Dependencia de big tech en la educación.

Dialogic conducted a study in 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science (OCW) regarding the dependence on big tech in primary education. What were the findings of the study? And why is this topic more urgent than ever? We engage in a discussion with Guido de Moor, senior researcher at Dialogic.

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

OCW wanted to determine the current level of dependence of schools on entities like Google and Microsoft. We examined two types of systems: 1) systems for the primary process - actual teaching and learning, such as digital classrooms, and 2) the secondary process, which involves the organization and administration behind the scenes, including file storage and email systems.

So, what did you discover? Are our schools ‘addicted’ to Big Tech?

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

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

“That's true, there are individual alternatives, but Microsoft and Google offer 'one-stop-shops.' Everything is packaged together and seamlessly integrated. Should a school wish to replace one component, such as Microsoft Teams with an alternative like the Canadian BigBlueButton, schools face difficulties due to the deep interconnections. Furthermore, the costs for these 'one-stop' packages are currently very low, making a switch to an alternative more costly and complex in the short term. For most users, ease of use is simply crucial.

Dialogic further delved into alternatives to big tech in education in 2024.

Are these dependencies actually a problem?

“It depends on the perspective you take.

• From a public values standpoint, we mainly observe risks to school autonomy: limited choices and bargaining power.
• From a market competition angle, there is hardly any real competition as full-fledged European alternatives are lacking.
• And from a strategic viewpoint, if Microsoft or Google were to fail tomorrow or block their services, a significant portion of education would be disrupted. This risk has increased due to geopolitical tensions, although an acute threat to service provision does not currently exist.”

At the same time, Microsoft and Google also offer many advantages, don’t they?

“Certainly. They excel in efficiency, security, and compliance. No one has the capacity to build secure and stable services like these companies. Therefore, it's rational for schools to choose big tech. This dilemma encapsulates the core challenge: wanting less dependence, while the best and most affordable services currently come from these same companies.”

Why is this topic urgent beyond primary education?

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

What is the main message for OCW?

“That there is no quick fix. Becoming less dependent requires long-term investment, collaboration, and decision-making. However, doing nothing is also a choice - and each step in that direction makes us increasingly vulnerable.”

What are Dialogic's next steps?

“We are currently conducting a follow-up study where we assess 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 study on dependencies in other sectors is available on this page.

Dialogic is increasingly focusing in 2026 on issues related to digital resilience and knowledge security. More information on this topic can be found on this page.