When I think of Internet Explorer, I think back to my childhood, when ICT lessons used to have big yellow trackballs and chunky keyboards. Since then IE has evolved, with many businesses using it as their default web browser. However, Microsoft has recently announced that after 25 years they will be eliminating Internet Explorer as of 17th August 2021.
This huge announcement follows news that Microsoft Edge will replace Internet Explorer, with Microsoft trying to avoid having two browsers active at once and moving towards browsers that use chromium open-source software (which has been developed by Google).
It’s all down to user experience, and as Edge is faster and uses less resource, it's more user friendly. Many people are buying the majority of, if not all, their products online now including service-led products that were once only bought from a brick and mortar shop. Web browsers need to be quick, otherwise users will make the switch to a different browser for a better experience.
If you have any online applications that use Internet Explorer as an interface, you will have to start switching them over to Edge. The Microsoft Teams web app will no longer support IE from November 30th 2020, and the remaining Microsoft 365 apps and services will suspend support from 2021. If you do rely on IE to operate, you need to speak to your IT Support team to implement a more suitable alternative.
As the new Edge browser continues to soar in popularity (it is currently the 3rd most popular web browser in the UK on desktop), Microsoft are continuously pushing it out to Windows users via updates.This will help reduce the number of users who end up being caught out still using IE when the support runs out next year.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
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