Dialogic carried out a study in 2025 commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW) on the dependency of big tech in primary education. What were the results of the study? And why is this issue more urgent than ever? We discuss with Guido de Moor, senior researcher at Dialogic.

You recently completed a study on big tech in primary education. What was the main focus of the study?

OCW wanted to know how dependent schools are currently on entities such as Google and Microsoft. We looked at two types of systems: 1) systems for the core process of teaching and learning, such as digital classrooms, and 2) the secondary process, which involves the organization and administration behind the scenes, like file storage and email environments.

So, what did you find out? Are our schools 'addicted' to Big Tech?

"The word 'addicted' is too strong, but the dependency is significant. Almost every school board uses Microsoft 365 for organization, and a majority uses Google Workspace for teaching. In principle, dependence may not be problematic; these companies provide efficient, secure, and well-organized services. However, it becomes an issue when there is no longer freedom of choice, or when public values such as school autonomy are compromised. Schools themselves indicate that due to a lack of time, money, and specialized knowledge, they can't independently transition to an alternative."

Why is it so challenging to choose something else? Aren't there any alternatives available?

"That's true, there are individual alternatives, but Microsoft and Google offer 'one-stop shops'. Everything is bundled together and integrates seamlessly. If you want to replace just one component, such as Microsoft Teams with an alternative like the Canadian BigBlueButton, schools find it difficult because everything is so interconnected. Moreover, the costs for these 'one-stop' packages are currently very low, making a short-term switch always more expensive and complex. For most users, ease of use is simply decisive. Dialogic further explored alternatives to big tech in education in 2024.

Are these dependencies actually a problem?

"It depends on the perspective you take.

From the viewpoint of public values, we mainly see risks for school autonomy: they have little to choose from and little room for negotiation.
From a market competition perspective, there is hardly any real competition because full-fledged European alternatives are missing.
And from a strategic standpoint, if Microsoft or Google were to fail tomorrow or block their services, a large part of education would be disrupted. This risk has increased due to geopolitical tensions, although there is currently no immediate threat of service disruption."

At the same time, Microsoft and Google also offer many benefits, right?

"That's correct. They excel in efficiency, security, and compliance with regulations. No one has as much capacity to build secure and stable services as these companies. Hence, for schools, it's rational to choose big tech. This is precisely the crux of the dilemma: you want to be less dependent, but the best and most affordable services currently come from these very companies."

Why is this issue urgent beyond primary education?

"We observe an increasing risk of supply disruptions, partly due to geopolitical tensions. Although the likelihood of a complete outage still seems small, the impact would be enormous if it happens. If a foreign government were to demand access to our data through legislation, or if costs suddenly skyrocket, we need to have an alternative. That control, or autonomy, is essential for a healthy democracy."

What is the main message to OCW?

"That there is no quick fix. Becoming less dependent means investing, collaborating, and making choices for the long term. But doing nothing is also a choice - and gradually makes us more vulnerable."

What are the next steps for Dialogic?

"We are currently conducting a follow-up study to map the dependencies on big tech in sectors such as vocational education, higher education, science, media, heritage, and arts and culture." The research on dependencies on big tech in primary education and the government's response can be found here. The research on dependencies in other sectors is expected to be completed by early March. In 2026, Dialogic increasingly focuses on issues related to digital resilience and knowledge security. You can find more information on this topic on this page.