Enterprises Slow to Dump IE

Dom · Jul 7, 2004, 08:43 PM

The calls to dump Internet Explorer may be getting louder, but they are falling largely on deaf ears among enterprise users.

IT managers and users say that while the rash of security flaws associated with IE has drawn new attention to its vulnerabilities and has led some individuals to switch browsers, enterprises are reluctant to change browsers because of their reliance on IE-specific intranet applications and Web sites.

Following a series of critical security flaws tied to IE, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team last week suggested the use of an alternative browser as one way to avoid potential problems. Its recommendation has drawn widespread attention to rival browsers from the open-source Mozilla Foundation, Opera Software ASA and Apple Computer Inc.

"Mozilla has shown itself to be a capable browser and has only gotten better with each release, but until something bad happens to more people, then the interest in moving to that is not going to be that high," said Dennis Barr, IT manager at civil engineering consulting company Larkin Group Inc., in Kansas City, Mo.

Barr himself uses the open-source Mozilla Firefox browser. Though he prefers to stay off IE, he has had little success persuading his fellow users at the 50-employee company to make a similar move. The biggest hindrance: the lack of support for ActiveX controls in alternatives such as Mozilla, he said.

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Source: eWeek

Jul 7, 2004, 08:43 PM	#1
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,940 Rep Power: 0	Enterprises Slow to Dump IE The calls to dump Internet Explorer may be getting louder, but they are falling largely on deaf ears among enterprise users. IT managers and users say that while the rash of security flaws associated with IE has drawn new attention to its vulnerabilities and has led some individuals to switch browsers, enterprises are reluctant to change browsers because of their reliance on IE-specific intranet applications and Web sites. Following a series of critical security flaws tied to IE, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team last week suggested the use of an alternative browser as one way to avoid potential problems. Its recommendation has drawn widespread attention to rival browsers from the open-source Mozilla Foundation, Opera Software ASA and Apple Computer Inc. "Mozilla has shown itself to be a capable browser and has only gotten better with each release, but until something bad happens to more people, then the interest in moving to that is not going to be that high," said Dennis Barr, IT manager at civil engineering consulting company Larkin Group Inc., in Kansas City, Mo. Barr himself uses the open-source Mozilla Firefox browser. Though he prefers to stay off IE, he has had little success persuading his fellow users at the 50-employee company to make a similar move. The biggest hindrance: the lack of support for ActiveX controls in alternatives such as Mozilla, he said. Read More... ____________________ Source: eWeek