Microsoft outage forces in-person bond payments in Arapahoe County
A late Thursday service disruption halted email access for government and university users across Colorado.
By Martin Reynolds ·
Microsoft services, including Outlook email, went offline for thousands of users starting late Thursday morning, November 12. The outage disrupted operations for the United States Federal Government, Colorado state agencies, and City and County of Denver offices.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office reported on Facebook that the failure blocked online bond payments for people held at the Arapahoe County Detention Facility. Jail officials could not process payments because they did not receive the required email notifications. The post stated that anyone needing to post bond had to do so in person until Outlook was restored.
Colorado’s Judicial Branch announced on its website that certain services were impacted. Both Colorado State University and the University of Colorado Boulder warned students and faculty that communication would be affected.
Mark Gregory, a professor at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, told CNN on Thursday that the outage could cost billions of dollars. He noted that many workers spent the day sitting at their computers or resting. Gregory estimated the global cost could reach $50 billion or more.
Microsoft has not provided a timeline for when service will be fully restored. The company extended Outlook’s email timeout window to 48 hours to prevent the loss of delayed messages.
