By Tommy Hilton

DUBAI ‑‑ Millions of people across the world working from home due to coronavirus regulations caused Microsoft Teams to crash on Monday, forcing the company to work to resolve the issues as employees adjusted to a new routine of work.

Coronavirus, which is transmitted through contact with other people, has reached pandemic level. This week, many countries took the action of telling people to self-isolate, encouraging them to work from home to minimize the spread of the virus.

Microsoft Teams is one of the main pieces of software used to work remotely. It allows users to connect via instant messaging and video chat functions, as well as share screens and documents to facilitate working from home.

But on Monday, as millions logged in to the software for the first time, Teams reportedly crashed – limiting their ability to work effectively.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, the Teams outage affected users in Spain and Italy, as well as France, the UK, and Belgium. This was the result of a huge spike in users on Monday morning.

Users in the United Arab Emirates, which shut down many public spaces on Monday, also reported problems with the software. Many companies in the UAE are implementing work from home strategies as the country moves to shut spaces including eateries, gyms, and museums.

A spokesperson from Teams acknowledged the crash and responded to a complaint via Twitter, promising to look into the “functionality problems.”

As people across the world change their work and life habits – with extreme cases including stockpiling food and investing in bunkers – it is likely that other systems will experience strain before adapting to the new reality. ‑‑ Al Arabiya English