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Microsoft commands 85% of federal government’s productivity software service
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Published onApril 22, 2024
published onApril 22, 2024
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In recent years, Microsoft’s actions have come under scrutiny globally, be it acquisitions, eliminating competition, or reportedly unfair practices. And a recent statement by a White House cyber policy director calling Microsoft a national security threat has been getting a lot of attention.
In an interview withThe Register,AJ Grotto, a former senior White House cyber policy director, claims that Microsoft owns85%of the market for federal government’s productivity software service and an even higher share when it comes to operating systems, making them a dominant supplier of IT services for the federal government.
Grotto goes on to say,
When asked if Microsoft is at all concerned about the recent episodes and is willing to change, Grotto highlighted that the Redmond-based tech giant has a lot of leverage. He recalled the SolarWinds episode and Microsoft’s actions that followed.
For the unversed, Microsoft’s default security and service package for federal agencies didn’t include logging capabilities earlier. This led to an 18-month-long negotiation between Microsoft and the government, which ultimately led to the former providing default logging.
Grotto believes that it shouldn’t have taken Microsoft this long, given it’s the largest cyber security service provider globally and reported $20 billion in revenue in security services last year, double from the year before. He calls providing default logging capabilities to the federal agencies anon-concession.
When asked if he believes Microsoft is a national security threat, Grotto said,
Government must focus on encouraging and catalyzing competition
Former White House cyber policy director AJ Grotto believes the government must encourage and catalyze competition.
Grotto goes on to underline the security benefits of having a diversified software base as opposed to relying on a single or dominant vendor. With the latter, you always run the risk of facing massive issues if a problem emerges with the vendor’s products as it scales up.
But switching to alternatives also comes at a cost and isn’t as straightforward as many would imagine. First comes the price of the new product, followed by the time and expense of training the workforce, and many would have a hard time with the transition.
While elaborating on what changes could help get Microsoft to improve the security infrastructure, Grotto called for higher scrutiny of Microsoft’s actions and holding it to account through media or Congressional action hearings. And then he goes on to highlight another side of the situation,
Everything AJ Grotto revealed is in line with the information already available in the public domain, and cyber experts have repeatedly raised concerns about it. Recently, we reported about theUS government not sanctioning Microsoft for its security failures.
Although somegovernment customers have moved away from Microsoft, the bigger picture remains pretty much the same. It will be exciting to see how things pan out, whether Microsoft benefits from the leverage it holds or the government finally sees more potential in the alternatives.
What do you think about Microsoft being called a national security threat? Share with our readers in the comments section.
More about the topics:microsoft,security threats
Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim has always been fond of technology, be it scrolling through the settings on his iPhone, Android device, or Windows PC. He’s specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
Long-time Windows user, Kazim is ready to provide a solution for your every software & hardware error on Windows 11, Windows 10 and any previous iteration. He’s also one of our experts in Networking & Security.
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Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim is specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
