Michigan Secretary of State is Suing Hewlett-Packard

Michigan Secretary of State is suing HP for failing to update computer system from the 1960s.

The Michigan Secretary of State is suing Hewlett-Packard for failing to upgrade the computer systems in 131 Secretary of State offices. The tech provider did not complete the $49 million upgrade by the 2010 deadline and stopped providing technical support after the contract was terminated this summer.

Spokesperson Fred Woodhams says Secretary of State offices are still using an outdated computer system.

“They are operating from a mainframe system that was largely designed and programmed in the late 1960s,” Woodhams says. “It’s very costly to maintain and to make changes to. So that’s why the department began the process of replacing it with a new modern computer system.”

The Secretary of the State has been working with HP since 2005 to get the system upgraded. Woodhams says his office is looking to partner soon with a different computer vendor. 

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