Seriously, stop ignoring Edge
Internet Explorer and the first iteration of Microsoft Edge had a lot of problems. This damaged image that these programs generated carried over to the Chromium version of Microsoft Edge.
Chromium. If you think that sounds very close to Chrome, that’s because that’s intentional. Google’s Chrome browser, along with the majority of other browsers, are based on the Chromium project. The feature set between the two browsers is almost identical when it comes to their core browsing functionality. Edge takes Chromium and enhances it by bundling a lot of native Microsoft 365 functionality.
At this point, I will say that this really is only valid if you’re in an all Microsoft 365 environment. If you work with Google Workspace, or are an Apple-only organisation then this isn’t as relevant.
So, if they’re almost identical then why do I always push it? Three main reasons:
- Reducing reliance on third-party software
- Improving the administrative experience
- Improved compatibility with Microsoft 365
I’ll expand on each.
Reducing reliance on third-party software
Most don’t think of Google Chrome as a third-party piece of software, but any software you install on a company machine is immediately a risk. Chrome is not often thought of as a piece of software that you need to maintain or ensure is patched, but all software needs to be maintained just as you manage OS patches.
Due to being based on Chromium both Edge and Chrome will likely have the same vulnerabilities discovered. The risk in this aspect, overall, is fairly low. The problem is you are likely introducing this risk for no benefit.
Mentioning vulnerabilities though brings us nicely on to the next point…
Improving the administrative experience
If you are in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem then chances are you are using Microsoft Intune to manage your end user devices. Intune is fantastic for tuning Microsoft Edge exactly to your organisation’s requirements. Even if you do a very light configuration, one of those settings can ensure software updates are installed in a timely fashion. Edge gives a more native Microsoft admin path with less extra deployment/configuration work. Google Chrome requires additional ADMX configuration, or even Chrome Enterprise (though Chrome Enterprise Core is free). You also don’t have to deploy the software as it is pre-installed, or if using macOS a pre-built bundle is available in Intune.
Improved compatibility with Microsoft 365
A lot of the Microsoft 365 requirements for browsers are baked into Edge, removing the administration overhead around additional configuration or extensions. Keep your end users’ bookmarks and history synchronised with their Entra ID account, which keeps it governed by organisational policy and helps with migrations.
So… please consider it
I have helped multiple organisations embrace Microsoft Edge over third-party browsers during my career. It is always something that should be considered, not just to make the administration experience easier but to make it easier for end users to migrate between machines and not have confusion on what they should and shouldn’t use.