In a world increasingly shaped by technological advancement, ensuring gender equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is no longer a choice—it’s a necessity. Recognizing this, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi launched a pioneering initiative titled ‘Manasvi’ , a STEM mentorship programme for high school girls . The programme, unveiled in New Delhi today, is spearheaded by the institute’s Academic Outreach and New Initiatives Office . Manasvi is not merely an educational engagement; it is a transformative platform aimed at inspiring and empowering young girls to pursue careers in STEM, fields traditionally dominated by men. At the heart of Manasvi lies the ambition to address the deep-rooted gender disparity in STEM education and careers . Despite producing the largest number of science graduates globally, India continues to see disproportionately low female representation in STEM careers —a statistic that underscores the urgent need for su...
New Microsoft 365 Outage Impacts Teams, Causes Call Failures
Introduction: Microsoft 365 Faces Yet Another Outage
Microsoft users worldwide have been experiencing issues with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and other Microsoft 365 services due to a new widespread outage. The disruption has led to call failures, login issues, and email access problems, leaving businesses and individuals struggling to communicate effectively.
As organizations increasingly rely on Microsoft 365 for productivity, outages like these highlight the vulnerabilities of cloud-based services. This article will cover the causes, impact, and possible solutions for the ongoing Microsoft Outlook and Teams outage while addressing the most common user concerns.
What’s Happening? Overview of the Microsoft 365 Outage
On March 4, 2025, Microsoft confirmed a global outage affecting multiple services, including:
✔ Microsoft Teams – Users reported difficulties in joining meetings, call failures, and chat delays.
✔ Outlook 365 – Many users experienced email sending and receiving failures, along with login problems.
✔ Microsoft Outlook Web Access (OWA) – Sign-in issues prevented users from accessing their emails.
✔ Hotmail & Outlook Email – Complaints about messages getting stuck in the outbox.
✔ Microsoft Account Login Failures – Some users reported being locked out of their Microsoft accounts.
Microsoft acknowledged the issue and stated they were working to resolve it, but users were left frustrated as the outage extended for several hours.
What Caused the Microsoft Outage?
While Microsoft has not yet provided a detailed post-mortem report, early investigations suggest that the outage was due to one or more of the following factors:
Server Overload or Traffic Spike – A surge in traffic could have overwhelmed Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.
Network Configuration Changes – Misconfigured DNS settings or internal routing errors may have disrupted service.
Security Issues or Cyber Attacks – Potential DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attacks targeting Microsoft’s cloud servers.
Cloud Service Dependency Issues – Microsoft 365 relies on Azure cloud infrastructure, and a failure in Azure could impact multiple services.
Software Updates Gone Wrong – A faulty software patch or system update could have introduced bugs causing the outage.
Who Is Affected? Global Impact of the Microsoft 365 Outage
The outage is impacting users across multiple countries, with major reports coming from:
North America – Users in the US and Canada reported major disruptions in corporate communication.
Europe – Businesses in the UK, Germany, and France faced severe Outlook login and email issues.
Asia-Pacific – Users in India, Australia, and Japan struggled with delayed Microsoft Teams messages and call failures.
South America & Africa – Many regions reported partial outages affecting Outlook 365 email services.
Key Services Affected: How Microsoft 365 Users Are Struggling
Microsoft Outlook Down – Users can’t access emails, causing delays in business communication.
Microsoft Teams Crashes – Teams calls and video conferences are failing, disrupting remote work.
Microsoft Account Login Errors – Users are unable to sign in to Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft services.
Hotmail Down – Microsoft’s free email service, Hotmail, is experiencing intermittent failures.
Outlook 365 Email Sending Delays – Some users can log in but cannot send or receive messages.
These failures have had a significant impact on businesses, schools, and government institutions that depend on Microsoft 365 for their daily operations.
Is Microsoft Working on a Fix? Official Updates
Microsoft’s official Twitter and status pages have acknowledged the issue. The company is actively working on restoring services and has provided the following updates:
✔ Microsoft is investigating the root cause of the outage.
✔ Engineers are rerouting traffic and applying fixes to affected regions.
✔ Users are advised to refresh their services periodically as recovery progresses.
Despite Microsoft’s efforts, users remain frustrated as the issue continues to affect email communication and virtual meetings.
Troubleshooting: What Can Users Do in the Meantime?
If you are affected by the Microsoft Outlook and Teams outage, try the following steps:
Check Microsoft 365 Status Page – Visit Microsoft’s service status page for real-time updates.
Try Logging in from a Different Device – Use a mobile device or another computer.
Use Alternative Email Services – Forward urgent emails to Gmail or Yahoo Mail as a temporary solution.
Restart Your Router – Reset your internet connection to eliminate local network issues.
Use Teams Web Version – If the desktop app isn’t working, try the browser version.
Follow Microsoft on Social Media – Check Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest outage updates.
If you still can’t access your account, you may need to wait for Microsoft to resolve the issue.
Outlook & Teams Outages: A Growing Concern?
Microsoft 365 outages are becoming more frequent, raising concerns among businesses and professionals. Some notable recent outages include:
January 2024 – Global outage affecting Teams and SharePoint.
July 2023 – Microsoft Exchange services went down for 12+ hours.
October 2022 – Outlook faced widespread login issues.
With each outage, businesses lose productivity, forcing them to consider alternative solutions such as Google Workspace, Zoom, or Slack.
Final Thoughts: Should Businesses Rely Solely on Microsoft 365?
While Microsoft Outlook, Teams, and 365 services are among the most widely used collaboration tools, frequent outages highlight the risks of relying on a single cloud provider.
Businesses should consider implementing redundant communication tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom).
Organizations can use backup email services to avoid disruptions.
Microsoft must improve its server infrastructure and incident response to reduce downtime.
What do you think about Microsoft’s latest outage? Share your experience in the comments!