UK to investigate Amazon, Microsoft cloud for illegal practices, abusing market position
1 year, 5 months ago

UK to investigate Amazon, Microsoft cloud for illegal practices, abusing market position

Firstpost  

Amazon and Microsoft are the two biggest service providers when it comes to cloud computing. However the UK has reasons to believe that these two companies have been involved in illegal practices and have abused their market position to maintain their stronghold Amazon and Microsoft are under investigation by the UK’s antitrust authority, which is concerned that these US tech giants might be using their market dominance unfairly. Ofcom’s year-long study revealed that Amazon and Microsoft have made it challenging for customers to use different cloud providers or switch between them, even though cloud services are increasingly important for businesses. Last year, Ofcom initiated an inquiry into concerns that “hyperscale” cloud providers like Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Azure could stifle innovation and hinder market growth. These two companies account for a significant portion of the UK’s public cloud infrastructure market revenue, with Google Cloud contributing around 5% to 10%.

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History of this topic

Trump’s Aggression Sours Europe on US Cloud Giants
5 days, 21 hours ago

Trump’s Aggression Sours Europe on US Cloud Giants

Wired  

The global backlash against the second Donald Trump administration keeps on growing. Canadians have boycotted US-made products, anti–Elon Musk posters have appeared across London amid widespread Tesla protests, and European officials have drastically increased military spending as US support for Ukraine falters. “There’s a huge appetite in Europe to de-risk or decouple the over-dependence on US tech companies, because there …

MPs urge government to stop using "unsafe" US cloud services
1 week, 3 days ago

MPs urge government to stop using "unsafe" US cloud services

Dutch News  

MPs have urged the government to stop migrating confidential information about tax returns, contracts, and medical records to US cloud services, saying they are a threat to Dutch cyber security. Last month, digitalisation minister Zsolt Szabó told Dutch News that officials are continuing to revise the government’s approach to cloud storage services in the wake of an audit office report, …

Amazon and Microsoft ‘should face probe over cloud service competition concerns’
2 months ago

Amazon and Microsoft ‘should face probe over cloud service competition concerns’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK’s competition regulator should …

Google lobbying FTC to break up Microsoft & OpenAI's cloud deal
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Google lobbying FTC to break up Microsoft & OpenAI's cloud deal

Firstpost  

Google argues that Microsoft’s exclusive position as the cloud provider for OpenAI’s popular models, such as ChatGPT, could unfairly limit market competition and lead to higher costs for businesses looking to access OpenAI’s technology The core issue raised by Google is that businesses using OpenAI’s services are being pushed toward Microsoft’s Azure cloud servers, with the potential for added costs …

Google Urges FTC To Dismantle Microsoft's Exclusive Cloud Partnership With OpenAI
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Google Urges FTC To Dismantle Microsoft's Exclusive Cloud Partnership With OpenAI

ABP News  

Google has reportedly urged the US government to intervene in Microsoft’s exclusive arrangement to host OpenAI’s technology on its cloud infrastructure, according to a report by The Information on Tuesday. The report, citing a source directly involved, suggests that Google views Microsoft’s exclusivity as an unfair advantage in the competitive cloud computing market. Major cloud service providers like Google and …

Microsoft faces $1.27 billion antitrust lawsuit over cloud services in UK
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Microsoft faces $1.27 billion antitrust lawsuit over cloud services in UK

Live Mint  

Microsoft faces a 1 billion pound dispute in the U.K. over how it charges customers who buy cloud software services that rival its own Azure, the latest antitrust challenge to the U.S. tech giant’s approach to licensing. The lawsuit brought on behalf of multiple parties by litigation specialist firm Scott+Scott alleges that Microsoft is leveraging its dominance in must-have computer …

Microsoft Faces Broad Antitrust Investigation From US Federal Trade Commission
4 months ago

Microsoft Faces Broad Antitrust Investigation From US Federal Trade Commission

Deccan Chronicle  

The US Federal Trade Commission has opened an antitrust investigation of Microsoft, drilling into everything from the company’s cloud computing and software licensing businesses to cybersecurity offerings and artificial intelligence products. FTC antitrust lawyers are set to meet with Microsoft competitors next week to gather more information about the Redmond, Washington-based company’s business practices, according to two other people familiar …

Microsoft antitrust probe: Software Company faces allegations of misusing power
4 months ago

Microsoft antitrust probe: Software Company faces allegations of misusing power

Live Mint  

By Jody Godoy -The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has openead a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, including of its software licensing and cloud computing businesses, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. NetChoice, a lobbying group that represents online companies including Amazon and Google, which compete with Microsoft in cloud computing, criticized Microsoft's licensing policies, and its integration …

Microsoft faces FTC Antitrust Probe over Cloud, AI and security practices
4 months ago

Microsoft faces FTC Antitrust Probe over Cloud, AI and security practices

India TV News  

Microsoft, one of the leading names in the tech world has become the latest tech giant to face an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. The probe search into Microsoft’s cloud services, software licensing, cybersecurity, and AI offerings, marked a significant regulatory challenge for the company. Focus on Cloud and Software Bundling The FTC’s inquiry primarily examines how Microsoft …

Google and Apple now threatened by the US antitrust laws that helped build their technology empires
10 months, 4 weeks ago

Google and Apple now threatened by the US antitrust laws that helped build their technology empires

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Justice Department’s double-barreled antitrust attack on Google’s dominant search and Apple’s trendsetting iPhone is reviving memories of the epic battle that hobbled Microsoft before it roared back to yet again become the world’s most valuable company. And in the antitrust lawsuits that they filed against Apple last month, the Justice Department pointed back to complaints …

Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals
11 months ago

Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals

Associated Press  

LONDON — British competition regulators said Wednesday they’ll scrutinize recent artificial intelligence deals by Microsoft and Amazon over concerns that the moves could thwart competition in the AI industry. The Competition and Markets Authority said it’s looking into Microsoft’s partnership with France’s Mistral AI and the company’s hiring of key staff from another startup, Inflection AI. “We will assess, objectively …

Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals
11 months ago

Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy British competition regulators said Wednesday …

Microsoft Following Monopolistic Agenda In Cloud & GenAI Development, Google Alleges: Report
1 year, 1 month ago

Microsoft Following Monopolistic Agenda In Cloud & GenAI Development, Google Alleges: Report

ABP News  

Alphabet's Google Cloud has intensified its critique of Microsoft's strategies in cloud computing, alleging that the tech giant is pursuing a monopolistic agenda detrimental to the advancement of nascent technologies like generative artificial intelligence, reported Reuters. Amit Zavery, Vice President of Google Cloud, expressed concerns in an interview with Reuters, particularly highlighting Microsoft's historical dominance in on-premise software and its …

Google pushes UK’s competition watchdog to start antitrust action against Microsoft for cloud dominance
1 year, 3 months ago

Google pushes UK’s competition watchdog to start antitrust action against Microsoft for cloud dominance

Firstpost  

Google is accusing Microsoft of indulging in unfair business practices to stifle competition in the cloud services space, and that Microsoft’s Azure has been positioned in a way that makes it almost impossible for business owners to look for economically reasonable alternatives to it Having been embroiled in a number of antitrust legislations itself, Google is now trying to get …

UK regulator asks for antitrust probe into Amazon, Microsoft cloud dominance
1 year, 5 months ago

UK regulator asks for antitrust probe into Amazon, Microsoft cloud dominance

The Hindu  

British media regulator Ofcom on Thursday asked the country's antitrust authority to investigate U.S. tech giants Amazon and Microsoft's dominance of the UK cloud market. Ofcom, which started looking into cloud services last year, had said in April it was particularly worried about the practices of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft because of their market positions, and it planned to …

Competition regulator to investigate £7.5bn cloud services market
1 year, 5 months ago

Competition regulator to investigate £7.5bn cloud services market

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britain’s £7.5 billion cloud services …

Fears about Amazon and Microsoft cloud computing dominance trigger UK probe
1 year, 5 months ago

Fears about Amazon and Microsoft cloud computing dominance trigger UK probe

Associated Press  

LONDON — Concerns from regulators about the dominance of Amazon and Microsoft in Britain’s cloud computing market have triggered an investigation into the competitiveness of the key industry. The U.K. communications regulator Ofcom said Thursday that its yearlong study of the cloud communications services market found features that could limit competition. “Some U.K. businesses have told us they’re concerned about …

UK media regulator Ofcom to push for antitrust probe into Amazon, Microsoft cloud dominance
1 year, 5 months ago

UK media regulator Ofcom to push for antitrust probe into Amazon, Microsoft cloud dominance

Live Mint  

LONDON :British media regulator Ofcom will this week push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon and Microsoft's dominance of the UK's cloud computing market, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Ofcom warned the current state of Britain's cloud computing market made it difficult for some existing customers to bargain for a good deal with their provider. Technical restrictions …

Tech companies including Google gripe about unfair cloud practices
1 year, 9 months ago

Tech companies including Google gripe about unfair cloud practices

The Hindu  

Technology trade groups as well as Alphabet's Google have griped to the Federal Trade Commission about allegedly unfair business practices in the cloud, including by the industry's No. "Despite vibrant competition in the cloud industry, a few vendors use anticompetitive practices in order to entrench their position, most often by preventing customers from switching providers in search of lower costs, …

Once a reliable cash cow, Amazon’s cloud business slows as companies pull back on service
1 year, 9 months ago

Once a reliable cash cow, Amazon’s cloud business slows as companies pull back on service

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — When the pandemic hit three years ago, Amazon was one of the few businesses that thrived. But even when those lockdowns eventually lifted and Amazon’s sales slowed as people returned to stores, the company could still count on its massive cash cow: Amazon Web Services. Google and Microsoft, which offer competing cloud businesses, posted strong showings in …

EU antitrust regulators quiz cloud rivals on Microsoft's request for customer data
1 year, 10 months ago

EU antitrust regulators quiz cloud rivals on Microsoft's request for customer data

The Hindu  

EU antitrust regulators are asking Microsoft's rivals what kind of customer data they are required to provide to the U.S. tech giant as part of their Azure cloud contracts, six months after a trade group complained about its cloud computing practices. Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe, whose members include Amazon, alleged last November that Microsoft's new contractual terms imposed …

U.K. blocks Microsoft $69-bn Activision deal over cloud gaming concerns
1 year, 11 months ago

U.K. blocks Microsoft $69-bn Activision deal over cloud gaming concerns

The Hindu  

Britain will block Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of ‘Call of Duty’ maker Activision Blizzard over its concerns it would hinder competition in cloud gaming, dealing an unexpected blow to the biggest-ever deal in gaming. The country’s antitrust regulator said on Wednesday that Microsoft’s commitment to offer access to Activision’s multi-billion dollar ‘Call of Duty’ franchise to leading cloud gaming platforms …

Britain to take on Google, Amazon and Facebook with new legal powers
1 year, 11 months ago

Britain to take on Google, Amazon and Facebook with new legal powers

Live Mint  

Britain said on Tuesday it would introduce a new law to rein in the power that big tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon are able to wield to stifle competition in digital markets. Britain's antitrust watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, set up a dedicated Digital Markets Unit two years ago, armed with the expertise to regulate new …

Google says Microsoft’s cloud practices are anti-competitive
1 year, 11 months ago

Google says Microsoft’s cloud practices are anti-competitive

The Hindu  

Alphabet's Google Cloud has accused Microsoft of anti-competitive cloud computing practices and criticised imminent deals with several European cloud vendors, saying these do not solve broader concerns about its licensing terms. In Google Cloud's first public comments on Microsoft and its European deals its Vice President Amit Zavery told Reuters the company has raised the issue with antitrust agencies and …

Google says Microsoft cloud practices are anti-competitive
1 year, 11 months ago

Google says Microsoft cloud practices are anti-competitive

Live Mint  

Alphabet's Google Cloud has accused Microsoft of anti-competitive cloud computing practices and criticised imminent deals with several European cloud vendors, saying these do not solve broader concerns about its licensing terms. In Google Cloud's first public comments on Microsoft and its European deals its Vice President Amit Zavery told Reuters the company has raised the issue with antitrust agencies and …

Google says Microsoft's cloud practices anti-competitive, critical of deals with rivals
1 year, 11 months ago

Google says Microsoft's cloud practices anti-competitive, critical of deals with rivals

The Hindu  

Alphabet's Google Cloud has accused Microsoft of anti-competitive cloud computing practices and criticised imminent deals with European cloud vendors, saying these do not solve broader concerns about its licensing terms. In Google Cloud's first public comments on Microsoft and its European deals its Vice President Amit Zavery told Reuters the company has raised the issue with antitrust agencies and urged …

Microsoft faces new EU antitrust complaint on cloud computing practices
2 years, 4 months ago

Microsoft faces new EU antitrust complaint on cloud computing practices

The Hindu  

Microsoft faces a new antitrust complaint over its cloud computing practices as trade group CISPE, whose members include Amazon, took its grievance to European Union antitrust regulators on Wednesday. CISPE has alleged that Microsoft's new contractual terms imposed on Oct. 1 together with other practices are irreparably damaging the European cloud computing ecosystem. "Leveraging its dominance in productivity software, Microsoft …

Amazon, Google slam Microsoft's cloud computing changes
2 years, 6 months ago

Amazon, Google slam Microsoft's cloud computing changes

The Hindu  

The U.S. software giant on Monday announced amended licensing deals and other changes that will take effect on Oct. 1 and which they say will make it easier for cloud service providers to compete. Microsoft's move came after smaller European Union competitors took their grievances about its cloud service practices to EU antitrust regulators, which subsequently quizzed market players on …

Microsoft declines new cloud customers after promise to Ukraine
2 years, 8 months ago

Microsoft declines new cloud customers after promise to Ukraine

The Telegraph  

Microsoft’s flagship cloud service has stopped accepting new customers who want a UK-based service as the business is squeezed by emergency demand from the the war-torn Ukrainian authorities. A Microsoft spokesman said: “Our priority remains ensuring business continuity for customers.” Used to provide internet-based business services ranging from websites to databases and supporting other companies’ back-office IT services, Azure is …

Microsoft seeks to dodge EU cloud computing probe with changes
2 years, 10 months ago

Microsoft seeks to dodge EU cloud computing probe with changes

The Hindu  

Microsoft will revise its licensing deals and make it easier for cloud service providers to compete, its president Brad Smith said on Wednesday, as the U.S. software giant sought to dodge a lengthy EU antitrust probe into its cloud computing business. The company found itself under the EU competition body’s scrutiny again after German software provider NextCloud, France’s OVHcloud, Italian …

Microsoft’s cloud business targeted by EU antitrust regulators
2 years, 11 months ago

Microsoft’s cloud business targeted by EU antitrust regulators

The Hindu  

EU antitrust regulators are quizzing Microsoft's rivals and customers about its cloud business and licensing deals, a questionnaire seen by Reuters showed, in a move that could lead to a formal investigation and renewed scrutiny of the U.S. software company. The company found itself on the EU competition enforcer's radar again after German software provider NextCloud, France's OVHcloud and two …

EU’s Vestager says no antitrust concerns yet about cloud computing
3 years ago

EU’s Vestager says no antitrust concerns yet about cloud computing

The Hindu  

Cloud computing, in which Amazon and Microsoft are the biggest players followed by Alphabet's Google, doesn't pose competition concerns yet because of Europe's Gaia-X initiative, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said on Monday. The market power of the big companies has sparked unease at smaller rivals in recent years, with German software provider NextCloud, France's OVHcloud and two other companies …

EU bodies' use of Amazon, Microsoft cloud services faces privacy probes
3 years, 10 months ago

EU bodies' use of Amazon, Microsoft cloud services faces privacy probes

The Hindu  

The European Commission and European Parliament's use of cloud computing services provided by Amazon and Microsoft has prompted two EU privacy investigations over concerns about the transfer of personal data to the United States. In response, Europe's highest court last year rejected a transatlantic data transfer deal, known as the Privacy Shield, following a long-running dispute between Facebook and Austrian …

US probes Amazon’s cloud business in antitrust investigation
5 years, 3 months ago

US probes Amazon’s cloud business in antitrust investigation

Al Jazeera  

The scope of the investigation has been expanded to determine whether products by Amazon Web Services harm competition. Investigators at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have been asking software companies recently about practices around Amazon’s cloud unit, known as Amazon Web Services, said the people, who declined to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The outreach by …

How Microsoft is dodging the move to regulate Big Tech
5 years, 9 months ago

How Microsoft is dodging the move to regulate Big Tech

CNN  

New York CNN Business — Microsoft’s market dominance is extraordinary at a time when so much focus is on the immense power of Big Tech. But Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said in a speech at the DC Economic Club on Monday that “the government needs to get involved.” Gates, who retired from day-to-day work at Microsoft more than a decade …

Microsoft earnings beat expectations as cloud-fueled growth persists
6 years, 5 months ago

Microsoft earnings beat expectations as cloud-fueled growth persists

Live Mint  

Seattle: Microsoft Corp. posted another quarter of brisk revenue growth driven by cloud services, underscoring the company’s success in shifting its business toward internet-based computing. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft dominates in the fast-growing market for cloud-based office software, and corporate upgrades to Windows operating systems are keeping that product’s sales growing even as PC sales remain flat. As a result, capital …

How to cash in on the next big digital revolution -cloud computing
6 years, 8 months ago

How to cash in on the next big digital revolution -cloud computing

Daily Mail  

The cloud is not just a feature of the weather. Giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google are spending billions on their cloud infrastructure, and some commentators think the cloud computing market could be worth more than £312billion by 2020. Amazon, Microsoft and Google are spending billions on their cloud infrastructure Huge cloud infrastructure providers such as Amazon Web Services …

As PCs decline, Microsoft bets its future on the cloud
8 years, 8 months ago

As PCs decline, Microsoft bets its future on the cloud

China Daily  

Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO. That growth, combined with increases in revenue from Windows software licenses and other key segments, helped offset a big decline in revenue from the Nokia smartphone business that Microsoft largely shut down last year. Estimates vary, depending on how you define "cloud computing," but analysts at Synergy Research Group say Amazon still has more than 30 …

Microsoft's secret weapon for growth in the cloud: email
9 years, 1 month ago

Microsoft's secret weapon for growth in the cloud: email

Firstpost  

In reporting better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter earnings on Thursday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella touted his company’s success in the cloud. For companies already relying on Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for sending and receiving email, information technology managers say, turning to the same company to handle that data in the cloud seems like a logical move. “It’s just a really natural thing,” …

Microsoft to offer cloud services from Germany
9 years, 4 months ago

Microsoft to offer cloud services from Germany

Firstpost  

Microsoft plans to open data centres in Germany in partnership with Deutsche Telekom AG, offering cloud storage to European businesses keen to safeguard their data from U.S. surveillance. “It could be a sign of things to come.” Speaking in Berlin on Wednesday, Microsoft Chief Satya Nadella - who sees the cloud as central to the company’s future - said the …

Alibaba Is Now Competing on Amazon's Home Turf in the Cloud
10 years ago

Alibaba Is Now Competing on Amazon's Home Turf in the Cloud

Wired  

Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba may not be competing with Amazon for Americans' retail dollars just yet. In its stateside expansion, Alibaba says it first plans to target Chinese enterprises based in the US but says it will offer cloud services to international clients by the second half of 2015. Aliyun, like its popular US counterpart, Amazon Web Services, provides …

Microsoft leads antitrust charge against Google in EU
11 years, 11 months ago

Microsoft leads antitrust charge against Google in EU

Firstpost  

Microsoft and Co have called on authorities to launch an antitrust investigation against Google for preloading apps such as YouTube and Google Maps… Led by Microsoft, a group of companies is calling on European authorities to launch an antitrust investigation against Google with regards to the search giant’s dominance in mobile Internet usage on smartphones. “Google is using its Android …

Microsoft: Yes, Virginia, We Are a Cloud Company
13 years, 3 months ago

Microsoft: Yes, Virginia, We Are a Cloud Company

Wired  

People keep asking Kurt DelBene if Microsoft is serious about cloud computing. DelBene is the man in charge of Microsoft's Office division and one of five division heads who report directly to CEO Steve Ballmer, so he's the right person to ask. "We're as serious about the cloud as we are about evolving our businesses," he says, nodding to the …

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