The Risks of Large-Scale Cloud Providers: A Case for Tecnica Private Cloud

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Relying heavily on large cloud providers like AWS and Microsoft has become a growing concern. Their hard sell marketing alongside a lack of competitive vendors has led many organisations, particularly in the public sector, to entrust these giants with their critical operations. Recent incidents show that dependence on these platforms comes with real risks, reinforcing the value of solutions like Tecnica Private Cloud.

Widespread AWS and Microsoft Outages Highlights the Scale of the Risk

One of the most alarming risks with large-scale cloud providers is the frequency and impact of their outages. These interruptions are not mere inconveniences; they pose substantial risks to public sector clients who rely heavily on these services for critical operations.

In October 2025, Amazon Web Services (AWS) suffered a major outage that began late on 19 October and caused widespread disruption across the world. The problem started in one of AWS’s main data regions and quickly spread, affecting thousands of organisations that rely on its cloud services.

More than 2,000 companies experienced downtime, including major banks, retailers, and government websites in the UK. For several hours, many digital services were either unavailable or severely affected.

Around the same time, Microsoft Azure experienced a separate service disruption that affected access to Azure-hosted applications and Microsoft 365 services. Businesses and public sector organisations, including M&S and ASDA, across multiple regions reported difficulties accessing critical systems, further highlighting how dependent global operations have become on a small group of providers.

Together, these incidents reinforce growing concerns that even the most established cloud platforms are not immune to large-scale failures. When one provider experiences an issue, the consequences can be immediate and far-reaching, disrupting business operations, public services, and access to essential information.

This is not an isolated problem. In July 2024, a CrowdStrike software update caused widespread disruption, taking millions of Windows devices offline globally and impacting airports, GP surgeries, retailers, and government services. Although Microsoft clarified that the issue originated with CrowdStrike, the event still exposed the fragility of centralised ecosystems, and how quickly a single point of failure can trigger a chain reaction across sectors.

Impact on Public Sector Services

The reliance on Microsoft, AWS and Google for cloud services by public sector organisations underscores the risks associated with placing critical systems in the hands of a single provider. During the 19th July 2024 outage, NHS GP practices across the UK faced severe disruptions. The Emis Web IT system, used by scores of GP practices across the country, experienced significant issues, affecting access to patient records, appointment bookings, and prescription management. The NHS had to resort to contingency measures such as using paper records and handwritten prescriptions, emphasising the fragility and complexity of public cloud infrastructures.

The Cost and Recovery Challenge

Service outages not only cause operational disruptions but also lead to substantial recovery and service continuity costs. Public sector organisations must re-evaluate and mitigate cloud infrastructure resilience while implementing comprehensive disaster recovery plans. Many critical sectors, including policing, fire, and ambulance services, have increasingly relied on major cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft, often without thoroughly considering the potential risks and the need for specialised terms or prioritisation for critical responder capabilities.

Trust and Accountability

Frequent outages challenge the trust public sector organisations and private businesses place in cloud providers like Microsoft, AWS and Google. There is a growing call for greater accountability and transparency to reassure clients and improve service reliability. The trust deficit necessitates a reconsideration of reliance on these enterprises for critical operations.

Vulnerability of Centralised Systems

Large, centralised IT infrastructures can become single points of failure, affecting multiple sectors globally. Recent outages highlight the fragility of such systems and the catastrophic impact they can have on public services. Government dependencies on these infrastructures raise concerns about security, prioritisation, and their suitability for critical services.

DDoS Attack on Microsoft Azure

Another incident that underscores the risks of relying on large-scale providers is the July 2024 DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack on Microsoft Azure. This attack caused significant service disruptions, affecting numerous Azure and 365 users globally. DDoS attacks flood a network with traffic, overwhelming servers and making services unavailable. For public sector organisations, the implications are severe, as critical services such as healthcare, emergency services, and government operations can be paralysed and potentially result in loss of life.

Microsoft’s DDoS protection mechanisms were triggered during the attack; however, the response did not go as planned. Preliminary investigations indicated that an error in the implementation of these defences inadvertently worsened the situation. Instead of mitigating the attack, the error amplified its impact, causing more extensive disruptions than would have occurred otherwise. This further illustrates the vulnerability of large-scale cloud infrastructures to cyber threats and the need for more secure and resilient alternatives.

High-Risk Use and Microsoft’s Terms and Conditions

Despite Microsoft’s terms and conditions stating that their services are not intended for high-risk use, numerous critical public sector services, including police forces, rely on Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.

Previously, critical services were supported by national systems and dedicated networks for emergency services, provided by a select pool of approved UK suppliers. A mutual aid system ensured seamless service continuity during failures managing serious incidents to ensure constant emergency response capability. This contrasts with recent public mainstream cloud outages, which failed to provide this critical level of service, highlighting the benefits of using private cloud solutions for such high-stakes operations.

Given these risks, Tecnica Private Cloud presents a compelling alternative. Here’s why:

• Enhanced Reliability
  • Tecnica Private Cloud provides superior reliability through a controlled and isolated environment. Unlike large-scale providers, Tecnica’s infrastructure is designed to minimise single points of failure, ensuring greater continuity and resilience.
• Customised Solutions
  • Tecnica delivers customised solutions specifically for public and private sector organisations. This approach ensures better alignment with unique requirements and regulatory standards, particularly for critical services.
• Improved Security, Cost Efficiency, and Enterprise Capability
  • Tecnica Private Cloud is more secure, cost-effective, and offers enterprise-level capabilities compared to many other solutions. We implement robust security measures to protect sensitive data and operations from potential threats and disruptions while offering competitive pricing. Additionally, our private cloud supports comprehensive backup and replication services, including Microsoft 365, ensuring full-spectrum data protection and redundancy.
• UK-Based Data Centres and Compliance
  • Our UK-based data centres deliver private cloud services such as :
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  • Recently, Microsoft advised Scottish policing that “it cannot guarantee the sovereignty of UK data.” In contrast, Tecnica Private Cloud ensures compliance with UK regulations by maintaining all data within the United Kingdom.
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR)
• Greater Control
  • With Tecnica Private Cloud, organisations maintain greater control over their IT infrastructure. This control extends to disaster recovery plans and business continuity strategies, enabling more effective and immediate responses to potential outages.
• Trust and Accountability
  • Tecnica emphasises transparency and accountability. Clients are reassured by our commitment to service reliability and our proactive approach to addressing issues before they escalate.

Conclusion

In summary, large, centralised IT infrastructures pose substantial risks as single points of failure. The global impact of such failures highlights the need for robust mitigation strategies to ensure resilience and continuity across multiple sectors. Tecnica Private Cloud stands out as a reliable, secure, and customisable option. By choosing Tecnica Private Cloud, organisations can mitigate the risks of centralised systems and ensure the continuity of critical operations, ultimately safeguarding public services and trust.