Microsoft Restores Outlook and Teams Services After Global Outage
Microsoft has restored services across Outlook, Teams and its other products following a global outage that disrupted businesses and government organisations for more than 24 hours. The disruption affected essential workplace functions, including email communication, calendar management and virtual meetings. Microsoft confirmed on Saturday that services had fully recovered across all impacted regions, adding that server-related issues were responsible for the incident and that there was no evidence of malicious activity or a cyberattack.
The outage also affected Microsoft’s Exchange Online services and Copilot AI assistant, with Downdetector recording more than 7.4 million reports worldwide. Several organisations experienced operational disruptions, including government agencies, airlines, financial institutions and major businesses. Indian airlines IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India reported problems with their email support services, while some financial companies in Taiwan resorted to fax communications to confirm trades. The UK’s NHS and Metropolitan Police also reported difficulties accessing certain services.
The incident has raised concerns about the growing dependence of businesses on a small number of major technology providers. It was one of Microsoft’s longest service disruptions and the second major outage affecting its services this year. Analysts have also highlighted the potential financial impact, with insured losses estimated at $300 million to $500 million. Although Microsoft has restored normal operations, the disruption has renewed discussions about cloud service reliability and the need for businesses to maintain alternative communication and IT systems.
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