At Microsoft Inspire, the new Edge browser took center stage

Disclosure:  Microsoft is a client of the author.

In the new Microsoft, Azure has – to a certain extent – taken over the center stage from the company’s Windows Server platform, and the new Chromium Edge Browser has taken center stage from Windows. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this result as the market rapidly turns from focusing on local hardware to using the Cloud as its primary place to do computing. 

As a result, each new browser update now feels a bit like what the old Windows refresh cycles used to feel like – but without the old compatibility drama. 

Microsoft Inspire took place this week, so let’s talk about the browser’s new features, mostly focused on business users (now mostly working from home) that look compelling. 

Phishing and malware protection

During the event, Microsoft shared that two independent studies by NSS Labs ranked the browser No. 1 in terms of defending against Phishing and malware.  Phishing, in particular, has become an enormous problem during the pandemic. This exposure is because the usual protections – telling a coworker who used to sit across from you that you got an unusual mail from an executive – or just being able to tell whether  something came from inside or outside the company, doesn’t work so well when you are working from home. 

Phishing attacks have gone up astronomically, estimated at a whopping 667%, and it’s thought the recent devastating Twitter breach was due to phishing.  Given the level of exposure and the realization that employees, particularly executives, are exposed at home, this is both a timely and critical feature.