Friday 13th certainly lived up to its reputation. The Microsoft outage small businesses had to deal with showed just how much we rely on email.
Microsoft Outlook, Teams and Copilot were hit by a major outage that started on Thursday and continued for more than 20 hours. With over 430 million people using Microsoft 365, that’s a lot of businesses suddenly struggling to get things done.
While the outage affected major organisations, it also caused problems for smaller businesses. And there are a few lessons worth taking away from it.
When Your Email Stops Working
Businesses across different industries found themselves struggling to communicate.
A South African wine producer couldn’t process orders or contact European suppliers. Crewe Alexandra FC couldn’t email match tickets to supporters and had to ask fans to collect them instead. Schools asked parents to phone rather than email, while estate agents had to rely on good old-fashioned phone calls.
It’s easy to forget how much we rely on email and online services until they stop working.
For many small businesses, Microsoft 365 handles almost everything, from emails and calendars to meetings and file storage.
When it goes down, it can affect the whole business.
What Went Wrong?
Microsoft says the outage wasn’t caused by a cyber attack or its AI tools.
The problem appears to have been caused by a bug introduced during an earlier network upgrade. A further network change on Thursday triggered the issue, affecting services across Microsoft 365.
Microsoft has promised a full report once everything has been resolved.
This also wasn’t the first major outage. Microsoft 365 has experienced several significant problems over the past year.
Microsoft Outage Small Businesses Can Prepare For: Five Simple Ways
You don’t need expensive backup systems or complicated plans. A few simple steps can make a big difference.
- Make sure customers can phone you. Put your telephone number clearly on your website and Google Business Profile. If your email stops working, customers still need a way to contact you.
- Have a backup email address. Consider having an emergency email account with a different provider. Make sure important customers and suppliers know how to reach you.
- Check for missing emails. Some messages sent during the outage may have been delayed or lost. If you’re waiting for an important order, enquiry or payment confirmation, don’t assume it will arrive. Pick up the phone and check.
- Keep customers informed. A simple message on your website or social media can let customers know what’s happening and how to contact you while your email is unavailable.
- Watch out for scams. Scammers often take advantage of situations like this. Be careful with unexpected calls, emails and messages claiming to offer help.
Watch Out for Scams
Following the outage, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned people to be careful with unexpected calls and messages, especially those containing links.
Scammers may pretend to be from Microsoft, your IT support company or another trusted service provider.
Here are a few things to look out for:
- Unexpected calls from Microsoft or IT support. Be suspicious of anyone contacting you out of the blue offering to fix your account. Hang up and contact the company using its official website details.
- Changes to supplier bank details. Always check any request to change payment details by phone using a number you already have.
- Requests for remote access. Never let someone take control of your computer unless you’ve checked who they are.
- Unexpected links. Be careful with messages about account recovery, security updates or fixing the outage.
It’s also worth being careful when looking for alternative ways to work.
Forwarding customer documents to personal email accounts, sharing files through WhatsApp or putting business information into free AI tools might seem like an easy solution.
However, you could be putting customer and business information at risk. If personal data is compromised, you may have to report it to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours.
Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone and wait until your normal systems are working again.
One other thing worth checking is how you receive security codes for other online services. If they are sent to your Microsoft email account, you could find yourself locked out of those services too.
Where possible, consider using an authenticator app as an alternative.
If you think you’ve been targeted by fraud, you can report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.
Your Website Can Help
Your website is one of the most useful tools you have when your email stops working.
Customers should still be able to find your telephone number, opening hours and business information.
You can also use your website to display a message explaining any problems and providing alternative contact details.
Another useful idea is to make sure your website contact forms save enquiries directly to your website as well as sending an email notification.
That way, if your inbox stops working, you can still access messages once everything is back up and running.
It’s a simple improvement that could prevent you from missing an important enquiry.
A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way
The Microsoft outage small businesses have just lived through is a reminder that even the biggest technology companies can have problems.
Most of us rely on email and online services every day without thinking about what would happen if they suddenly stopped working.
You don’t need a complicated backup plan. Just make sure you have another way to communicate, somewhere to access important information and a website that continues to help your customers.
It’s much easier to prepare now than try to sort everything out when something goes wrong.
Need a Hand With Your Website?
If you’d like to make sure your website is doing everything it can to support your business, or want to talk about making your online setup more reliable, get in touch.
I’m based in Teesside and work with small businesses across Teesside, North Yorkshire and the wider North East.
No call centres or account managers. Just you dealing directly with me.
