Microsoft outage has not seriously disrupted Latvian state services, minister says

The global Microsoft outage has not significantly affected the core functions of Latvia’s critical state services or services to the public, Edgars Tavars (AS), the minister for smart administration and regional development, said on Friday, according to the LETA news agency.

According to the ministry, some state institutions have had brief technical problems, including with data synchronisation and internal information exchange. The situation is being monitored, and the ministry is gathering information and assessing possible risks together with other ministries.

How institutions are working without email

Gatis Ozols, the deputy state secretary for digital transformation, said institutions have alternative channels, including the official e-address, Latvia’s secure electronic mailbox system for dealings with the state, which works even when email is down. He compared the situation to a power cut, when a generator can be switched on: communication does not stop, and staff use messaging apps, phone calls and face-to-face meetings.

Ozols said the drafting and approval of legislation had not been affected because it takes place on the draft legal acts portal (TAP), not by email.

What is happening at Microsoft

Microsoft said on Friday that the outage affects a wide range of Microsoft 365 products linked to Exchange Online and its email services. Users report that Outlook email, the Teams messaging service and the Copilot AI assistant are not working. The problems began on Thursday.