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Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer 11 in August next
year. This means that the legacy browser will no longer be compatible
with a range of Microsoft 365 Services, including OneDrive and Outlook.
Time is already up for users of the Microsoft Teams web application.
Support for that ended on November 30th.
Any users who are still connecting to Microsoft 365 apps through
IE11 will see a marked drop in performance after August 2021. Some
features may stop working altogether.
The tech giant has been reducing its support for IE for several
years because it planned to replace it with its new internet browser
‘Edge.’ But the original version of Edge lost significant
market share to Google’s Chrome browser, and this deterred
many IE users from making the switch to Edge. Chrome then came to
dominate the internet browser market, with more and more web developers
using Chrome to create new web applications and services. As a result,
Microsoft had to go back to the drawing board with its Edge browser.
Ouch!
The New Edge
Edge has now been redesigned. It looks and feels similar to Chrome
and has a number of new features. Edge is included in a Windows
10 systems update, and there is no option to uninstall it. Edge
now includes an IE legacy mode, intended to ween die-hards off IE
before the August 2021 deadline.
Since its release in January this year, millions of users have
upgraded their home and work browsers to Edge.
Microsoft claims both consumer and commercial users will be well
served by changing from IE11 to Edge, due to faster, more responsive
web access and a more robust set of features in its commonly used
applications, such as Outlook, Teams and SharePoint.
Microsoft recommends the new Edge browser for compatibility and
for secure remote working. Significantly, it has built-in technology,
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, to protect you from viruses and
malware.
SmartScreen is the highest rated phishing and malware protection
product, as measured by two independent studies.
Regular readers of this newsletter will know that cyber crime is
the biggest threat businesses face today. So this integrated protection
is a big benefit of Edge. Here’s how it works.
Protecting You from Cyber Crime
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen helps you identify phishing and
malware websites and also helps you make informed decisions about
downloading files.
- Browsing the Web
As you browse the web, Smartscreen analyses pages and determines
if they might be suspicious. If it finds suspicious pages, SmartScreen
will display a warning.
- Phishing and Malware Protection
SmartScreen checks the sites you visit against a dynamic list
of reported phishing sites and malicious software sites. If it
finds a match, SmartScreen will show you a warning, letting you
know that the site has been blocked for your safety.
- Downloading Files
SmartScreen checks files that you download from the web against
a list of reported malicious software sites and programs known
to be unsafe. If it finds a match, SmartScreen will warn you that
the download has been blocked.
SmartScreen also checks the files that you download against a
list of files that are downloaded by many people who use Internet
Explorer. If the file that you're downloading isn't on that list,
SmartScreen will warn you.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this final newsletter of 2020
and that you have picked up some useful information.
All of us at CNC would like to take this opportunity to thank you
for your business and for your support during this very difficult
year. We really appreciate it.
We wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy
(and hopefully Back to Normal!) New Year. |
