On Thursday afternoon, November 12, Outlook stopped working for millions of people. Many offices in Ajax and across Durham Region could not open their inbox, send invoices or see their calendar, and for some the problem carried on into Friday morning. Microsoft said the cause was a problem with its own servers, not a cyberattack. Outages like this do not happen often, but when they do, the offices that cope best are the ones with a simple plan ready. This guide shows small businesses in Ajax how to build a Microsoft 365 outage plan in an afternoon, so the next one costs you hours of calm instead of a day of chaos.
What happened in the November 12 Microsoft 365 outage
Problems started shortly after 1 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. Outlook on the web and the desktop app could not connect, email was delayed, and anything that relies on email, such as Teams calendars and meeting invites, Copilot and parts of the Microsoft 365 admin centre, was affected too. Most Teams calls, chats and meetings kept working, and files saved in SharePoint could still be opened.
Microsoft also extended the time delayed emails keep trying to deliver to 48 hours, so most messages sent during the outage should arrive once service recovers rather than bounce. Even so, a long gap in email is a real problem if your office lives in Outlook, and that is true for most accountants, law offices, clinics and real estate teams.
Why a small office needs an outage plan
You cannot stop Microsoft from having a bad day. What you can control is how your team reacts. Without a plan, people restart their computers over and over, reinstall Outlook, change passwords in a panic or wait at their desks for someone to tell them what to do. With a plan, everyone knows where to check, how to reach each other and what work can carry on.
An outage is also a busy time for scammers. Fake emails and texts that say “your Microsoft account needs to be re-verified” or “click here to restore your mailbox” tend to appear when people are already confused. A plan that tells staff where real updates come from makes those tricks much easier to spot.
How to build a Microsoft 365 outage plan for your Ajax office
Here are the six steps we suggest for offices with 5 to 20 staff. Write them on one page and keep a printed copy at the front desk.
1. Decide who checks and who tells the team
Pick one person, usually the office manager, to confirm whether the problem is with Microsoft or with your own office. They check the official Microsoft 365 status page, try a second device or a phone hotspot, and then send one clear message to staff. One voice stops ten people from troubleshooting the same thing.
2. Keep a backup contact list outside Microsoft 365
If your only staff phone list lives in Outlook, you lose it when Outlook goes down. Keep a short list of every staff member’s mobile number, plus your key clients, suppliers and your IT contact, somewhere separate: a printed sheet and a note on the office manager’s phone are enough. Set up a group text so you can reach everyone in seconds.
3. Choose a backup way to talk
During the November 12 outage, Teams chat and calls mostly kept working while email did not. That will not always be the case, so agree on a fallback in order: Teams chat first, then group text, then phone calls. Tell staff which one to use so nobody waits for an email that will not arrive.
4. Make sure important files can be opened offline
If your team uses OneDrive or SharePoint, the OneDrive sync app can keep copies of key folders on each computer, so people can keep working even when the internet or Microsoft has trouble. Pick the folders that matter most, such as current client files, templates and forms, and make sure they are set to stay on the device. Our guide to backup and disaster recovery for small businesses explains how this fits with a proper backup.
5. Prepare a short message for clients
Write a two-line message now that you can post or send by text when email is down, for example: “Our email is affected by a Microsoft outage. Please call us at our main number for anything urgent today.” Add it to your website or social media pages during an outage, and record a matching voicemail greeting if your phones allow it. Clients are patient when they know what is going on.
6. List the work that can carry on
Some tasks need email, but many do not. Make a short list of jobs staff can do during an outage: filing, calls to clients, updating records, planning, training or working on documents saved offline. People who know what to do next stay productive instead of watching a spinning Outlook icon.
What not to do during an outage
- Don’t reinstall Outlook or reset computers. When the problem is on Microsoft’s side, it rarely helps and can create new problems.
- Don’t change passwords or settings because of the outage. Your account is not the problem, and rushed changes can lock people out later.
- Don’t click links that promise to fix your mailbox. Microsoft will not email or text you a link to restore your account during an outage. Check the status page directly.
- Don’t resend the same email over and over. Delayed messages usually deliver once service returns, and repeats confuse clients.
After the outage: a five-minute review
Once things are back to normal, take five minutes with your team. Did everyone get the message? Could people reach each other? Was any important file out of reach? Did any client miss something urgent? Fix what did not work and update your one-page plan. It is also a good moment to check that your email is backed up, since Microsoft keeps the service running but does not promise to protect every message and file you store there.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose emails sent during the outage?
Usually not. For the November 12 outage, Microsoft kept delayed messages trying to deliver for 48 hours. If something important seems missing once service is back, ask the sender to resend it or call them.
How do I know if the problem is Microsoft or my office?
Check the official Microsoft 365 status page and try another device or network, such as your phone on mobile data. If other people and other offices are affected too, it is almost certainly Microsoft.
Get help with your outage plan from GoCloudii
GoCloudii helps small offices in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa and across Durham Region keep Microsoft 365 running smoothly, watch for outages and get staff back to work fast when something goes wrong. You can compare our IT plans to see what is included, or talk to us about setting up your own one-page plan.
