Ah, to retire at 27. While a dream for many of us, it’s the reality of one of the first web browsers in existence. As Microsoft announced in May, the Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) desktop application will officially retire on June 15, 2022.

Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported by Microsoft. In fact, it’s already been phased out from the Microsoft Teams web app and OneDrive. And on Wednesday, Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be bundled in Windows.

Some of us may recall dialing up to Internet Explorer as our first step in connecting to the World Wide Web. There have been many advancements to that technology – thank goodness! – making Internet Explorer a big part of our digital toolset for many years. That said, Microsoft is wisely choosing to move browsing over to Edge.

What should you do about the Internet Explorer 11 retirement? 

If your current workflow system includes Internet Explorer 11 you will want to transfer over to Microsoft Edge. When you make the switch to Microsoft Edge, you support maintaining security across Microsoft 365. But first things first.

“A software inventory report is a very important tool used to determine where Internet Explorer is still installed on your network,” says Ron Bebus, CIO, CSSP, PrivaPlan. “You should strive to remove all outdated software from your devices. However, if you can’t remove Internet Explorer from all the workstations on your network, then look to your controlled software tools to block it from running. These tools might block it from running on the workstation or at the firewall keeping that application from communicating with the Internet.”

Change is good

Edge is, well, edgier. It provides a faster, more secure, and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer. Microsoft Edge has also been designed to be compatible with older, legacy websites and applications. Microsoft has enabled an IE mode in Edge that delivers backward compatibility with Internet Explorer. This means Edge allows end users easy access to legacy sites alongside modern sites with the intention of everything in a single browser.

Microsoft Edge has higher-rated protection against malware and phishing on Windows 10 than Internet Explorer 11. With Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft issued security updates monthly, but with Edge, Microsoft says security patches will be issued within days. And when combined with Microsoft security and compliance products, Edge is more secure than Internet Explorer 11. No one would argue how important security is, particularly when it comes to patient privacy.

At PrivaPlan Associates, we know the importance of maintaining updates for software and security. This is why we like to remind our customers about impactful changes like this one. We encourage you to migrate any unsupported software or applications to ensure that you receive security updates and patches from these software applications.  And, as always, we’re here to help.  Email us at info@privaplan.com or call 877-218-7707.

Note: Special thanks to Athea Merredyth of PrivaPlan for collaboration on this blog post.