US software giant Microsoft has faced a significant challenge in the form of a global outage caused by its cyber security partner CrowdStrike. The issue arose from an update released by CrowdStrike on July 18, affecting an estimated 8.5 million devices worldwide.
Microsoft acknowledged the disruption, stating in a blog post that they had deployed hundreds of engineers and experts to work directly with customers to restore their services. The outage caused widespread disruption, impacting points of sale and even forcing airlines in India to ground flights.
The impact was felt across industries, with businesses and systems worldwide experiencing operational disruptions. Airport and airline operations faced significant challenges, leading to delays and cancellations. IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Airlines saw disruptions in their online check-in and boarding processes, forcing them to rely on manual procedures.
Many users reported issues on the outage-tracking website Downdetector, expressing their frustration on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) with the infamous ‘Blue Screen of Death’ error messages.
In response to the incident, Microsoft emphasized its collaboration with other cloud providers, including Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS), to share information about the impact and facilitate ongoing communication with CrowdStrike and customers.
Microsoft acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the outage, stating, “We recognise the disruption this problem has caused for businesses and in the daily routines of many individuals. Our focus is providing customers with technical guidance and support to safely bring disrupted systems back online.”
The software giant used the incident to highlight the interconnected nature of the tech ecosystem, which includes global cloud providers, software platforms, security vendors, other software vendors, and customers.
Microsoft emphasized the importance of prioritizing safe deployments and disaster recovery mechanisms within the tech ecosystem, stating, “It’s also a reminder of how important it is for all of us across the tech ecosystem to prioritise operating with safe deployment and disaster recovery using the mechanisms that exist.”
While acknowledging the occasional disturbances caused by software updates, Microsoft clarified that significant incidents like the CrowdStrike event are infrequent.
