The unexpected outage of Microsoft 365 Cloud services on Thursday night sent ripples across various industries, causing notable disruptions. Major airlines such as Delta, United, and American Airlines found their flights grounded due to communication issues, while banking services including ASB, ANZ, and Kiwibank also faced hiccups. Even ANZ Tap n Pay and Visa payWave weren't spared, leading to a cascade of inconveniences for users around the globe.
When The Cloud Crashes
Microsoft's cloud services, including its Azure cloud and Microsoft 365 suite, experienced significant issues localized to the central US region. While Frontier Airlines managed to lift its nationwide pause on departures after over two hours, other carriers like Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines reported similar problems, highlighting the widespread impact.
Despite the chaos, Microsoft's status pages assured users that multiple teams were engaged, and mitigation efforts were underway. "We are currently applying mitigation. Customers should see signs of recovery at this time as mitigation applies across resources in the region," stated the company.
The Memes Take Flight
In true internet fashion, the outage quickly sparked a wave of memes on X (formerly Twitter). Users, ever ready to find humor in adversity, shared their creative takes on the situation.
Here are some of the memes found on X posted by other users:
Here are some original memes brought to you by coinlive:
When Microsoft decides to take your vacation plans into their own hands
Trying to pay for groceries during a Microsoft 365 outage like...
IT support right now: 'Have you tried turning it off and on again?
When you're all set for a productive day and Microsoft 365 goes down.
The Aftermath
By Friday, Microsoft announced that its cloud services had been restored, though some users still experienced residual issues. "A small subset of services is still experiencing residual impact," the company noted, but assured that the majority of services were back online.
For a brief moment, the world was reminded of its dependency on cloud services. While the disruptions caused significant inconvenience, they also provided an opportunity for a collective laugh.
As users shared their humorous takes on the situation, it became clear that even in the face of technological hiccups, the internet community can always find a way to turn frustration into fun.