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Microsoft acknowledged widespread access issues with its 365 services. Image Credit: AFP file

Microsoft confirmed on Thursday that users in New Zealand are experiencing difficulties accessing services like Exchange Online.

Media reports indicate that other products, such as Outlook, Azure cloud computing, and Teams, were also affected. DownDetector, a site monitoring internet outages, reported thousands of Microsoft service failures across the country.

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While Microsoft confirmed the problem and stated that services were gradually recovering, investigations into the root cause are ongoing.

"Service availability is continuing to recover for the majority of users," Microsoft said late Thursday morning. "However, we've identified a small subset of users experiencing residual impact, and we're applying targeted solutions to provide relief. Our investigation into the initial cause of this issue is ongoing."

This latest outage follows a major disruption caused by faulty code in CrowdStrike's cybersecurity software just two weeks ago, which impacted numerous businesses reliant on Microsoft Windows.