German experts warn against digital dependence after Microsoft outage

After Microsoft's central cloud services experienced significant disruption on Friday, German experts have cautioned against excessive digital dependence on a single provider. Numerous companies, educational institutions, and government bodies in Germany and beyond rely on Microsoft for their computer systems, which poses a risk, particularly in light of the widespread disruption of several of the US corporation's services, according to the experts and industry associations.

IT security expert Christopher Kunz insists that reliance on Microsoft for cloud solutions and communication software is neither sovereign nor resilient. IT security consultant Manuel Atug calls for breaking up centralization around a few service providers and notes that there are enough alternative providers from Germany or Europe.

The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) emphasizes that clear procedures are vital to ensure processes can continue and companies stay operational, regardless of whether technical errors or cyberattacks cause system failures. IT industry association Eco's managing director, Alexander Rabe, highlights the need for redundant infrastructures, sufficient data centre capacities, and independent fallback options.