Microsoft outage exposes global reliance on tech services

A critical Microsoft outage lasting more than 22 hours disrupted Microsoft 365 services like Outlook, raising concerns about reliance on major tech firms. The company apologized, attributing the issue to a technical failure rather than a cyber-attack. The disruption, caused by routine automated checks that overloaded remaining servers, affected around 430 million users across over 70 countries. It knocked out email for the US House of Representatives and Australian intelligence agencies, and disrupted court systems in Singapore and airline desks in India. Experts called it a "stark reminder" of dependence on digital systems, with small businesses particularly vulnerable. Microsoft is reviewing the incident to prevent recurrence, while some suggest regional service splitting as a future solution.