The German government will pay 800.000 euros ($ 887.000) to be able to continue updating Windows 7 on thousands of computers used by local authorities and still running a 2009 operating system.
Windows 7 has arrived at support fee on 14 January 2020, so Microsoft will no longer have security updates.
A Publication of the German newspaper Handelsblatt reveals that the government is still using Windows 7 on more than 33.000 computers, of which about 20.000 are in Berlin.
The German government has launched a special program to support the transition to new operating systems in 2018, in 30 organizations that have stated that they will participate. However, only 20 of them have managed to upgrade to Windows 10, while the rest are expected to complete the upgrade in the coming months.
The extensive support offered by Microsoft (up payment of course) for Windows 7 will protect the operating system until January 2021. The company issues extensive security updates for three years after the operating system is complete. Prices, however, are doubling every year. In the first year, it is estimated that each organization must pay about $25 for each device that needs updates.
Note that switching from Windows 7 to Windows 10 can be particularly difficult due to the upgrades required in hardware of computers, as Windows 10 comes with new characteristics which require newer hardware.
