Microsoft Edge Legacy End of Support: What Can You Expect from the ‘New’ Edge?

Microsoft Edge Legacy End of Support: What Can You Expect from the ‘New’ Edge?

Microsoft’s Edge browser is nearing an edge of its own. In just a few short weeks, support will run out for the browser, leaving users without the patches and updates needed to ensure a safe online experience. However, Microsoft has already laid out a post-Edge path for organizations to follow, one that won’t require learning a new browser name.

Support for Microsoft Edge Legacy, as it has been dubbed, will end on March 9, 2021. Microsoft’s next generation browser, also called Microsoft Edge, will arrive on April 13, 2021 with the release of the company’s next monthly security update. This update, once applied, will automatically uninstall Edge Legacy and replace it with the newly reimagined version of Edge. It’s worth nothing there are a few ways to gain access to new Edge sooner, including by applying the optional Windows 10 March Preview.

So, what is it about “new” Edge that makes it worth the trip from legacy Edge? Aside from the fact that it will still be supported as we move through the spring (and beyond)? We sat down with our in-house Microsoft experts to find out.

4 ways new Edge was built with security in mind

Here are the elements our team wanted to highlight. New Edge:

  • is built on a Chromium foundation. Microsoft’s new Edge browser shares a Chromium (an open source project sponsored by Google) base with another leading browser: Chrome. By leveraging Chromium at its core, Edge can take advantage of, and build upon, the engineering and security advances project team members have already pioneered.  
  • includes best-of-breed malware and phishing protection. Microsoft’s SmartScreen technology clocked in at a 98.5% success rate stopping malware attempts and a 95.5% success rate stopping phishing attempts. SmartScreen operates by using real-time reputation checks to verify the respectability of sites, downloads and more. It draws its threat insights from Microsoft’s global security network.      
  • supports native threat isolation. Untrusted sites can, as part of a Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise environment, be opened and run in a separate, isolated container using Application Guard. In the event a site does prove to be a threat, that threat won’t be able to spread to the rest of the corporate network.    
  • built-in defenses against internal threats. Security initiatives must look inward as well as outward. Edge includes native support for advanced Microsoft 365 tools designed to keep data safe from internal risk factors. These include:
    • Azure AD Conditional Access, which uses signals such as user and location, device type, application, etc. to inform better security decision-making and enforce organizational defensive policies.
    • Windows Information Protection, which can help stop data leaks by restricting access to corporate data to only approved applications on Windows 10 devices. It can also provide download encryption, upload prevention, and more protecting data as defined by organizational security teams.  
    • Microsoft Endpoint Data Loss Prevention discovers and labels sensitive data on employee devices, including credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc. Endpoint DLP can then alert users to potentially non-compliant activity regarding this data as they work online.

Next Steps: Modernizing your users’ browsing experience

What comes next? You’ll want to have a plan in place to transition off of Edge Legacy and onto the new version. Also, as with any change, you’ll want to take time to inform users about what to expect and offer training as needed. Furthermore, if Kiosk mode is in use, it will need to be redeployed following the switch to new Edge. 

Need a hand preparing your users or your environment for life after Edge Legacy? Arraya Solutions can help. Our team can handle everything from end user training to deployment and configuration, to ensure your organization enjoys the most modern, secure Edge experience. Reach out to our team today to start a conversation!

Visit https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/ to connect with our team now.

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