CHARLOTTE — A nationwide Microsoft outage disrupted the workday for businesses and professionals across the country Thursday, including workers in the Charlotte area who rely on the company’s services to communicate and get their jobs done.
The outage began around noon, leaving some users unable to access email and other Microsoft business applications.
Workers reported error messages and emails that would not go through, creating challenges for people who depend on constant communication.
William Fuchs noticed problems early in the day. “Something was up with it today; it wasn’t clicking,” Fuchs said.
Natalie Croland, who works in financial services, said repeated error messages slowed her down. “I kept getting pop-ups, Microsoft, the little red exclamation,” Croland said.
The disruption affected her regular duties, but also gave her a chance to catch up on other work.
“Yeah, it definitely slowed me down with work, but it’s also kind of a good thing. Gave me a little break to get caught up on other work,” Croland said.
For David Whiteman, who works in accounting, the biggest challenge was staying in touch with colleagues outside his office.
“I was sending some emails, and they weren’t going through,” Whiteman said. “I’m in accounting and communication is critical.”
Whiteman said he hopes service is restored soon because he has a lot of work waiting.
Microsoft has not disclosed what caused the outage or provided a clear timeline for a full restoration of services.
Cybersecurity expert Sam Sabin said Microsoft has not clearly ruled out malicious activity, but that does not establish that the outage was caused by a cyberattack. He said the company is still investigating.
For businesses that depend on Microsoft’s services, the disruption was a reminder of how quickly a technology problem can affect everyday operations.
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