Recently, you completed a study on big tech in primary education. What was the main question?

The Ministry of Education wanted to know how dependent schools are on companies like Google and Microsoft. We looked at two types of systems: 1) systems for the primary process, the actual teaching and learning, such as digital classrooms, and 2) the secondary process, i.e. the organization and administration behind the scenes. Think of file storage and email environments.

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

"The word 'addicted' is too strong, but the dependence is very high. Almost every school board uses Microsoft 365 for organization, and a majority uses Google Workspace for teaching. In principle, dependence doesn't have to be problematic; these companies provide services that are efficient, secure, and well-regulated. However, it does become a problem when there is no 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 easily switch to an alternative independently."

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

"That's correct, there are individual alternatives, but Microsoft and Google offer 'one-stop shops.' Everything is in one package and works seamlessly together. If you want to replace one component, for example, 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 often very low now, making a switch in the short term always more expensive and complex. For most users, ease of use is simply decisive."

Dialogic delved deeper into the alternatives for 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 see risks for school autonomy: they have little choice and little room to negotiate.
• From a market perspective, there is hardly real competition because full-fledged European alternatives are lacking.
• And from a strategic point of view, 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 acute threat of service disruption."

At the same time, Microsoft and Google also bring many benefits, don't they?

"Indeed. They score high on efficiency, security, and compliance. No one has as much capacity to build secure and stable services as these companies. For schools, it is therefore rational to choose big tech. That is exactly the crux of the dilemma: you want to be less dependent, but the best and cheapest services come precisely from these same companies."

Why is this issue also urgent outside of primary education?

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

What is the main message to the Ministry of Education?

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

What are the next steps for Dialogic?

"We are currently conducting a follow-up study to map out the dependencies on big tech in the sectors of vocational education, higher education, science, media, heritage, and arts and culture."

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