Microsoft upgrade knocks out 80,000 government PCs
Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were unable to use their PCs this week after a routine software upgrade knocked out 80 percent of the PC in the sprawling department, which numbers some 100,000 employees. "We had problems with a routine software upgrade affecting desktop PCs," said a DWP spokesperson on Friday. "There have been delays with dealing with new or amended claims because many staff have not been able to access their systems. We have been working overnight with our suppliers to resolve the PC problems and nearly all users can now access their business systems."
The spokesperson confirmed that 80 percent of computers were brought down, and that its main suppliers are Microsoft and EDS.
Microsoft said that the issue has now been fully resolved, but was unable to provide any information on what caused the crash. EDS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
