The €2 Billion Microsoft Office Problem Just Got Worse: We’re Not Just Wasting Money, We’re Creating Security Disasters | by Markus Sandelin | Jun, 2025 | Medium

#GAFAM #security

Someone needs to coordinate a military operation. Instead of using purpose-built operational planning systems, they create an Excel spreadsheet with unit locations, timing, and personnel assignments. They email this spreadsheet to 15 different national representatives for “coordination.” Each person makes changes, saves a new version, and emails it back.

Within 48 hours, there are 23 different versions of this file floating around on various government email servers, shared drives, and personal devices. Nobody knows which version is current. Half the recipients forward it to subordinates who “need to see this.” Some clever staff officer converts it to PowerPoint for a briefing.

Final result: Operational security details scattered across hundreds of endpoints with zero audit trail, no access controls beyond “has this person’s email address,” and absolutely no way to revoke access once the information is distributed.

This isn’t hypothetical. This is how NATO’s enterprise side operates when people need to actually get work done.

medium.com/@mrsandelin/the-2-b…

The €2 Billion Microsoft Office Problem Just Got Worse: We’re Not Just Wasting Money, We’re Creating Security Disasters

Remember when I told you the EU was wasting €2 billion annually on Microsoft Office for work that could be done with €3 web forms? Those document-driven workflows aren’t just financially stupid —…

^{Markus Sandelin (Medium)}