azure outage: After Amazon AWS crash, now Microsoft Azure down for thousands of users

If you’re struggling to log in to Microsoft services today, you’re not alone. A widespread outage has hit multiple Microsoft platforms, disrupting everything from Microsoft 365 and Azure to even the Microsoft Store. Users across the world are reporting connection failures and frozen dashboards.

Thousands of users were unable to access Microsoft’s Azure and its productivity suite on Wednesday, according to Downdetector.com, an outage tracking website.

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What’s causing the Microsoft Azure outage?

According to DownDetector, Microsoft’s Azure platform, the backbone of its cloud operations, experienced a major technical failure, impacting more than 11,500 users. The outage triggered cascading disruptions across connected services like Microsoft 365, Teams, Word, and Excel, halting access for users globally.

Microsoft 365 was unavailable for almost 9,000 users, and Azure was unavailable for more than 16,600 users, according to Downdetector, as quoted in a report by Reuters.”We are investigating an issue with the Azure Portal where customers may be experiencing issues accessing the portal,” Azure stated on its status.

How far-reaching is the disruption?

DownDetector’s live outage map showed spikes across major regions and industries, including tech, retail, and gaming. Even Minecraft servers experienced downtime, highlighting the severity of Azure’s malfunction. For many businesses, the impact was immediate, freezing operations dependent on Microsoft’s cloud network, as per a report by TechRadar.

FAQs

Which Microsoft services are affected by the outage?
Azure, Microsoft 365, and the Microsoft Store were hit hardest.

What else has been impacted?
Major clients like Starbucks, Kroger, and Costco experienced disruptions too.