West Virginia’s public schools will get free computer operating system upgrades for five years under a new agreement with Microsoft.
The Charleston Daily Mail reports that schools will enter the agreement with Microsoft on July 1.
Under the agreement, schools can upgrade their computers’ operating systems without cost if the hardware can handle the upgrade.
Many school computers still use the 12-year-old Windows XP system. Microsoft ended support for Windows XP last week. The company said it will continue to provide anti-malware related updates through July 14, 2015.
Department of Education chief technology officer Sterling Beane says he hopes the department’s security safeguards and Microsoft’s security updates will provide sufficient protection until schools complete upgrading to newer systems.