The Internet is a fast-changing, practically organic entity, and you can think of your web browser as the window to the Internet. These days, most people use one of the three most popular browsers; Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer. The later of which comes installed on every PC.
If you are like about ⅓ of all Internet users, you are just using the browser that came with your PC. However, if your PC is a few years old, your browser is likely vastly outdated and puts you at high risk for computer threats like viruses and malware.
If you are still running Windows XP, you can not run the latest version of Internet Explorer with all of the security patches. XP users are stuck with IE 8. Technically, this is also true for users of Windows Vista, who cannot get the latest IE 10. Fortunately for Vista users, Microsoft is still heavily supporting IE 9 for Vista and Windows 7. IE 10 was originally released for Windows 8, and is expected to come out in the near future for Windows 7.
Web browsers update for two major reasons. First, they need to comply with the ever changing landscape of the Internet. New technologies, new ways to view content, and new web-based technologies are always springing up and if you aren't using a modern browser, you could be missing out on a lot of what the Internet has to offer.
Most importantly, browsers update in order to resolve and patch security risks. Your web browser allows a lot of back and forth data movement between your computer and the Internet, and hackers are always working to one up the security of the most common web browsers to exploit users.
Fortunately, keeping Internet Explorer current is pretty simple; just keep your Windows updates up-to-date. If you are running a much older computer with an older operating system like Windows XP, you are still supported by Microsoft when it comes to updates, but incorporating a workstation upgrade plan with Elite Integration can make sure your company's oldest hardware gets replaced systematically before it starts costing you too much to maintain it.
Of course, we can help you stay up-to-date with your Windows updates, as well as antivirus and malware protection. Reach out to us at (281) 313-1321 and ask about our flat-rate remote monitoring and maintenance services.
