Big tech domination leaves Canberra, states ‘highly vulnerable’

Over-reliance on a few big technology suppliers makes critical infrastructure and key government systems highly vulnerable, experts have said, amid warnings that Friday’s global IT breakdown could have been catastrophic if it had been a cyberattack.

Microsoft is the dominant provider of basic computing services for large companies and government agencies. According to unofficial estimates, its Windows operating system and 365 suite of office software run on more than 80 per cent of federal and state government computers.