Technology Advisor Blog

If your email isn’t working today, you’re not alone.

We’re seeing a widespread outage affecting Microsoft online services, and reports are stacking up quickly. Tools like Downdetector show a sharp spike in issues, which tells us this isn’t an isolated problem tied to one company, one network, or one configuration.

This is a big, platform-level issue.

What happens during a widespread outage like this?

When an outage is this broad, it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation on Microsoft’s side. Incidents like this are treated with the highest priority, and teams work around the clock to identify the root cause and restore services as quickly as possible.

While that doesn’t make the disruption any less frustrating, it does mean this isn’t something you or your IT provider caused, and it’s not something that can be fixed locally while the outage is ongoing.

Why we’re sharing this differently today

Normally, if we see an issue that could affect a lot of people, we’d send out an email alert right away.

But when the issue is email - along with other Microsoft online services - email isn’t exactly the most reliable way to spread the word. 😀

So we wanted to make sure people in the community are aware:

• If email isn’t flowing, it’s likely tied to this outage

• Other Microsoft cloud tools may be affected as well

• The right teams are already working on it

Sometimes the most helpful thing is simply knowing, “It’s not just me.”

A good reminder of how dependent we are on technology

Moments like this are also a good reminder of how much modern business depends on cloud services.

One example we’ve seen before:
Some people rely on email to receive two-factor authentication (2FA) codes. When email goes down, suddenly they’re locked out of other systems too.

This is a great reminder to:

• Use multiple authentication methods when possible (authenticator apps, backup codes, SMS, etc.)

• Make sure there’s a fallback option for critical logins

• Avoid having a single tool be the “key” to everything else

You don’t need to overhaul everything, but having a workaround can save a lot of stress on days like today.

What to expect next

Based on experience, Microsoft will:

• Continue posting internal updates

• Roll out fixes in stages

• Gradually restore services as systems stabilize

If your email or other Microsoft tools are unreliable right now, the best move is often patience rather than troubleshooting, because once the platform recovers, things typically snap back into place.

Final thought

Outages like this are inconvenient, no doubt. But they also highlight how important it is to build resilient, flexible systems that don’t rely on just one path for communication or access.

If you ever want to talk through backup options, smarter authentication setups, or just sanity-check how dependent your business is on certain tools, we’re always happy to have a no-pressure conversation.

Sometimes it’s not about preventing every outage - it’s about being ready when one happens.

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