Microsoft will start forced updates for business devices this month

Microsoft will force Windows users in certain sectors to upgrade Microsoft Edge to its new Chromium-based offering at the end of this month.

Starting July 30, Microsoft will upgrade Microsoft Edge Legacy to the new Microsoft Edge browser via Windows Update on education and business devices running the Windows 10 operating system. This follows the initial rollout of the new Microsoft Edge browser to Windows 10 devices earlier in the year.

The update will not affect education and business devices updated by Windows Update for Business (WUfB) or by Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). It will also not affect Internet Explorer 11 or the user’s default browser settings.

Education devices will receive the update first to be ready before schools reopen. Microsoft will release the timeline for business devices at a later date. No actions are required to make the update, although educational organizations (K-12) must take additional steps to configure their devices. Organizations can block this update by following the instructions on the Blocker Toolkit page.

The updated Microsoft Edge includes a number of security features:

• Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warns users about websites that might engage in phishing attacks.
• It enables single sign-on and natively supports Azure AD Conditional Access for seamless access to enterprise or educational cloud resources.
• Internet Explorer mode enables users to browse the Internet securely and access Internet Explorer apps and sites from tabs in the browser.
• Windows Defender Application Guard enables hardware isolation to launch untrusted site navigation inside a container to protect enterprises against malicious sites.
• Windows Information Protection protects enterprise data from unauthorized or accidental disclosure.
• Password Monitor provides alerts on password breaches, such as when users employ the same passwords in different settings.
• The Security Compliance Toolkit includes the enterprise-ready recommended security configuration baseline package.

Microsoft Edge includes features geared to help students with remote learning. It supports syncing of multiple profiles through automatic profile switching, which prompts users to click on a school, work or personal profile as needed. Immersive Reader reduces distractions on a web page to support reading comprehension. Collections enable users to track key links and search for files, data and websites in the address bar.