Deploying Internet Explorer 7

Internet Explorer 7 is currently the most used browser worldwide, according to statistics made available by Net Applications. Released over a year ago for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003, the browser has grown as of December 2007 to a market share of 40.61%. With the end of 2007 also comes the dethroning of Internet Explorer 6, from the dominant position on the browser market. IE6 currently accounts for 35.18%, and is the second most used browser in the world, followed by Firefox 2.0 in third place with 15.80%.

However, despite the consistent evolution that Microsoft is delivering with Internet Explorer 7, in contrast to IE6, users have failed to take an immediate shine to the latest version of the IE browser. It has taken IE7 over an year to climb to the number one spot on the browser market, and there is still a healthy portion of audience to be dislodged from the inferior IE6. At this point in time, Microsoft has scrapped the Windows Genuine Advantage antipiracy mechanism from the process of accessing, downloading and installing IE7 and is offering the browser via Automatic Updates to all IE6 users.

But while this scenario might function for end users, the same is not valid for businesses. And this is why the Redmond company is offering a resource designed to help with the enterprise wide deployment of Internet Explorer 7. The Internet Explorer 7 Deployment Guide is set up to describe in minute detail the methods, system requirements and context of deploying IE7 on Windows XP SP2 or Windows Server 2003, as well as the post-installation maintenance techniques for the browser. The resource does not refer to Windows Vista, as IE7 is a default component of the latest Windows client.

“Internet Explorer 7 can be deployed using the following methods: Windows Update; Windows Server Update Services (WSUS); Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS); Network shared folder; CD; Hyperlink from e-mail or Web page and Active Directory using Group Policy (using msi installer).

Internet Explorer 7 does not provide a Windows Installer (.msi) package to deploy through Group Policy. If you choose to use Group Policy to deploy Internet Explorer 7 you should use your current strategy for packaging executable files into .msi installer files”, Microsoft revealed.

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