Is Microsoft 365 a Geopolitical Risk?

This Week in IT, as Microsoft completes it EU data boundary project, Bert Hubert tells the Register that M365 is a geopolitical risk under Trump 2.0, admins get new Copilot feedback controls, and Microsoft introduces new Tenant Outbound Email Limits in Exchange Online.

Links and resources

• Europe begins to worry about US-controlled clouds • The Register
• Microsoft completes landmark EU Data Boundary, offering enhanced data residency and transparency – Microsoft On the Issues
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Gets New Admin Feedback Tool for Better Data Control – Petri IT Knowledgebase
• Enhanced data control while submitting Microsoft 365 Copilot feedback
• Exchange Online Introduces New Tenant Outbound Email Limits
• Introducing Exchange Online Tenant Outbound Email Limits | Microsoft Community Hub

Episode overview

This Week in IT, Russell discusses concerns related to Microsoft 365, including geopolitical risks, government dependencies, and a new Copilot feature.

• Microsoft 365 as a Geopolitical Risk: Burt Hubert argues that European governments’ reliance on Microsoft 365 poses a geopolitical risk, especially under potential future US administrations like Trump 2.0.
• European Dependency on US-based Clouds: European governments are increasingly worried about their dependency on US-based cloud services, with concerns about data privacy and security.
• Legal Concerns and Historical Context: Legal opinions and historical cases highlight the risks of European reliance on American cloud services, including potential forced data handovers to the US government.
• Push for European Cloud Solutions: There is a call for the European Union to develop its own cloud data centers and productivity solutions to reduce reliance on US-based technologies.
• New Microsoft 365 Features: Microsoft has introduced new features, including Copilot feedback controls for administrators and tenant-wide external recipient rate limits in Exchange Online.
• Limits on Bulk Email Sending: Microsoft is limiting the number of emails that can be sent through Exchange Online to 5,000 per 24-hour period to prevent abuse, with higher limits for premium subscriptions.