Recently, on the 12th of September, 2024, Microsoft 365 faced a global outage whereby many users across the globe were locked out of their services. This experience raises the question of the weakness of non-accountable dependence on cloud services and the necessity for quick actions to resolve these issues
The outage started in the early hours of Thursday with some reports of the incident popping up on Downdetector, an outlet that deals with notifications on the status of different services. At around 8:00 AM EDT (Eastern Standard Time), users reported downtimes on Microsoft 365 services . If users are to be believed, around 140,000+ users were affected between 8.00 AM -1 PM EDT. “We can confirm the issue impacting connectivity to Microsoft services is now mitigated,” the Windows parent said in a post on X.
The outage primarily impacted several key Microsoft 365 applications, including:
- Microsoft Teams
- Word
- Excel
- OneDrive
- SharePoint
- Outlook
Some of the complaints included; Login problems up to non-availability of the entire service. The outages went as far back as early 2024 when users who use Microsoft services via AT&T networks of the company were affected by the outage on 24th February 2024. During the outage, which saw consumers complaining, a number of them turned to social media to vent their frustration. Most said they could not perform important functions; work projects and message delivery were slowed down or did not occur at all. This was raised in parallel to the discourse with the earlier outages with a specific focus on one that occurred in July 2024 that affected so many areas of life.
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It was in the late morning when Microsoft pointed out that the matter was a configuration change by a third-party ISP. Microsoft said, “We’re investigating reports of an issue in which admins are unable to access the Microsoft 365 admin centre. We’re reviewing details provided by affected admins, and we’ll provide an update shortly.” The Microsoft 365 Status account added on X. “We’re reviewing network telemetry and recent changes to our networking infrastructure. Additionally, we’re working with a third-party ISP to understand the underlying cause.”
Microsoft also persisted in keeping the users informed on the status of the services. To avoid such blinks in the future, Microsoft has claimed that it will review its configuration settings for its networks and collaborate with the ISPs to ensure that such developments do not take place again. The company has also pledged to enhance communication with the users during outages in order to keep giving updates and even assistance.
The Microsoft 365 outage, which was experienced on September 12, 2024 is a good example of some of the challenges that cloud service provides. The fundamental requirement that arises in such circumstances is to provide reliability for service and efficient communication of business while they depend on digital tools. Microsoft has acted quickly and efficiently in dealing with the problem and has shown its determination to preserve the users’ trust. However, such service outages are evidence of the fact that continuous development of the infrastructure and careful preparation to handle collapses should be the focus for the company’s future.
