Businesses, banks, airlines including airports, rail, supermarkets, radio and broadcasters are all offline due to a major Microsoft IT outage.
The UK’s largest train company warned passengers to expect disruption due to “widespread IT issues.”
Banks around the world and major institutions have all reported IT issues and, in the US, a “ground stop” has been issued for all airlines, meaning no flights are allowed to take off.
The IT giant Microsoft has suffered a worldwide glitch causing its stock price to plummet by 0.71%
The Global Payroll Association has warned how today’s global Microsoft IT outage could have a serious impact on company payroll and the ability for businesses across the nation to pay their employees.
Melanie Pizzey, CEO and Founder of the Global Payroll Association, said, “We’ve been contacted by numerous clients already today who have been unable to access their payroll software due to the Microsoft outage and others who have been urged to log out with immediate effect.
“Depending on the length of this outage, it could have very serious implications for businesses across the nation, particularly those who process payroll on a weekly basis. Furthermore, we could see a backlog with regard to processing payrolls for the coming month end which may delay employees from receiving their monthly wage.
“At best, it will require those managing payroll to work overtime to rectify the issue, but the good news is that it doesn’t seem to be a cyber attack. This means that the sensitive employee details held within payroll should be safe, although we’re seeing many companies understandably take action to minimise such a threat as a precaution.”
