Barking and Dagenham Council saves £400,000 by switching from Windows to Google

Barking and Dagenham Council is set to make savings of £400,000 by switching its IT allegiances from Windows to Google.

The council is currently in the process of retiring its 3,500 XP desktops and 800 XP laptops, which Windows will no longer support after April 8, instead opting for cheaper alternatives.

Around 2,000 Samsung 303Cs Chromebooks and 300 Chromeboxes - running Google’s ChromeOS operating system - will be distributed to staff, mainly for meeting rooms, reception areas and libraries across the borough

The council has estimated it will save £200,000 on the cost of upgrading the Windows desktops while a further £200,000 will be saved saving on electricity bills with the more energy-efficient devices.

To date, around 350 of the Chromebooks have already been rolled out, with the remainder expected to deployed by early June.

The council confirmed to the Post that it is currently paying £200 per Chrome device, compared with between £500 and £600 for a Windows laptop, and £340 to £350 for a standard Windows desktop.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Barking and Dagenham Council has worked hard to find the most cost effective way to upgrade its IT system in the face of the ending of support for Windows XP.

“The council has found a solution that not only represents the lowest price but one which will allow employees to work more flexibly.”