Windows 10 Enterprise PCs on Long Term Servicing Branch won't get Edge browser

By John Callaham
published

Microsoft's new Edge web browser, made specifically for Windows 10, won't be available for some businesses who use the Windows 10 Enterprise SKU. Specifically, PCs with that version of the OS who are on the Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) won't get the new browser, and they will have to use the older Internet Explorer 11 instead.

As Microsoft first announced in January, Windows 10 Enterprise users will have the option of installing the OS with the LTSB option, which will only offer security updates and bug fixes. This is due to the fact that some businesses don't want to deal with testing new features that Microsoft might want to add to Windows 10 after it launches on July 29. Because Microsoft Edge has been designed to add new features on a regular basis, ZDNet reports that it wouldn't make sense to include the browser on Windows 10 Enterprise with LTSB.

Companies will still have the option to set up the Current branch for Business for Windows 10 Enterprise on their PCs. This will allow them to hold off on adding new features released by Microsoft until they have been tested by businesses while still receiving security patches. That will allow them to access the Edge browser

Source: ZDNet

John Callaham
John Callaham
48 Comments
  • Makes sense.
  • Not really. I could understand making it an optional feature that you have to turn on, but to get rid of it completely??? It's especially disastrous considering a report came out recently that enterprise users are moving to Chrome in droves since they don't have to support ActiveX anymore. This is a really stupid move from Microsoft. Are they trying to get people to not use their browser?
  • Because businesses have tens of thousands of applications that need to be tested
  • The vast majority of companies will run Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise with the Business Branch. I work for a company fairly large company (over 100k employees globally), and outside of "Mission Critical" systems, everything is running Pro. The LTSB is mostly geared towards systems that need to be running issue-free at all times. These are systems that would only run crucial applications. For example, at a Power plant, they wouldn’t need the latest browser running on the systems that run the coolant systems. In this case, it makes sense to leave out apps, like Edge, at least for now. The last thing they need is an update going through that for some reason causes the system to lag or crash.
  • Good point. I didn't realize that most businesses just use Pro. I assumed that they pretty much all of the computers ran LTSB. Especially considering Pro only allows you to defer updates for a period of time.
  • It makes perfect sense. Computers on LTSB don't care about features, they care about stability and security which sure as hell doesn't include Chrome. Businesses will continue to deploy Edge in their non-critical systems.
  • Except they're not. They're deploying Chrome to their users. http://www.winbeta.org/news/chrome-overtake-ie-enterprise-end-year-accor...
  • They were deploying chrome because they were running bloody xp! You can only get upto ie8 on xp....
  • That article doesnt say anything about Long Term Service Branch systems. Its about enterprise in general. This article is about a tiny subset of enterprise systems that are in a special program because they want no changes to the OS for a guarantees 10 year period. I can assure you, none of these systems are running Chrome.
  • I was referring to the phrase "they will deploy Edge to non-critical machines.
  • Yeap, it's a report from Gartner, which "predicted" that "Windows Phone 7" will have 19.5% of market share in 2015. Right ...
  • And Gartner is the same company that predicted that the PC would die. Gartner is a joke, their analysts don't see that smartphones are saturated and that all the revenues in America go to Apple and Samsung, and in China and Asia brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, LG and ZTE have saturated the market with $100-200 dollar smartphones. This model leaves no space for profits, except for Apple and Samsung.
  • Recently, my company started to update users from XP and Vista to Windows 7 with IE8. During this transition period, we had IE8 running. IE8 was not good period. IE11 is another story, I have been using IE11 on my company workstation for 3 months and is much faster than Chrome.
  • Yeah I noticed the last time I did clean install of 7 ie9 was the most that websites would accept ie8 just plain barely worked even on msn.com
  • Which means that those admins are just simply lazy.
  • Key phrase here is long term service branch. These are customers who want a version of windows guaranteed not to change for 10 years. Its for very specialized uses. Introducing a new browser, even as an option, would seriously irritate these customers. They signed up for LTSB because they dont want anything changing.  
  • You seems to have a normal point of view user. At least with my company (around 70.000 globally - IT Company) only critical machines or production control machines will be at LTSB. Even normal employees using Windows Enterprise edition will be at Current branch for Business because of constant security update and new features. Believe me, LTSB machines won't need Edge, it's not like someone gonna "surf on internet" there.
  • See reply above
  • Imagine that you have a very important application that runs on the browser.. and one day the applications stop working because of an update on Edge ( or Chrome ) breaks the compatibility.. And Microsoft doesn't wants to keep suporting versions of Edge ( like it does with IE ) it will be only one "version" that will be always updated.. (like Chrome)
  • Most enterprises today run their OS on Windows 7 and have Chrome supported. Is there a reason to hate Microsoft for "This is a really stupid move from Microsoft" for letting other companies like Google, to build a browser for Windows? Edge is not going to have the popularity of Chrome on enterprise users at the beginning, and as article says it will get a lot of regular updates which is something that SA's cannot support on a large scale of thousands of machines that have automation tools to install updates (think for example in banks). IMO is a perfect move for Microsoft to keep users on IE11 on Windows 10 for initial release. As Edge matures and becomes a bullet proof safety browser for hackers like IE11 and Chrome, it can be safe to include it as an updgrade for these enteprise users. This may be coming in late 2016 or mid 2017.
  • Try telling an IT person that. They'll laugh in your face. :) support for hundreds of computers on a new web browser = a nightmare.
  • They don't have to have it as default, but they could at least keep it included as an optional feature that you have to turn on.
  • I'm not sure what you are saying. I'm an IT person and I cant wait for us to move to W10 with edge. Unfortunately, we just upgraded from XP to 7 at the end of last year, so its going to be a while...
  • "It's especially disastrous considering a report came out recently that enterprise users are moving to Chrome in droves since they don't have to support ActiveX anymore."    If your Office PC allows you to install chrome this will not apply as your PC will not be on the LTSB anyway. No company on that brach would allow an application such as Chome on their PCs. Could you also maybe quote us the link to the source of this report as I have a very hard time believing that it is actually true.
  • Keep in mind its doubtful that ms has provided the needed APIs to develop a 3rd party browser
  • "report came out recently that enterprise users are moving to Chrome in droves" To which the local admin guy then has to remove Chrome due to being installed via an Acrobat or java update. Chrome, for a business, is simply crap. We're talking about additional services, startup items as well as stuff slapped into the Scheduled tasks area. ANY admin that installs Chrome onto business computers needs their backside kicked. This, of course, is only my opinion from keeping a domain working perfecrtly fine for over 14 years. Yay
  • So if ever these businesses try and support Edge and make their applications to port over to Edge...i hope MS can easily then just add it back on demand
  • This is only for a specific "mode" for the enterprise variant.  It is not the all, or even the most common, enterprise installations.
  • Edge will be available on all standard enterprise installs except this one special version - the Long Term Service Branch. This is for customers who want an OS that doesnt change for a guaranteed period.
  • Makes sense, as long its just for enterprise on that branch only.
  • I think this only applies if your using wsus or sccm for updating pro
  • Makes sense to me. I can't really be sure if I'll be using Edge initially. I don't really have a need to edit webpages to share with my homies and as fast as it is, it'll be a while before its ready for prime time.
  • Right now, a bunch of sites are somewhat broken in Edge. The best example I've found albeit a simple one) is that when you say, use a linked twitter account to comment on these forums. Half of the time it jsut completely errors out, complaining about an unsupported token.
  • Haven't tried Nintendo's site but guarantee they will be behind like a year & half(my guess is their marketing team has a site road map planned 6months maybe more in advance but hope their userbase hasn't updated their browser
  • I mentioned this before in another thread, if the EDGE browser is unable to at least render basic websites properly, Microsoft is gonna take so much heat, it may be forced to deprecate claims its already made about it or at worse, pull it from Windows 10. Yes, its early and undergoing testing. But I still can only use it for short periods of time, them I'm back to Firefox and IE. I can't use Edge at all in the Forums. When you have a big comment, its only a matter of time before Edge makes your post look like the Ukraine after Chernobyl.  Some weird refresh thing it does and your post is wiped away.  I can't wait to get a working copy and it can't come soon enough.
  • The company I work for using IE8. ISN'T THAT AMAZING?
  • If you have Windows XP you cannot install something better unless you use Chrome. But if you have Windows 7, please ask your company to upgrade to IE11. IE8 was a really bad browser.
  • Actually wasn't their a technical beta for ie9. Sadly since most 3rd party rely on ms updating their APIs its worthless for google to continue work on xp other then maybe chromium
  • IE 8/9 where i work, because we have online applications that only work with these versions.
  • IE's death will be slow and agonizing just like ie6
  • At least the majority of websites at minimum support ie9(last update for vista)
  • Wtf!?
  • Still stuck on ie8 believe it or not, GM it sucks balls.
  • This looks ok, keep in mind that for example businesses with a lot of payments on IE would implement there certificates in Microsoft's Edge browser.
  • We were so close to not have to worry about enterprise browsers that dont get updates. If they NEEDED legacy, they could use IE11.  Now MSFT has implemented BOTH types of browsers and will force enterprise to stay on 11.  Enough of the madness!!!  You are driving developers nuts!
  • They won't be missing anything. I've not found any compelling reason at all to use Edge over IE. It's just another browser and just as useless with touch as any other deskop browser.
  • As long as they have some access to it for developing their website, I guess that's ok, but I don't want businesses to be prevented from testing their site in all browsers.
  • Could the updates not be handled server side as Windows 7 can/could?