With Microsoft informing users that it would end free technical support for Windows 7 operating system next year, South Korean government has decided to switch from Windows 7 to open source operating system Linux.

According to Korea Herald, the decision from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety comes amid "concerns about the cost of continuing to maintain Windows".

The ministry would first test-run Linux on its PCs and if no security issues arise, Linux systems will be introduced more widely within the government.

"The transition to Linux OS and the purchase of new PCs are expected to cost the government about $655 million," the report said.

Windows 7 support will end on January 14 next year, and that is a huge problem for both governments and enterprises as upgrading to Windows 10 would involve a hefty cost.

According to Choi Jang-hyuk, Service Bureau Chief of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the government is hoping a long-term cost savings by switching its entire workloads to Linux.

Microsoft, however, has warned people using older Windows versions to urgently apply for a Windows Update in order to protect their systems and data against a potential widespread attack.

The company has already released security patches for Windows 7, XP and Windows Server 2003 despite the fact that XP and Server 2003 are already out of support.

Systems running Windows 8 and Windows 10 are not affected by this vulnerability.

In March, Microsoft releases a statement: "After 10 years of servicing, January 14, 2020, is the last day Microsoft will offer security updates for computers running Windows 7. This update enables reminders about Windows 7 end of support."

Windows 10 is still edging closer to Microsoft's goal of having it installed on 1 billion devices and the end of Windows 7 would help promote Windows 10 further, reports The Verge.

Windows 10 is now running on more than 800 million devices.