Email communication, particularly in the public sector in Cyprus, has been affected by the global issue that arose with Microsoft’s services, but it has not affected the operation of the government’s core digital services and systems, according to Nikodimos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy.
In a written statement, the Deputy Minister clarified that “the issue that arose with Microsoft’s services is affecting organizations worldwide and primarily concerns communication via email, as well as the Teams and Co-Pilot applications, and does not entail a widespread disruption of the operation of its systems and services.”
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Regarding the public sector in Cyprus, it noted that “communication via email has been primarily affected, without, however, the operation of the state’s core digital services and systems being impacted.” He noted, for example, that CY Login—through which citizens and businesses access the government’s digital services—continues to operate normally. He also mentioned that for cases requiring immediate or critical communication, there are alternative methods of communication and/or file exchange with public services, while noting that “the eOasis system also serves as an alternative means of communication and document management for inter-agency communication among public services.”
As Mr. Damianou stated, “government agencies are in constant communication with Microsoft regarding the progress of the repair,” adding that “according to the company, emails that were not delivered due to the outage are expected to be received with a delay,” he said.
Regarding broader economic activity, the Deputy Minister emphasized that “it is important to distinguish between problems in electronic communication and the operation of basic digital services,” citing banks as an example, which “have moved toward extensive digitization of transactions.” “Consequently, according to the information we have, basic banking operations and customer service continued without any serious problems,” he added.
He pointed out that “this incident demonstrates the need to strengthen the digital infrastructure and systems of nations—and specifically those of Europe—to avoid dependence on specific technology giants. It is no coincidence that in recent years the discussion at the European level has increasingly focused on technological sovereignty, reducing strategic dependencies, and strengthening the resilience of digital infrastructure,” he concluded.
