Users around the world were unable to connect to Microsoft 365 and its Azure cloud platform on Tuesday, a factor the company says it is investigating and has now been partially resolved.
According to Downdetector, an online outage tracker, the number of Microsoft-like reports surged to more than 200 just before 9 a. m. Eastern Time. They went back down early in the afternoon. Customers have reported issues with Microsoft connections, the company’s Outlook platform, and its website.
The company said an “increase in usage” of its Azure cloud service led to intermittent errors and timeout messages.
Microsoft says it has been tracking some innovations in service access, but is still looking for regions where problems persist.
On a page dedicated to service updates, the company wrote that users using Microsoft 365 platforms “may experience latency or degraded performance of features. “
The company’s initial investigation found that collaborative software such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange Online is affected. Resolved issues with your Microsoft 365 admin center and Power Platform coding teams collection.
The problem started at 11:45 a. m. m. UTC/7:45 a. m. m. ET, according to the company. Its online page shows that the disruptions are affecting its networks around the world, including Canada.
Azure, Microsoft’s logo for cloud services, is an “industry giant,” said Carmi Levy, a generation analyst in London, Ontario.
It is the maximum generation of Microsoft services, adding Office 365, Teams, Bing and Xbox, he said.
“The sad truth of the generation in 2024 is that any company can enjoy a disruption, any day. Microsoft is no exception,” Levy said, while emphasizing that the disruption is not a repeat of the recent CrowdStrike outage.
He said that although the outage is not a cyberattack, cybercriminals still take advantage of primary outages like this one by sending emails, text messages and direct messages to prospective consumers via social media.
The messages could prompt users to click on a link to repair those affected by the outage. “And of course, don’t click on that link because you’re going to get in trouble,” Levy said.
CBC News has reached out to Microsoft for more information. A corporate spokesperson wrote in response: “We are investigating reports of disruptions related to our services. More highlights will be provided as they are found on the Azure status page.
The company will announce its fourth-quarter results on Tuesday at 5:30 p. m.
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Jenna Benchetrit is CBC News’ senior economics editor. She writes articles on economic and customer issues in Canada and has also recently covered American politics. Originally from Montreal and founded in Toronto, Jenna has a master’s degree in journalism from Metropolitan University of Toronto. You can contact her at jenna. benchetrit@cbc. ca.
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