Stop using Google Chrome in your enterprise
Microsoft released their Chromium version of Microsoft Edge some time back, and it has received very positive reviews from tech enthusiasts and regular users alike. The new Microsoft Edge is faster than Google Chrome, integrates with Windows 10 and Microsoft 365, provides an Internet Explorer mode for older enterprise applications, and has many useful features that your users won’t be able to ignore.
Some enterprises still choose to install Google Chrome on their users’ machines. Maybe they had it installed before and can’t remove it because their users are already using it. It may also be a difficult choice to switch hardcore Chrome fans to Microsoft Edge too. But I argue against it. Moving from Google Chrome to Microsoft Edge is surprisingly easy, and has a minimal impact to your users.
Your users won’t even notice
Aside from a different icon, your users won’t even notice that they are using Microsoft Edge. Microsoft Edge looks very similar to Google Chrome, with the exception that it feels more like it belongs in Windows 10. Google Chrome extensions also work in Microsoft Edge, and your users can transfer their data to Microsoft Edge easily.
Microsoft Edge also comes with Windows 10 now by default, which means that no additional installation is required on your end. That’s a huge plus for IT administrators who would rather not have to deploy multiple browsers for every user.
It’s faster
Microsoft Edge, being a browser native to Windows, is a lot faster than Google Chrome, and uses less resources. Microsoft Edge also removes a lot of the bloat that comes with Google Chrome, and provides the ability to update itself through Windows Update, which is a plus for those who would rather not have the browser update itself all the time.
It’s more secure, and more private
If you use Microsoft 365 in your enterprise, you can automatically sign your users in to Microsoft Edge to manage their browser. This means that data loss prevention policies from Microsoft 365 can automatically be set on the browser, and that your users’ bookmarks and browsing data will automatically be synced to their Microsoft 365 work accounts. This also means that your company’s confidential information doesn’t go seeping into someone’s personal Google accounts.
Microsoft Edge also provides a comprehensive set of Group Policies that allows you to manage the browser on your users’ machines. Not that Google Chrome doesn’t provide them, but the ones Microsoft provides includes many features which tie into Microsoft 365 and Windows 10.
You really don’t need another browser
Microsoft Edge is both Chromium and Internet Explorer, all in one. Microsoft Edge provides the level of compatibility that Google Chrome brought when it conquered the web, but also brings enterprise compatibility by providing Internet Explorer Mode, a mode that administrators can configure on users’ machines to redirect certain sites/pages to an Internet Explorer container within Microsoft Edge that maintains legacy add-ons such as Java. This means that your users can be secure on the web with the latest browser engine and security fixes, but can also use your legacy enterprise applications when they need to. Convenient.
You can use it even if you use Google Workspace
You can use Microsoft Edge even if you use Google Workspace in your enterprise. With the exception of browser data syncing, Microsoft Edge should work with all of Google Workspace’s services (with the exception of a couple of nag messages deliberately put in by Google). And if you use something else, that should work too.
In summary
The new Microsoft Edge makes your enterprise easier to manage, and you’ll have lesser to worry about when testing and deploying your enterprise applications. Despite all of Microsoft’s nagging (which I argue is actually for the users' sake), the new Microsoft Edge is great, and I think we’re just seeing the start of something even greater.
