The Internet is a critical tool to realize our mission: to help people with the help of our knowledge and Microsoft 365. 60% of the time people spend on PCs, they use web browsers - they have become the main place of work, study and play for us . We need the Internet every day; without thinking about it, people use it constantly, but twenty years after the advent of the global network, we encountered a number of obstacles and difficulties, so we had questions:
- Are our data and sensitive information protected when we use the Internet?
- Can we, while at work, receive internal company information — for example, salary receipts or the location of a colleague’s office — right in the browser using a search, just like we look on the Internet for any other data?
- How do you keep your tools online seamlessly in the same way that Office 365 works so we can conduct more research and collaborate with colleagues?
Microsoft believes that the time has come to take more from the Internet, whether you use it for personal or professional purposes, whether you are an IT administrator or a web developer. Introducing the completely updated Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Bing.
We see a unique opportunity to combine modern web search with integrated solutions in optimal proportions - today only Microsoft can offer this. We will integrate the Internet with intranet networks in Microsoft Search and Bing so that you can access an increasing amount of important data in a single browser and search interface. We will provide powerful protection for confidential data while maintaining the benefits of personalization. And let’s move from web search directly to Microsoft Office applications to increase your productivity.
Helping people become more productive at work
One of the main problems for employees is the difficulty of finding corporate information and gaining access to it in the company's internal networks. The irony is that it’s easier to find an abstract piece of information on much larger Internet spaces than a simple page on a company’s intranet - for example, a portal with salary receipts, company policy regarding animals in the office or a colleague’s workplace on the floor plan.
Today, the volume of corporate information of many companies is measured in terabytes, petabytes or even zettabytes of information, and the situation is only getting more complicated. A McKinsey & Company report on the study addresses this well-known problem: according to the data received, employees spend almost 20% of their work time searching for the information that they know should be there1. It turns out that every week you can regain a whole working day - and either complete more tasks or spend more time with family.
For IT professionals, managing modern web tools is a complex and expensive task, as most large companies support at least two browsers to maximize the compatibility of modern and legacy websites on all major platforms. According to a 2019 Ponemon Institute study, the average cost of data leakage is $ 3.92M USD2. We see opportunities to simplify security and manageability for IT professionals.
To help IT professionals and other employees control their data while maintaining their security and their own productivity, today we present:
- Microsoft Edge for Windows and macOS Preview, available for download right now; and access to wide access in more than 90 languages is scheduled for January 15. Microsoft Edge uses the same Chromium engine as Google’s Chrome browser, offering you best-in-class compatibility and performance.
- New features of Microsoft Search in Bing will save time on finding information within the company. Look for people directly in the address bar of your browser, using the natural language: indicate the position, department name and location of the office. Or look for the location of the office, and as a response, get floor plans with instructions. You can also find out how the abbreviations used in the company are deciphered, and an extensive list of questions and answers will help you find the necessary internal information.
- Together with three partners from our ecosystem — Accenture, BA Insight and Raytion — today we are launching a preliminary version of Microsoft Graph connectors. This extends the search capabilities of Microsoft Search for users of Microsoft 365; We have added more than a hundred new connectors, including Salesforce.com, ServiceNow, Box and many others - they will be available in the first half of 2020. Connectors provide access to more information in Microsoft Search for your employees.
- New feature for easy access to Microsoft Search in Bing on your mobile device. Intellectual workers will be able to search for corporate information, even while on the go.
- New pre-installed tracking prevention feature in Microsoft Edge. We believe that you should know who has access to your data and be able to choose what information you are willing to share. MicrosoftEdge has a default tracking prevention feature so that you don’t have to take any action to move to a more private browser.
With SmartScreen and the anti-tracking feature, we help you protect yourself from phishing, malware, and new types of attacks such as crypto jacking. Microsoft Edge and Bing now also offer the new InPrivate mode, which works on an ongoing basis so that your online search and browsing data cannot be linked to you, which will give you more control over your personal data.
- The new Collections feature is available in the preview version of Microsoft Edge; it simplifies the creation of collections of web content, the organization of search and export of the necessary content in Word and Excel, so that you can use the capabilities of these applications to analyze information and collaborate on it.
We also present three new opportunities for IT professionals:
- The expansion of the Microsoft FastTrack deployment program will enable the installation of the new Microsoft Edge browser in the first quarter of 2020.
- Expanding App Assure on Microsoft Edge in the first quarter of 2020. If your site works in Internet Explorer 11, Google Chrome, or the current version of Microsoft Edge, it will work in the new version of Microsoft Edge. And if it doesn’t work, we will help you fix it at no extra cost. We are the only company giving such a guarantee.
- The new baseline security for the new Microsoft Edge. Basic security levels are pre-configured groups of security settings and settings recommended for the respective security commands. Microsoft Edge, the first basic security layer, is now in pre-access and allows IT professionals to quickly and easily configure recommended security settings and compliance policies. These updates are based on Microsoft's holistic approach to control and security in Microsoft Edge using a basic security architecture that IT professionals already use and are familiar with.
Today, we are moving to a new stage on the way to the official launch of Microsoft Edge and Bing for commercial customers in January. At the beginning of next year we will present even more new opportunities for developers, and later, in the spring, for all users. It is time to expect more from the Internet!
See also: 7 free developer courses