Devon County Council is responding to a global Microsoft outage by deploying backup plans and prioritising frontline services.
The outage affected organisations across Asia overnight and is now being observed across Europe.
The council, which provides 24-hour services to some of the county’s most vulnerable residents, and its partners across education, health, business and other sectors, have experienced disruption.
The council is asking residents to postpone non-urgent contact until the issue is resolved so resources can focus on urgent cases, such as those related to children’s safeguarding.
Deputy Leader Councillor Paul Arnott said:
“Devon County Council has responded well this morning to this significant challenge. Roads have been gritted, our customer service centre, and teams supporting vulnerable adults and children are all operating, albeit without some IT functionality.
“I would urge residents to do their bit today by postponing any non urgent contact so our phone lines, which may be busier than usual, are prioritised for those who need to get in touch as a matter of urgency.
“The knock-on effects of this outage on the council and its partners are likely to be manageable, but may last into next week.”
The council’s contact details can be found on its website, at www.devon.gov.uk/help/contact-us/