Microsoft: Network upgrade glitch behind service outage

Microsoft announced on Friday that the glitch disrupting its services stemmed from a technical issue that arose during a previous network capacity upgrade, with its effects becoming apparent following a recent change. The company confirmed that the incident was not related to a cyberattack, artificial intelligence, or customer activity. In a statement, Microsoft said, “We have addressed the root cause of the problem, and we are currently seeing widespread recovery and stability in our services, as we continue working to restore service to customers and regions that remain affected.” It clarified that service restoration is proceeding gradually due to the high volume of demand, with network stability verified at each stage. This approach took longer but helped ensure a stable return of services. The company expressed its deepest apologies to its customers and partners for the disruptions caused by the incident, acknowledging the trust they place in its services and emphasizing that it takes its responsibility toward them seriously. Microsoft added that it will publish a comprehensive report on the incident, including details of the glitch and its causes, once its technical review is complete. A widespread technical failure disrupted several Microsoft services globally, including Outlook email, the Teams platform, and Microsoft 365, hindering users’ access to work, communication, and file-sharing tools. The impact extended to other services within its cloud ecosystem, such as Exchange Online, SharePoint, and OneDrive, as well as certain functions of the Copilot AI assistant. The repercussions were not limited to individual users but also affected institutions, companies, and countries. Some integrations between Microsoft services and other platforms were also impacted, including services from OpenAI and Anthropic. These consequences highlight the interconnectedness of digital services, demonstrating how a failure in core components of a single cloud provider can affect applications and platforms that rely on its infrastructure to deliver their services.