Microsoft is launching Microsoft Edge Workspaces, a collaborative browsing solution for businesses in which users can share and manage the same set of browser tabs.
Revealed as part of Microsoft’s Build update, Microsoft Edge Workspaces will be made generally available within the next few months.
The accompanying Microsoft Build report read:
Microsoft Edge Workspaces, which lets users share, organize and browse the same set of browser tabs together, will be generally available in the next few months for enterprises and will add consumer access.”
Microsoft Edge Workspaces became a popular Edge feature in preview testing following the launch of the enterprise preview programme at Microsoft Ignite 2022. The feature preview was also expanded to users for consumer use and proved such a success that the test pool was over-subscribed twice.
Microsoft Edge for Business
Microsoft will also launch Microsoft Edge for Business, a browser model for businesses integrated with Microsoft’s AI-powered productivity tool, Copilot. The solution’s ambition is to become the standard browser experience for enterprise and to address the evolving needs of businesses and the security landscape during the rise of hybrid and remote working.
“Microsoft Edge for Business will have a rich set of enterprise controls, security and productivity features,” according to the Build document. “Hybrid work calls for a new browser model that enhances a user’s privacy while maintaining crucial, enterprise-grade controls set at the organizational level.”
The offering intends to serve leaders, employees and IT professionals. Users and IT administrators can automatically separate work and personal browsing into specific browser windows that will keep their own distinct caches and storage locations.
The Edge for Business experience is pitched as reducing the surface area of cyberattacks, “heightening an organization’s security posture since it offers the opportunity to streamline down to one browser for all use cases”. IT admins have control over the workplace and personal security and compliance posture of Edge. Privacy settings can be customized as users can separate their content into personal windows, and personal data can be excluded from enterprise sync.
There will also be visual elements tailored to each business, including an updated icon, the organization’s name and other cues.
IT admins will also have access to the new Microsoft Edge management service in the Microsoft 365 admin centre, providing them with a simplified browser and extension management solution.
Microsoft Edge for Business is currently in preview.
More Copilot Integrations
With AI becoming one of, if not definitively, the UC and collaboration industry’s most significant news story in 2023, Copilot will likely be one of Microsoft’s most game-changing products this year too.
Microsoft had outlined Copilot’s productivity-boosting features for PowerPoint and Excel in its first announcement in March. It has since revealed the AI-powered solution’s integration with SharePoint and Microsoft Viva. Copilot capabilities were revealed for OneNote, Outlook and Whiteboard a few weeks ago, meaning Microsoft has implemented its AI across its full 365 suite.
Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO at Microsoft, has been enthusiastic about Copilot’s potential and previously commented: “This new generation of AI will remove the drudgery of work and unleash creativity. There’s an enormous opportunity for AI-powered tools to help alleviate digital debt, build AI aptitude and empower employees.”
Microsoft also recently expanded its Copilot Early Access Programme to 600 businesses.
Since March, Microsoft has tested Copilot via invitation-only previews with 20 business customers. It has since expanded that to an initial wave of 600 after “overwhelming feedback” (said Jared Spataro, CVP of Modern Work and Business Applications at Microsoft) from those enterprises with preview access.
Why Businesses Are Becoming More Security-Conscious as Hybrid Work Becomes the New Normal
The emphasis on privacy and security in Microsoft’s Edge for Business solution maintains a trend of vendors providing native security solutions or launching partnerships to help provide their customers with the most secure and compliant services.
Last month, cloud-based email security vendor Abnormal Security launched new threat detection capabilities for Teams, Zoom and Slack. Abnormal’s three new email-centric products were designed to enable users of the Teams, Zoom and Slack platforms to detect suspicious messages, remedy compromised accounts, and provide data and management services for security posture.
Spectrum Enterprise recently partnered with Cisco to enhance cybersecurity solutions for businesses. Spectrum added Secure Access with Cisco Duo and Cloud Security with Cisco+ Secure Connect to its portfolio. The ambition was to empower businesses to provide secure, simple ways for employees, leaders and stakeholders to access business-sensitive information and applications on private networks and public clouds.
Earlier this year, Pexip partnered with Poly to provide highly secure video collaboration solutions for privacy-conscious customers. The partnership entailed leveraging Pexip’s business video infrastructure with Poly’s video pro-grade technology. The ambition was to produce dependable, seamless and powerful video experiences accessible from anywhere and on any device while being entirely secure.
