Microsoft confirms some services are down
Microsoft 365 users have since 1pm on Thursday reported problems with Outlook, Teams, and cloud computing service Azure.
Microsoft users across the UK and South Africa reported a range of services were not accessible on 14 March 2024. Picture: Pexels
JOHANNESBURG - Users in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) that rely on Microsoft have been assured by the tech giant that investigations are underway after a widespread unavailability of a number of services.
Microsoft 365 users have since 1pm on Thursday reported problems with Outlook, Teams, and cloud computing service Azure.
This was confirmed by Downdetector, an online platform giving users real-time information about the status of websites and services. A spike in Microsoft 365 outage reports streamed in just after 12pm on Thursday, 72% of which are related to Outlook.
"We’re investigating reports of an issue where some users in the EMEA region are unable to access one or more Microsoft 365 services. Majority of the reports are coming from South Africa and the United Kingdom," a series of X posts read.
They further confirmed that a "networking issue" had been identified, and that traffic was being directed.
Details remain limited at this stage.
We’re investigating reports of an issue where some users in the EMEA region are unable to access one or more Microsoft 365 services. Please follow the SI MO737187 in your admin center for more details. Majority of the reports are coming from South Africa and the United Kingdom.
— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) March 14, 2024
A Vodacom spokesperson told TechCentral that an undersea incident had affected a number of cables along the west Coast of Africa, the result of which could negatively impact internet users as well.
Updates to follow as more information becomes available.