when is it and what should i do

The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application (IE11) will be discontinued by Microsoft in six weeks. The web browser will no longer be supported by the technology giant as of June 15, and businesses and IT departments are urged to migrate their environments, systems and websites to Microsoft Edge or another browser.

Companies should identify all IE-dependent sites before the termination date and even consider withdrawing compatibility earlier, writes Eric Van Aelstein, Microsoft’s product manager for Edge. in a blog post news confirmation. “We know that waiting for something to happen can be stressful, especially in complex IT environments,” said Van Aelstein. “So instead of waiting, we recommend that you schedule your own internal retirement date – the best way to prepare for disabling IE after June 15 is to actively retire IE in your organizations before June 15.

But how will the end of IE11’s life affect business? Google Chrome has a 64% market share for a global desktop browser, compared to IE11’s 0.32% share, so it’s not a popular browser. However, many legacy applications and websites still rely on IE11 and are yet to migrate to Edge.

Can I use IE11 after June 2022?

From June 15, if a user tries to open the IE11 desktop application, he will be redirected to Microsoft Edge. Microsoft’s latest web browser has IE mode; built-in compatibility for legacy IE-based sites and applications.

This mode should alleviate any problems with legacy websites and applications, but Microsoft has warned that some aspects may not work the same way.

In Windows 10, after the update, the desktop application will be unavailable to end users. Previous operating systems will not be affected by this update. Windows 11 does not have IE11 as a browser.

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Microsoft has confirmed that it will stop supporting IE Mode for Edge until 2029.

In a blog post from May 2021Sean Lindersey, general manager, Microsoft Edge Enterprise, wrote that the future of web browsing in Windows 10 will be Microsoft Edge.

In the past year, you may have noticed our deviation from Internet Explorer (“IE”) support, such as the announcement of the end of IE support for Microsoft 365 online services. Today we are at the next stage of this journey: we announce that the future of Internet Explorer in Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge. “

How will the end of IE11’s life affect business?

Some companies may use legacy applications or websites that are only compatible with IE11. While Edge has IE mode, these applications and sites may not work as expected.

An example is the BACS payment scheme used by businesses to send and receive payments. Edward Taylor, managing Interbacs, a payment software provider, explains that BACS has relied on IE to provide “the full functionality of its website and application for many years.” However, due to the withdrawal of IE11, BACS introduced measures to allow the functionality of their website and applications through other means.

“Any company in the UK that uses the BACS service in any way can be affected,” Taylor said. “The BACS service is used for a wide range of means of payment, whether it be salaries, payments to suppliers, regular direct debit collection for things like membership or monthly payments related to a contract.”

Therefore, Taylor says that all companies in the United Kingdom must take into account the changes and make sure that they configure their systems accordingly. Failure to do so may risk payment errors: “There is a good chance that a company will use the BACS service in at least one aspect of the financial processing of the business,” he said.

This is not only a risk in terms of financial loss, but there are also potential reputational damage and security risks for anyone who does not adhere to these changes.

How should companies migrate their systems to Edge?

Microsoft has provided a guide for businesses and developers to make the transition to Edge.

For IT departments, administrators can apply a “disable IE policy” for their business environment. This will ensure that people cannot use the standalone IE 11 browser and that all IE-compliant websites will be accessible in Edge using IE mode.

“We recommend that you test as thoroughly as possible with pilot user groups – including implementing an IE deactivation policy for these users – before your broader internal retirement / deactivation activities. This is the best time to deal with any compatibility issues you may encounter, ”said the latest post on Microsoft’s migration blog.

Developers can also redirect end users to Edge if they use the unsupported IE11 application, says the technology giant.

“To minimize downtime, Microsoft Edge supports a new feature that automatically redirects users,” says the Microsoft Build website. “When an Internet Explorer user goes to a website that is incompatible with Internet Explorer, Windows can automatically redirect the user to Microsoft Edge. Only websites that are on the Need Microsoft Edge list will be redirected.”