Concentrate on market dominance and safety practices
The investigation facilities on Microsoft’s bundling of workplace productiveness and safety software program with its cloud providers, a apply critics argue disadvantages rivals within the authentication and cybersecurity markets. The FTC is especially inspecting Microsoft Entra ID, its person authentication service, amid complaints that licensing phrases and integration with its cloud choices impede rival firms.
Microsoft’s function as a significant authorities contractor and up to date cybersecurity incidents involving its merchandise have added urgency to the probe. The corporate supplies billions of {dollars} in providers to US companies, together with the Division of Protection, making its practices vital to nationwide safety.
In November 2023, FTC flagged concerns concerning the concentrated nature of the cloud market, warning that outages or efficiency points might ripple via the economic system. The authority had then collected suggestions from civil society, business stakeholders, and academia to arrange its report. As per the suggestions, the vast majority of the considerations had been associated to competitors and licensing practices.
