IT outage: Microsoft deploys hundreds of engineers, experts to restore services
New Delhi (PTI): US software giant Microsoft has deployed hundreds of engineers and experts with its customers to restore their services after an outage caused by its cyber security partner CrowdStrike, the company said in a blog.
According to Microsoft, 8.5 million devices across the world were impacted by the outage caused by an update from CrowdStrike on July 18.
"Deploying hundreds of Microsoft engineers and experts to work directly with customers to restore services," Microsoft said in a blog post on July 20.
The global outage impacted several points of sales and even grounded airlines in India.
The outage put operations of businesses and systems across the globe in a state of limbo.
Airport and airline operations faced significant disruptions due to the outage, with airlines issuing advisories to passengers. IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa saw disruptions in their online check-in and boarding processes across their networks, forcing them to switch to manual mode.
Several users reported disruptions on the outage-tracking website Downdetector, and many took to X (now Twitter) to vent their frustration on the 'Blue Screen of Death' error messages.
Microsoft said that it is collaborating with other cloud providers and stakeholders, including Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS), to share awareness on the state of impact that it is seeing across the industry and inform ongoing conversations with CrowdStrike and customers.
"We recognise the disruption this problem has caused for businesses and in the daily routines of many individuals. Our focus is providing customers with technical guidance and support to safely bring disrupted systems back online," the blog said.
The software giant said the incident demonstrates the interconnected nature of a broad technology ecosystem comprising global cloud providers, software platforms, security vendors and other software vendors, and customers.
"It's also a reminder of how important it is for all of us across the tech ecosystem to prioritise operating with safe deployment and disaster recovery using the mechanisms that exist," Microsoft said.
The software major said that while software updates may occasionally cause disturbances, significant incidents like the CrowdStrike event are infrequent.
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Assam to lift all cases against Koch Rajbongshis in Foreigners' Tribunals: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Guwahati, Apr 4 (PTI): The Assam cabinet has decided to lift all cases pending against people from the Koch Rajbongshi community in the Foreigners' Tribunals, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
They will also no longer carry the tag of 'D' or doubtful voters, he said.
''There are 28,000 cases pending in different Foreigners' Tribunals in the state against people of the community. The cabinet has taken a historic decision of lifting the cases with immediate effect,'' Sarma said at a press conference here after the cabinet meeting.
The government believes that the Koch Rajbongshis are an indigenous community of the state and they are an inextricable part of ''our social and cultural fabric'', he asserted.
The people of this community are poor and have suffered a lot over the years, he said.
''They will no longer carry the tag of foreigners or ‘D’ voters,'' the CM said.
Foreigners Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies, particularly in Assam, established to determine if a person residing in India is a "foreigner" as defined by the Foreigners Act of 1946, based on the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
These tribunals are designed to address matters related to citizenship and the presence of “foreigners” in India, specifically focusing on cases where someone is suspected of being an illegal immigrant.
There are 100 Foreigners’ Tribunals across Assam.
The Koch Rajbongshis have a sizeable presence in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, and they demand Scheduled Tribe status.
