Microsoft restores global services following major 24-hour technical outage

A global technical outage lasting over 24 hours disrupted Microsoft services, including Outlook, Teams, and Copilot, affecting users, businesses, and government institutions in at least 74 countries. The incident began on November 13 and was officially declared fully resolved by the company on November 14. Microsoft attributed the failure to a configuration change in its network infrastructure that caused server issues within Exchange Online, expressly denying any connection to cyberattacks or artificial intelligence systems.

In Cyprus, public sector email communications were significantly impacted, though core state digital systems, such as CY Login, remained functional. Globally, the outage triggered an estimated 7.4 million reports of issues and caused substantial operational delays, forcing many organizations to revert to legacy communication methods like fax and traditional telephony. Financial analysts at Morningstar DBRS estimate the total insured losses from the incident could range between 300 and 500 million dollars. While full functionality has been restored, the event has reignited international debates regarding the risks associated with centralized cloud dependency and the urgent need for robust contingency planning in global digital infrastructure.