CBS' point of view on the use of the IE browser

CBS' CIO has been asked by the CBS Phoenix program management to take a position on browser usage. "Is the CIO or opinion that CBS is concerned about ensuring proper performance or CAWI questionnaires on outdated browsers at any cost, or will the problem solve itself, as Internet Explorer will be used less and less while Edge will undergo significant improvements?"

Worldwide, in Europe and in the Netherlands, Internet Explorer is not a popular browser. Its market share is approximately 6%. Chrome, based on an open-source project, is by far the most widely used web browser.
In a report on browser strategy, Gartner recommends providing two or more internal browsers: a legacy browser and a modern browser. Furthermore, when purchasing and developing IT solutions and services, companies should demand that the application has not been developed for a specific browser or version. CBS may refer to the conclusions of this report when communicating with respondents regarding their browser choice.

Microsoft considers IE to be a compatibility product rather than an internet browser. It has stated that new web standards will not be implemented within IE, and advise its users to use Edge instead of IE. The upshot of this is that Internet Explorer is an EOL (end-of-life) product and that organizations would do well to discourage and phase out the use of this product.

Microsoft has announced that it will use the Chromium open-source project to develop a subsequent version of Edge. This will be based on the same technology as Chrome. Edge is thus expected to achieve a performance level similar to that of Chrome, one of the faster browsers on the market.

In view of the above, CBS is the opinion that Phoenix and Blaise should not invest any extra time and effort into upgrading the performance of the CAWI questionnaires which run on Internet Explorer. Recommendations by Gartner and Microsoft may serve as a reference in communication with respondents. The performance issues with Edge will have been resolved once the Chromium-based version is being released. A test version for Windows 10 is currently already available.