Let’s face it – Microsoft Office can get pretty expensive especially if you’re in the enterprise sector where you will need multiple copies/licenses of the productivity suite if you wish to conduct your business. Alternatively you could always turn to open source options, which is what the UK government is considering doing again. It seems that once again, the UK government is considering ditching Microsoft Office in favor of an open source alternative. By doing so, they believe that they will be able to save millions of pounds.
According to a report from The Press Association, it has been estimated that the UK government might have spent up to $331 million on Microsoft Office since 2010. One of the concerns was how the major software used in the government was supplied only by a handful of companies. According to Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, “The software we use in government is still supplied by just a few large companies. A tiny oligopoly dominates the marketplace.” However despite their reservations, moving away from Microsoft Office might not be as straightforward as one might think.
Sure there will be a learning curve for government employees to learn the new software, but there could also be other complications. For example a few years ago, the UK government actually admitted that it would be more cost effective to continue using Internet Explorer 6 rather than upgrading to Internet Explorer 8.
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