The local authority is set to pay £688,000 for these laptops, due to issues with its computers running the Windows 10 operating system. Tameside Council agreed a licensing deal lasting three years for this system a year ago, but a sizeable number of its 2,254 laptops have proven unable to cope with the amount of memory and power it requires compared with the earlier Windows 7.
This has meant that many of its computers are forced to operate this older system and Microsoft will not be issuing any more security updates for it from next year, which could leave the council’s computer systems vulnerable to attack. It is with that in mind that the decision to replace those computers before that point was made. Local councils often use printing services based in the area to keep the local community up to date with official matters.
According to the Manchester Evening Times, Tim Rainey from the council said:
“So we’ve got to replace those devices in order to make sure that staff have got the appropriate software for them to do the job, and before Microsoft withdraw support for that project, which happens on January 11 next year.”
The meeting where this course of action was agreed took place at Tameside One, in Ashton-under-Lyne.