Why It's Time to Move Away from Internet Explorer

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Why It's Time to Move Away from Internet Explorer

One of the browsers that has been around since the early days of the internet is Internet Explorer (IE). It was released by Microsoft in 1995 and held an impressive 95% of the browser market share in 2003.

But as the 2020’s unfolded, more browser competitors arrived, with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari all being introduced in the early part of the century, causing IE to lose its dominance.

The final sign of an impending end to IE was when Microsoft introduced a new browser in Windows called Edge. This is now its default browser and IE 11 is on the way out.

If you want to keep a modern I.T. infrastructure at your office, it’s important to know when software, browsers, or operating systems are going to lose support so you can upgrade well before that happens.

If you’re using Internet Explorer on any devices, it’s time for an upgrade to a different browser now. We’ll tell you why. 

Why You Need to Migrate from IE 11 to a Newer Internet Browser

Microsoft Teams & Microsoft 365 Ending Support for IE

While IE 11 is not yet at its official end of life, it might as well be for Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 users because support is being ended for the browser by both.

Microsoft Teams has already ended support for IE on November 30, 2020. 

The rest of the applications in Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook, MS Forms, etc.) will end support for the browser on August 17, 2021.  

What does “loss of support” mean, exactly?

Microsoft describes it this way, “customers will have a degraded experience or will be unable to connect to Microsoft 365 apps and services on IE 11.”

This means that either the applications will no longer be able to be accessed in the browser at all, or you may have an unreliable experience including one or more of the following:

  • New Microsoft 365 features won’t be available

  • Some functions may stop working in the browser

For Teams users, this can mean that anyone trying to join your Teams video calls may not be able to when using the IE browser. If you use Teams often to host video meetings, you may want to add a notice to your meeting invites that IE 11 is no longer supported, and suggest the use of an alternate browser, like Edge, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari.

Gmail & Google Workspace Apps Ending Support for IE

If you’re not a Microsoft 365 user, you still need to think about switching away from IE, because Microsoft isn’t the only developer dropping support for Internet Explorer, Google is as well.

As of March 15, 2021, Google Workspace apps will no longer work in IE 11. 

This includes popular applications that are access via web, such as:

  • Gmail

  • Google Drive

  • Docs/Sheets/Slides

  • Meet/Chat

  • Keep

  • Google Calendar

  • and others

Google will begin warning users with a banner that will recommend IE users migrate to another browser to “avoid any possible disruptions in service such as degraded performance and security vulnerabilities.”

Other Web Applications

You can also expect multiple other cloud applications to follow the lead of Microsoft and Google and end support of Internet Explorer in their platforms. Salesforce, for example, is ending IE 11 support for its Lightening Experience and communities on December 31, 2020.

Some apps have already dropped IE support. Such as, popular CRM program Zendesk, ended support for IE 11 back on December 31, 2019.

What You Need to Do

If you or any employees at your business still use Internet Explorer, you need to upgrade now to another browser to avoid loss of service from multiple applications, including Microsoft 365 and Google’s Workspace apps, as well as to ensure you’re not risking any security vulnerabilities. 

Is IE 11 at End of Life?

No, the browser isn’t technically at end of life yet. Because it’s a component of Windows, it takes on the lifecycle of the operating system. So, if you’re running IE 11 on Windows 10, it won’t reach EOL until that OS does in 2025. 

However, because so many applications are dropping support for the browser, it will effectively be at loss of support even prior to the official EOL. 

Your Browser Options

There are four key browser options that are supported by Microsoft 365 and Google apps. These include:

  • Edge (Microsoft’s new browser that took over from IE)

  • Chrome (Currently, the most popular browser)

  • Firefox (Known for having good default security settings)

  • Safari (Works well on Mac, but not supported on Windows)

Get Help Migrating Data and Web-based Workflows 

BrainStomp can help your business with a smooth migration from IE 11 to another browser, including ensuring all data and settings are transitioned along with your web-based workflows. 

Contact us for a consultation at 260-918-3548 or reach out online.