Microsoft outage sparks calls for backup systems worldwide

A major Microsoft outage on November 12 disrupted services including Outlook, Teams, and Copilot across multiple countries, affecting businesses, government departments, and hospitals, and renewing calls for independent backup systems. The outage impacted users in Australia, Japan, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Canada, and the US. British police struggled to accept online crime reports, parts of the NHS faced disruption, and Germany's Deutsche Bahn had issues sending train timetable information. Microsoft linked the failure to server problems across data centres, finding no evidence of a cyberattack. The incident highlights the financial risks of relying on a single provider, with unplanned outages costing Global 2000 companies an average of $15,000 per minute. Experts recommend alternative email platforms, separate data storage, and tested recovery plans to build a more resilient digital future.