Is Your Computer and Business at Serious Risk with the Recent Internet Explorer Changes?

Virtually everyone has used Internet Explorer (IE) at some point in their online life. Some cringe at the very mention of it from the nightmares the browser has made them deal with. Others are quite content with the browser and perhaps have never known nothing else. No matter what side of the fence you sit on, you’ve no doubt had an experience with the internet browser. Today those experiences may be cut short as Microsoft has made some large announcements concerning the future of the company’s browser.

Microsoft has announced that as of this morning; Wednesday, January 13th, it will only be supporting IE 11, the most up-to-date version of the browser. A large part of this is due to the new browser they developed with the launch of Windows 10, known as Microsoft Edge. This means that those of you still using IE 8, 9, or 10, you need to either update to the latest version or come up with an escape plan to a different browser fast.

When Microsoft is forcing users to update, it’s a pretty clear sign that it’s time to do so. “Even Microsoft seems obsessed with moving past the Internet Explorer era,” writes Don Reisinger at Fortune.com. “Less than two years after it ditched Internet Explorer 6, the company has, in one fell swoop, decimated all but Internet Explorer 11.”

On top of this, Microsoft will also be putting a stop to its support for the Windows 8 operating system. The company has urged users to upgrade their system to either Windows 8.1 or 10 in order to keep receiving support and security updates for their products.

What This Means For You

While these changes aren’t necessarily anything to panic about, they do carry some implications that should make you want to take action. There are also some things that you may not be aware of relating to regular updates of your software programs. Microsoft ending its support for these products doesn’t mean that Windows 8 and IE will suddenly stop working for you, but it does mean that they could be harmful to use from now on.

Typically, updates to software systems involve tightening up any security within the system to prevent hackers from attacking the software to try and steal valuable data. This is the biggest reason why you should be updating your software regularly, and why you should make sure to do so now for Microsoft’s specific situation. Never mind all the technical headaches that having no support will give you, keeping your data safe should be a top priority for any technology user.

But let’s just pretend for a moment that you don’t care about the security on your software (trust us, you do). Even the non-security updates are a huge benefit to your browser and operating system. You may not necessarily notice all of the little tweaks which developers make or understand many of them, but you will certainly start to notice over time when things suddenly won’t work on your computer. Businesses with online products, like FrontRunner’s Funeral Home Software for example, take notice of these updates too and will eventually stop catering to these out-of-date browsers or operating systems. This means that eventually your systems may not work properly and you’ll be left scratching your head as to why.

The whole idea with these Microsoft changes, and any other change in the technology industry, is to keep things moving forward and to promote growth in the products. So while upgrading your browser or any piece of software or program may seem like a hassle to some of you now, you will thank yourself in the long run. But of course, as a progressive funeral home, you knew that!

What To Do Now?

For those of you still using the Windows 8 operating system there’s really only one option, update it. This means to either version 8.1 or 10.

In terms of updating your web browser, we don’t typically recommend clients use IE. In our opinion, Microsoft’s browser has trailed behind in past years and as a result many, users and companies alike, have turned their attention to different offerings. For those of you who do wish to keep using Internet Explorer, you’ll have to make sure to update to IE11.

For those of you looking for an alternative web browser to Internet Explorer, we personally recommend Google’s browser Google Chrome, which you can download here. It’s one of today’s most popular browsers and you’ll likely find it a more user-friendly than any out-dated version of IE you may have been using.

Keep Moving Forward

Many have been hoping for the end of Internet Explorer for a long time and are excited about this change as it forces people to be current. For those who are sad to see this happen, that’s just the reality of this industry. Just like we at FrontRunner do, tech companies are always striving to produce the next most intuitive product.

There are many parallels that can be drawn here with the current state of the funeral industry. Those funeral homes that choose to adapt to the changes around them are the ones who are sure to succeed. Firms who get stuck in their current ways of doing things may find themselves wondering where all their business has gone. Lessons can be learned from large corporations like Microsoft who implement necessary but difficult changes. The key is to not look back at the tough decision, but to keep moving forward toward the next innovation.

If you want to become one of these innovative funeral homes with the best funeral home website, funeral home management solution or the best integrated funeral home software, contact us today and we’ll show you how FrontRunner Professional can help you lead the way! If you have any questions about these changes at Microsoft and how they may affect you, feel free to leave a comment below and we’ll answer them!