We started running Windows 11 on one of our computers, and it works just as we expected – except for one big thing: It doesn’t work with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. IE has become dead to Microsoft since it introduced the Edge browser, but somebody needs to tell the Wizards in Washington (state) it’s still very much alive for banks and government agencies. Here’s a tale from a dead zone.
It’s hard to imagine that Microsoft introduced Edge six years ago to try to boost its user base. It’s been refined over the years, in some cases to make it more efficient for businesses. We sometimes overlook that a browser does more than deliver people to a website. It needs to have some compatibility with the back end of a website – the “room where it all happens.” In short, your ability to do business with a company over the internet depends on complex systems that can be modified versions of off-the-shelf systems or proprietary systems that bring all the functionality.
Large, complex systems, such as those for banks and government agencies, may get updates for better security and performance, but they may not get major overhauls. They take a long time to do, and they can be very expensive. Windows’ old Internet Explorer browser and Windows 10 combine to work very well with a lot of banks and government agencies. So much so that some require their customers to use Internet Explorer as their browser to do business with them.
Unfortunately, we discovered Windows 11 does not support Internet Explorer. It’s like the old browser died and was buried to rest in peace. But it’s not a peaceful situation. Delving further into the problem, we found that the bank does not support Edge. So, because Microsoft no longer supports IE with Windows 11 and because my bank requires Internet Explorer, I’m stuck with using Windows 10 as the operating system and IE as the browser. The only alternative is to change banks, and this is not a good reason to make that move.
We also know that a number of our clients need to use Internet Explorer for doing business with several New Jersey government agencies. They have the same problem. The state agencies require them to use IE, and it’s probably safe to assume that my bank will figure out how to solve their browser/operating system compatibility issues before New Jersey does.
Why do we tell you this story? When you get to a moment of truth, the latest is necessarily the greatest. No matter how many cool features Windows 11 may have, you may have a compelling reason to stay with Windows 10. However, there will be another moment of truth coming for those who insist on making their customers use IE. If the institutions don’t make their websites compatible with Edge so that a better performing, more secure back end will protect their customers’ data security, risks will rapidly increase as hackers get more sophisticated.
Microsoft has pledged to support Windows 10 until 2025, which is time for a lot of good things to happen, such as better browser compatibility and better availability of computers that can run Windows 11. In the meantime, call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to talk about your browser, OS and computer options and ways to tighten your own security.