Overview of the Outage

Microsoft is currently addressing a significant and widespread outage plaguing Microsoft 365, which affects vital services including Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint Online. This disruption began approximately six hours ago, triggering thousands of reports from users frustrated by their inability to connect. The impact seems to extend to other critical services such as OneDrive, Purview, Copilot, and Outlook, both on the web and desktop.

Microsoft's Response to the Outage

In a statement released shortly after the outage was detected, Microsoft acknowledged the issue, stating, "We are investigating an issue impacting users attempting to access Exchange Online or functionality within Microsoft Teams calendar. For updated information, please refer to MO941162 in the admin center." The company is diligently working to mitigate the problem while providing a detailed list of affected services and functionalities.

Details on the Affected Services

As per Microsoft's incident report in the admin center, the outage is hindering customers from accessing Exchange Online through various platforms, including the Outlook web client, Outlook desktop application, REST, and Exchange ActiveSync (EAS). The concerns also extend to tools like Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Bookings, and Microsoft Defender for Office 365, as some users are reporting disrupted operations.

Cause of the Outage

Microsoft hinted that this outage stemmed from a "recent change." In response, they have initiated fixes on the affected infrastructure, including system restarts on machines exhibiting unhealthy states. "We've started to deploy the fix, which is currently progressing through the impacted environment, and manual restarts are underway for a subset of affected machines," the company mentioned just an hour ago. They reported that the fix has been successfully applied to approximately 60% of the impacted environments, with efforts to restore service continuing for the remaining systems.

Current Status of Microsoft's Services

Interestingly, even during this tumultuous time, Microsoft's Office service health and Microsoft 365 network health status pages currently indicate no problems with their overall network stability, internet service provider availability, or customer network infrastructure.

Historical Context and User Advice

Users are reminded to stay tuned for updates, as this isn't the first time Microsoft has faced significant service outages. A similar incident occurred in July, when multiple Microsoft 365 and Azure services, including the admin center and Power BI, were taken offline, affecting users worldwide.

Preparedness for Future Outages

As a precaution, businesses reliant on Microsoft 365 for daily operations should consider immediate backup plans and communication strategies to mitigate the impact of this ongoing situation. Is your company prepared for such disruptions? Stay safe and informed!