Shaw Communications Email Outage on November 25, 2024: Impact on Microsoft 365 Users

On November 25, 2024, Shaw Communications, a major telecommunications provider in Canada, experienced a significant email outage affecting customers across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. This disruption coincided with a global Microsoft 365 outage, leading to confusion among users regarding the causes and implications of these simultaneous incidents.

Shaw's email service began experiencing issues early on Monday, with the company receiving reports at 8:52 AM. By 3 PM, service was restored. The outage impacted users' ability to send and receive emails, leading to widespread frustration. A Shaw spokesperson clarified that the issue was unrelated to the Microsoft 365 outage affecting thousands worldwide on the same day. The specific technical cause of Shaw's email disruption was not disclosed, leaving users to speculate about the nature of the problem.

On the same day, Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook and Teams, faced significant disruptions. Users reported difficulties accessing emails, loading calendars, and using other Microsoft 365 applications. Microsoft acknowledged the issue, attributing it to a recent change and working to revert it. By midday, Microsoft claimed that the fix had reached approximately 98% of affected environments, though some users continued to experience issues. (forbes.com)

The simultaneous outages had a compounded effect on users, especially those relying on Shaw Communications for email services and Microsoft 365 for productivity tools. The disruptions led to halted communications, delayed projects, and operational challenges for businesses and individuals alike. Users expressed concerns over the reliability of cloud-based services and the need for robust contingency plans.

While Shaw did not disclose the specific technical cause of their email outage, the timing of the incident suggests potential infrastructure issues. The Microsoft 365 outage was linked to a recent system change that impacted Exchange Online and Teams calendar functionalities. Microsoft's prompt response involved identifying the problematic change and deploying a fix, which was largely effective by midday. (forbes.com)

The events of November 25, 2024, underscore the vulnerabilities inherent in cloud-based services and the interconnectedness of digital platforms. Users are advised to implement backup communication channels and stay informed through official service status pages to mitigate the impact of such outages in the future.

• Shaw email outage due to a technical issue, not related to Microsoft problems - Victoria Times Colonist
• Microsoft 365 Outlook, Teams, SharePoint Outage — Here’s What You Need To Know - Forbes
• Is Outlook down? Thousands of Microsoft 365 users report outage issues - Associated Press