“We’ve determined a portion of infrastructure is experiencing elevated load across multiple regions, which is likely contributing to the connectivity errors,” Microsoft’s service incidents social media account said online.
A widespread technology failure impacted tens of thousands of users across Canada and the U.S., disrupting major email systems, post-secondary communications, and patient appointment networks.
Outage tracker Downdetector recorded nearly 150,000 reports of problems using Microsoft Outlook in both countries at 1:30 p.m. ET, according to CTV News. The disruption hit Microsoft 365 services, Copilot, and Teams as automated health checks failed across multiple servers.
“We are aware and investigating reports of users experiencing issues with Microsoft 365 services, primarily issues with Exchange Online,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC.
While we're working to mitigate impact, we've confirmed the issue may affect Microsoft 365 service connectivity for users in any region, more information will be provided in the Microsoft 365 admin center under EX1550543.
Unity Health Toronto declared a “Code Grey” protocol following the software failure, which Unity Health Toronto reported is used when an infrastructure loss or failure occurs. Staff at St. Michael’s Hospital faced difficulties sending and receiving emails, though the network confirmed patient care remained unaffected and hospitals stayed open.
Failed Server Recovery Efforts
Microsoft initially reported that a portion of its infrastructure was dealing with elevated load. CBC reported that the company later found servers were unexpectedly unavailable after failing automated checks.
Microsoft's outage reports on November 12 reached 74 countries and territories in about an hour on Downdetector. Microsoft says its Exchange Online incident began at 16:17 UTC. Reports to Downdetector about Outlook began climbing at about 17:25 UTC, 12:25 in New York. By 18:25,… pic.twitter.com/7FQ4dDsfbm
Engineers attempted to apply changes to improve serviceability, but the company said that the updates were not taking as expected. Technicians then moved traffic off the affected infrastructure and restarted unresponsive machines.
By late Thursday evening, combined reports on Downdetector dropped to roughly 35,000 between Canada and the U.S. Canada saw a late spike of nearly 6,700 reports after 9:30 p.m., CTV News noted.
Rail Travelers and Toronto Universities Face Email Disruptions
Via Rail warned passengers that automated email communications regarding upcoming trips might not arrive during the technical failure. The rail operator encouraged travelers to check online trackers or sign up for SMS notifications instead.
Several post-secondary institutions in the Toronto area, including the University of Toronto, Seneca Polytechnic, and George Brown Polytechnic, reported email disruptions. Campus administrators confirmed that academic classes continued without interruption despite the administrative communication hurdles.
1/ Please note that due to technical issues with Microsoft services, passengers may not be able to receive email communications about their trip.
Federal departments also encountered difficulties accessing internal emails and virtual meetings. Officials have not yet confirmed whether broader public services sustained operational impacts from the server failures.
Outlook and Microsoft Services Face Heavy User Reports
Downdetector data showed that Outlook generated the heaviest user traffic with nearly 150,000 problem reports at its peak, alongside thousands of concurrent complaints involving Microsoft Teams, Copilot, and Exchange Online mailboxes.
We're investigating reports of users experiencing issues accessing Exchange Online mailboxes through multiple connection methods in the Americas. More details can be found in the Microsoft 365 admin center under EX1550543.
Patient and resident care remained completely unaffected by the infrastructure failure, and hospitals stayed open to provide regular care while staff utilized internal websites and alternative communication methods.
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