Microsoft services and Azure are down on today 19/07/2024

Today on 19/07/2024 — Microsoft services/ Azure are down, this cause various impact on many companies. Microsoft 365 users are experiencing difficulties accessing various apps and services like SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, Teams, Power BI, and more. While Microsoft is working on mitigating the issue, it has not been fully resolved.

Additionally, there have been problems with Azure, specifically in the Central US region. These issues have affected the availability and connectivity of multiple Azure services.

Impact on various tools developed by Microsoft.

There have been recent issues reported with Microsoft services, including SharePoint, PA (presumably Power Automate), and Power BI.

SharePoint: Users have experienced difficulties accessing SharePoint Online, particularly in the Central US region. These issues may include slow loading times, intermittent access, or complete unavailability of SharePoint sites and content.

Power Automate (PA): If PA is indeed Power Automate, there have been reports of delays or failures in automated workflows and processes. This can disrupt business operations that rely on these automations.

Power BI: Some users have reported issues accessing Power BI dashboards, reports, or datasets. These problems might be related to connectivity issues, data refresh failures, or general unavailability of the service.

Will this affected any AI tools

the ongoing issues with Microsoft services, particularly Azure, can potentially affect AI tools that rely on Azure infrastructure or services.

Below are the details on how the Azure affected to AI tools

Azure AI Services: If AI tools are built on or utilize Azure AI services (e.g., Azure Machine Learning, Azure Cognitive Services), the disruptions in Azure could lead to degraded performance, unavailability, or errors in these tools.

Azure Compute Resources: AI models often require significant computational power for training and inference. If the AI tools rely on Azure’s virtual machines or other compute resources, the issues could affect the availability and responsiveness of these tools.

Data Storage and Access: Many AI tools depend on Azure storage services to store and access training data or model parameters. If there are disruptions in Azure storage, it could hinder the ability of AI tools to function properly.

Third-Party Dependencies: Even if an AI tool doesn’t directly rely on Azure, it might use other third-party services or components that are hosted on Azure. In such cases, the problems with Azure could indirectly impact the functionality of the AI tool.

It’s important to note that the impact on AI tools can vary depending on their specific architecture, dependencies, and the extent of the Azure issues. Some tools might experience minor hiccups, while others could face more significant disruptions.

If you use any AI tools that are known to rely on Microsoft services, it’s advisable to check their status pages or announcements for any information about potential impacts due to the ongoing issues.

Various impact on the companies

The recent Microsoft outages have had a significant impact on various industries and companies worldwide. Some of the notable companies affected include:

Airlines:

• Akasa Air: Experienced disruptions in booking, check-in, and flight operations.
• IndiGo: Faced delays and cancellations due to the inability to access critical systems.
• Air India: Reported problems with their online services and flight management systems.
• SpiceJet: Struggled to provide real-time updates on flight disruptions due to the outage.
• Frontier Airlines: Grounded flights and experienced disruptions in booking and check-in processes.
• Allegiant Air: Reported issues with flight operations and customer service.
• Sun Country Airlines: Faced temporary unavailability of some services due to the outage.

Other Industries:

• Banks: Several banks experienced difficulties with online banking and transaction processing.
• Stock Market: The outage caused disruptions in stock trading and market data dissemination.
• News Outlets: Many news organizations relying on Microsoft services for content management and delivery experienced disruptions.
• Los Angeles County Fire Department: Reported issues with their system due to the outage.

It’s important to note that this is not an exhaustive list, and many other businesses and organizations worldwide have likely been affected by the Microsoft outages to varying degrees. The widespread reliance on Microsoft’s cloud services highlights the potential vulnerabilities of centralized infrastructure.

*Update*

Root cause of this global Outage

The primary reason for the global outage caused by CrowdStrike was a faulty software update deployed to computers running Microsoft Windows. This update caused kernel instability, leading to system crashes and a widespread disruption of services across various industries.

Another expert, security researcher Patrick Wardle, put the problem with the update down to “a file that contains either configuration information or signatures [code that detects specific types of malicious code or malware]”.

“It’s very common that security products update their signatures, like once a day… because they’re continually
monitoring for new malware and because they want to make sure that their customers are protected from the latest threats,” Mr Wardle said.

He added that the frequency of updates “is probably the reason why [CrowdStrike] didn’t test it as much”. source: new.sky

Although CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity firm, it’s important to note that this incident was not a security breach or cyberattack. It was an unintended consequence of a software update gone wrong.

The outage caused significant disruptions to airlines, hospitals, businesses, government offices, and other organizations worldwide.