Users have been unable to send emails or communicate via Teams, or have had only limited functionality.
Loïc Beurlet, customer service director at BCE, called it "absolutely a global problem" in an interview with RTL. At around 11am, when Microsoft had started reporting initial improvements, the cause appeared to lie within Microsoft's own infrastructure, he said. There was no evidence of a cyberattack.
Using a single provider has daily advantages, such as seamless integration and user-friendly products, Beurlet said. But a major outage can quickly compromise a large part of an organisation's operations.
He advised businesses to assess their dependencies and plan alternative communication channels in advance. For Luxembourg companies, he named the national messaging platform LuxChat as an example. Above all, he said, firms need a backup plan so activity can continue as smoothly as possible during technical disruptions.
Microsoft is gradually restoring the affected services and working to prevent data loss. Beurlet recommends that businesses with operational difficulties activate emergency procedures and use alternative channels for internal and external communication. Private users who do not urgently need the services should wait until the problems are resolved before trying again.
