Crowdstrike Windows outage should warn us to stop relying on too few tech providers

Just three firms — Microsoft, Amazon, and Google — dominate the world market for cloud computing so one small glitch can bring down computer systems worldwide, writes Parmy Olson

The EU’s Data Act is helping reduce the market stranglehold of tech giants but all organisations with IT systems, from private companies to state agencies, must take action to reduce their dependence too. Picture: Richard Drew/AP

One of the most disturbing things about Friday’s devastating global outage of IT systems is how routine such ruinous events have become.

In the last few years, similar glitches from companies like Amazon have temporarily shut down systems across the globe, and this latest issue comes as a result of a botched software update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, whose link to mega customer Microsoft has led to worldwide problems — including chaos in airports, stock exchanges, and hospitals, though a fix has now been deployed.