Charlotte area businesses from government to medical offices affected by tech outage
The massive global computer outage Friday is affecting various businesses in the Charlotte region, including health care and government offices.
The outage is attributed to CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm whose software is used by industries around the world to protect against hackers and outside breaches, The New York Times reported.
The outage is affecting everything from medical services to TV broadcasts to banks and many other businesses, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Banking customers in Charlotte appear unaffected by global technology outage
Government services impacted
The city of Charlotte’s web-based systems, including its website, are being affected by the worldwide disruption, the city said on X.
“Staff are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and we will share an update as soon as we can,” the city said on its social media sites.
The outage is not affecting 911 or CharkMeck311.
Charlotte Water is “unable to accept water bill payments online due to the Crowdstrike outage,” the city’s water and sewer provider said on X. It said no service disconnections will happen as a result of the outage.
Charlotte’s bus system website also was not accessible Friday morning.
“We are aware of the issue and working to resolve it as quickly as possible,” Charlotte Area Transit System said on X. For immediate assistance, CATS referred customers to its app or to call customer service.
In Rock Hill, the outage is affecting My Ride online services, city spokesperson Katie Quinn told The Herald on Friday. My Ride is the city’s free electric bus service.
“The software we use for scheduling was impacted, so the mobile app and interactive website that show riders the stops, schedule and bus tracking is down,” she said. “Google maps, transit option, is an alternative to use until the issue gets resolved.”
Other county governments also are reporting issues.
Cabarrus County’s website is down. The “service provider is experiencing issues and is working diligently to restore functionality,” the government website states.
Catawba County’s website says its deed search system is down because of the worldwide outage related to CrowdStrike.
Mecklenburg County Information Technology Services is monitoring the global technology outages. Mecklenburg County-based systems and services, including MeckNC.gov, remain operational. However, some county services may be impacted by city and state problems, according to the county.
North Carolina state agencies also have been affected, including the state Department of Health and Human Services and the Division of Motor Vehicles.
All 115 DMV driver license offices were closed Friday morning, though they began to reopen midday, the News & Observer in Raleigh reported. Some of the DMV’s online services also were not functioning.
Health care facilities report troubles
Health groups also are reporting problems.
OrthoCarolina, with dozens of offices and clinics in the Carolinas, told patients to expect call and clinic wait time delays, due to the global outage.
“We appreciate your patience and encourage you to check back for updates,” the orthopedic office said on its website and social media sites.
The Medical University of South Carolina system, which operates 16 hospitals statewide including in Lancaster and Chester, is experiencing service problems.
“At this time, MUSC has not identified a direct impact to its systems as a result of the CrowdStrike outage,” MUSC told The Herald. “However, it has experienced service disruptions associated with a small number of its third-party services. Patient care has not been affected by this outage.”
Atrium Health did not say if its services are being affected Friday but said it is monitoring the outage and working to minimize disruptions for patients. Atrium is a Charlotte-based healthcare organization with seven emergency departments, 40 hospitals, and 1,400 other care locations across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, according to its website. It is part of Advocate Health, the fifth-largest nonprofit health system in the U.S.
Piedmont Dentistry in University City is seeing paperwork and appointment scheduling delays, spokesperson Alisa Wilson told the Observer.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Charlotte reporter Mary Ramsey and CharlotteFive editor Melissa Oyler contributed to this report.
