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Microsoft's Internet Explorer Plans For  'Silent' Updates That Will Help Reduce The Risks That Come From Running Outdated Software

Ryan Gavin, General Manager, Internet Explorer Business and Marketing recently posted on the IE blog that IE will Start Automatic Upgrades across Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 so that users will benefit from an up-to-date browser. Gavin writes that "This is an important step in helping to move the web forward. We will start in January for customers in Australia and Brazil who have turned on automatic updating via Windows Update. Similar to our release of IE9 earlier this year, we will take a measured approach, scaling up over time. As always, when upgrading from one version of Internet Explorer to the next through Windows Update, the user’s home page, search provider, and default browser remains unchanged."

Good for Consumers, Developers and Enterprises

Gavin continues that "The Web overall is better – and safer – when more people run the most up-to-date browser. Our goal is to make sure that Windows customers have the most up-to-date and safest browsing experience possible, with the best protections against malicious software such as malware.For consumers, the safety benefits are one of the key reasons that the industry has been moving towards automatic updates. This is increasingly important since the biggest online threat these days is socially engineered malware, which typically targets outdated software like Web browsers. The latest Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, which is based on data from over 600 million systems in over 100 countries, is good reading to give you a sense of risks that stem from outdated software."

IE is how millions of Windows customers still connect to the Web, so keeping that part of Windows updated at all times is critical to keeping them safe online. With automatic updates enabled through Windows Update, customers can receive IE9 and future versions of Internet Explorer seamlessly without any issues. Wider deployment of the most up-to-date browser benefits the Web in other ways as well. Developers and online businesses can rely on better browsers to deliver richer and more capable Web experiences. We built IE9 with a focus on modern web standards ... so that developers could spend less time coding for specific browsers and spend more time building the next big thing on the Web. More of the web running an HTML5 capable browser, vs. something built ten years ago is a great thing for developers and the businesses they support."

Respecting Customer Choice and Control

Microsoft recognizes that while the benefits of upgrading are numerous, some organizations and individuals may want to opt-out and they will have choice and control of update their browsers on their schedule. The Internet Explorer 8 and Internet Explorer 9 Automatic Update Blocker toolkits prevent automatic upgrades of IE for Windows customers who do not want them. Microsoft's belief that IE9 "is the most compelling browser from business customers"  they are committed to giving consumers the ability to make the decision to upgrade at their convenience. "Customers have the ability to uninstall updates and continue to receive support for the version of IE that came with their copy of Windows. And similar to organizations, consumers can block the update all together and upgrade on their own. Finally, future versions of IE will provide an option in the product for consumers to opt out of automatic upgrading," Gavin says.