Microsoft reported on Saturday that users of its Azure cloud platform may encounter increased latency and potential service disruptions. The issues are a result of multiple cuts to undersea fiber-optic cables located in the Red Sea region, a critical infrastructure corridor for global data traffic.
In an updated status message, the company explained that the damage is specifically affecting network traffic routes passing through the Middle East. This has forced Microsoft to reroute data through alternative network paths to maintain service continuity and avoid outright interruptions for its customers.
As the world’s second-largest cloud provider after Amazon’s AWS, Azure has managed to keep network traffic flowing despite the significant damage. However, the longer alternative pathways mean that data traveling between certain regions will experience higher latency, or delays, than usual.
Microsoft has committed to providing customers with daily updates on the situation, or more frequently if conditions change. The incident highlights the vulnerability of global internet infrastructure to physical disruptions in key geographic chokepoints like the Red Sea.
