The head in the sand
As Europe grapples with digital independence and more and more governments rethink their trust in American tech giants, the Hardenberg Municipality It's great for deeper integration with Microsoft 365. In a world where sovereignty, privacy and control over data are central, this is a staggeringly unworldly choice.
“Those who still blindly rely on US cloud services have missed the memo of history.”
The political context is crystal clear.
From the European Parliament to national security services: Reliance on U.S. infrastructure is seen as a strategic risk. It is not for nothing that alternatives such as Nextcloud, Matrix and Proton are actively promoted within the EU. Hardenberg seems to completely ignore this context.
“Political naivety is one thing – but institutional tone deafness is another level.”
Open source? European alternatives?
The assignment that the municipality publishes does not mention open source, European cloud services or privacy-friendly alternatives. It's all about optimizing Microsoft products. That's like optimizing a diesel engine by 2025 as the world transitions to electric driving.
“Optimising dependency is not progress – it is slowing backwards.”
A Missed Opportunity for Leadership
Hardenberg could have opted for a forward-looking course: digital autonomy, transparency and sovereign management. Instead, it opts for convenience, sham security and the lock-in of Big Tech. No vision, no guts – just routine.
‘Those who choose comfort in times of crisis sacrifice their future on the altar of convenience.’
My call to Hardenberg
City of Hardenberg, if I'm wrong: convince me. Show that you deliberately chose Microsoft after a thorough analysis of alternatives, risks and strategic considerations. But what if that analysis didn't happen? This is an outright administrative failure.
“Transformation without reflection is not progress – it is technological nearsightedness.”
note: the relevant contract
English (UK)