Technology lifecycles are a given in the business world, but that doesn’t make it any less inconvenient when an application you’ve been using for years loses support.
One of the apps that’s been around since 1995, is about to lose support from a major platform, signaling that its days are numbered as a usable browser.
Internet Explorer 11 isn’t yet reaching end of life, but it might as well be for Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 users. In less than a year both cloud tools will drop support for IE 11.
This announcement was first made by Microsoft back in August 2020, but as of November 30th, the first phaseout is going to happen, meaning businesses in Treasure Valley and the rest of the country may start running into problems.
Read on for the information and the dates that you need to know to keep your office systems running smoothly.
Prepare for the Phaseout of IE 11 by Microsoft 365 Apps
Teams Stops IE 11 Support on November 30, 2020
The first impact from this phaseout of IE 11 is going to be from Microsoft Teams. The application drops support for IE 11 at the end of November.
What this might mean for your company if any employees use IE11:
- If you use Teams: Users will no longer be able to properly use the Teams web interface in IE 11. Those joining your Teams meetings and using IE 11 can have problems trying to join.
- If you meet with others that use Teams: If you receive an invitation to a Teams meeting from someone, you’ll need to use a supported browser instead of IE 11.
Microsoft 365 Stops IE 11 Support on August 17, 2021
On August 17, 2021, all the other Microsoft 365 apps will stop supporting IE 11. This means programs like Word, Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, and more will no longer work as they should in the Internet Explorer browser.
If you use Microsoft 365, you’ll want to make sure that well ahead of this date, all your users are migrated away from IE 11 and to a supported browser. (We’ll go through those shortly!).
What If We Use Legacy Sites in IE 11? Do We Have to Use Two Browsers?
Some companies may have IE 11 legacy sites in their workflow, and Microsoft has thought of this. The company has added an IE Mode to the new Microsoft Edge browser.
What this does is allow companies to use one browser, but still have the ability to open a legacy site in IE11 by switching it to IE Mode. When this is done, the IE icon will show in the browser bar.
When Does IE 11 Reach End of Life?
Loss of support from Teams and Microsoft 365 is big and makes IE 11 much less helpful as a browser. However, it doesn’t signal the end of life or loss of security patch support for the browser.
Since IE is a component of Windows, it takes on the lifecycle of the operating system that it is installed on.
So:
- If you’re running Windows 10: EOL won’t come until October 14, 2025
- If you’re running Windows 7: EOL has already passed on January 14, 2020 (and you REALLY need to upgrade now!)
What Supported Microsoft 365 Browsers Can We Use?
You have a few different options for supported browsers that you can migrate to if your team uses IE 11. Here’s a brief rundown, along with some pros and cons.
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge is the successor to Internet Explorer, and Microsoft has been beefing up its features recently. It’s fast, considered secure, and has been gaining support from plugin-developers.
It’s still fairly new as compared to other popular browsers, so you may still run across apps that don’t support it yet.
If choosing Edge, make sure to get the new Chromium version, as the legacy version reaches its end of life on March 9, 2021.
Chrome
Google’s Chrome browser is by far the most popular. It has support from just about any app or plugin you could want. It’s considered fast and reliable.
Cons include concern about tracking security, and it also tends to hog memory when in use.
Safari
If you have an Apple device, then Safari is an option for you that is fast, simple to use, and secure. However, it no longer supports Windows, so it’s not a good option for Windows users.
Drawbacks are that you’ll run across webforms every now and then that won’t work properly in the browser.
Firefox
Firefox became popular a few years back and has since lost market share and is working to gain it back. It’s considered one of the most secure browsers.
It does tend to hog memory, like Chrome, and it doesn’t support all features of Microsoft Teams.
Get Help Migrating Your Data & Workflows!
Migrating data and workflows from a no longer supported system to a new one can be time-consuming and problematic if you try to do it yourself. Connect2Geek has migration experts that can take the hassle out of upgrades.
Schedule a free consultation today! Call 208-468-4323 or reach out online.