FMM Urges Manufacturers To Build Digital Resilience In Light Of Microsoft Outage

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM), pointing to the global disruption of Microsoft 365 services, has emphasised that digital transformation must be accompanied by digital resilience. 

Its president, Jacob Lee Chor Kok, called on manufacturers to review their dependence on individual technology platforms, establish alternative communication channels, maintain secure access to essential operational information, and develop practical contingency plans to ensure continuity during unexpected service disruptions. 

“FMM urges manufacturing information technology (IT) teams to conduct a thorough review of their legacy software and systems,” he said in a statement today, noting that the ongoing disruption of Microsoft 365 services is a timely reminder of the growing vulnerability of businesses to interruptions in critical digital infrastructure. 

Lee noted that the aging infrastructure and unsupported legacy machine applications often present severe integration bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, and single points of failure during broader network or cloud outages. 

Hence, he said, IT departments must assess the compatibility, patch status, and failover mechanisms of these legacy systems to prevent them from compromising operational continuity. 

“FMM also encourages companies to conduct regular business continuity exercises, including simulations of cloud service outages, to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their operational readiness,” he added. 

In addition, he said, FMM further encourages major technology service providers to ensure timely communication, clear status updates, and effective recovery arrangements when disruptions affect business-critical services. 

-- BERNAMA