Microsoft Teams Suffers Outage, Disrupting Service for Users
On Friday, Microsoft Teams experienced a widespread outage that affected user access and caused multiple issues. The problem began at around 11 a.m. ET and quickly escalated, with users reporting difficulties accessing the service, delays in message delivery, and problems displaying graphics.
According to DownDetector, an outage tracker, the issue affected a significant number of users. Microsoft took to X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, to address the problem. They stated that a networking issue was impacting a portion of the Teams service and that they had initiated backup systems to mitigate the problem. By 1:30 p.m. ET, the backup transition was complete for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and improvements were being seen.
However, the backup switchovers for North and South America were still ongoing. Although reports of the outage decreased by 3 p.m. ET, indicating some progress, there were still lingering issues.
Microsoft Teams: A Popular Messaging and Videoconferencing App
Microsoft Teams is a widely used messaging and videoconferencing app with over 320 million monthly average users as of September 2023.
Despite Microsoft’s efforts, users in the United States continued to experience problems with the Teams service. Some sarcastically thanked Microsoft for resolving the issue quickly in regions where the workday had already ended. Microsoft acknowledged that the backup switchover did not immediately alleviate all issues in North and South America but assured users that they were working to minimize customer impact as quickly as possible.
Microsoft provided updates on the situation through their public tweets. They also referenced a document posted in an administrative dashboard for Microsoft 365 software, which contained additional details about the outage. However, when asked about the document, a Microsoft spokesperson only referred to the information shared on X.
However, The Associated Press obtained the document and revealed a bleaker outlook. The document outlined various issues caused by the outage, including login problems, delayed messages, and difficulties accessing media files. Microsoft’s efforts to route around the problems inadvertently led to backend system issues that affected data traffic.
By 5:02 p.m. ET, Microsoft acknowledged that many customers were still impacted but reported a reduction in errors and an increase in service availability. They assured users that they were addressing specific failures of Teams functions alongside their broader network efforts.
According to DownDetector, reports of issues with Teams gradually declined and were close to normal levels by 7:45 p.m. ET.
By David Hamilton
