contract vehicle to purchase Microsoft products and solutions, consolidate existing agreements and help streamline its procurement processes. These features will help the Navy become more effective and efficient in challenging budget environments moving forward. We are excited about this agreement and committed to supporting the Navy through the complex transitions ahead. We will continue to challenge ourselves and the Navy to find ways for the Navy to reduce costs.