Major AWS Outage Hits Global Services

AWS Outage: Key Takeaways and How to Keep Your Systems Resilient

Earlier today, Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a major outage in its US East (US-EAST-1) region, disrupting services across the globe. From Fortnite and Snapchat to Signal, Alexa, and even HMRC in the UK, the ripple effect was immediate and far-reaching.

At Speedster IT, we are closely monitoring the situation and supporting clients impacted by the downtime. Here is our expert take on what happened, what it means, and how to future-proof your systems.

Why Is AWS Down Today? – Which Services are Affected By The AWS Outage?

The outage affected a wide range of cloud-hosted applications and services, including:

  • Consumer platforms: Fortnite, Snapchat, Signal, and Alexa saw widespread disruptions.
  • Enterprise tools: Collaboration platforms and backend services experienced latency and outages.
  • Public sector: Even HMRC in the UK reported service interruptions, highlighting the scale of AWS dependency.

For London-based SMEs and MSPs, this incident underscores the importance of having a robust cloud continuity plan — especially when critical services rely on a single provider.

Is AWS Back Up Yet?

As of this afternoon, AWS reports that services in the US-EAST-1 region are gradually recovering, though some users may still experience latency or intermittent access issues.

The underlying reason has not been completely revealed yet.  

But early indicators point to a DNS resolution failure affecting multiple availability zones.

For UK businesses relying on AWS-hosted applications, it’s a reminder that even short-lived outages can have global consequences.

Speedster IT continues to monitor the situation and support affected clients through our IT support London services, ensuring continuity and rapid response when cloud platforms falter.

How Can I Protect My Business from Cloud Outages? – Lessons on Cloud Dependency

This outage is a stark reminder that even the most trusted cloud platforms are not immune to failure. Key takeaways include:

  • Single-region reliance is risky: Hosting all workloads in one AWS region (like US-EAST-1) creates a single point of failure.
  • Multi-cloud strategies matter: Diversifying across providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) can reduce risk.
  • Monitoring and alerting are essential: Real-time visibility helps teams respond faster when outages occur.

How to Keep Your Systems Resilient

Speedster IT recommends the following strategies to safeguard your business:

  • Implement multi-region failover: Distribute workloads across multiple AWS regions or cloud providers.
  • Use containerisation and orchestration: Tools like Kubernetes enable rapid redeployment during outages.
  • Review your RTO/RPO policies: Ensure your recovery time and point objectives align with business needs.
  • Partner with a proactive IT support team: Our IT support London services include 24/7 monitoring, cloud architecture reviews, and incident response planning.

Should We Switch from AWS?

While today’s outage may prompt some businesses to reconsider their cloud strategy, switching from AWS isn’t always the answer.

AWS remains a market leader with robust infrastructure and global reach. But resilience isn’t about abandoning a provider, it’s about architecting smarter.

For many UK organisations, the real opportunity lies in adopting a multi-cloud or hybrid approach, building in failover across regions, and ensuring critical services aren’t tied to a single point of failure.

At Speedster IT, our IT support London team helps clients assess cloud risk, optimise configurations, and design continuity plans that keep systems running, even when the unexpected hits.

AWS Doubts – We are Here to Help

With over 20 years of experience supporting UK businesses, Speedster IT is your trusted partner in cloud resilience. Whether you are navigating today’s AWS outage or planning for future disruptions, we are here to guide you every step of the way.

Let us talk about how to strengthen your cloud strategy and keep your systems running smoothly, no matter what.