Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

Corporate IT just won't let IE6 die

New online research shows ongoing use of IE6

Security experts, industry analysts and even Microsoft recommend that IT departments upgrade Internet Explorer 6, yet new research shows that while there may have recently been a mock funeral for the aging browser, IE6 is still around and doing well, especially during standard business hours.

Chitika, a search-based online advertising network, conducted a study recently to learn the hour-by-hour market share of some of the leading Internet browsers. The study showed that IE6 ranked fourth among all browsers, grabbing 13% of usage during what many consider peak business hours. The data suggests that IE6 is being used at work, between the hours of 5 a.m. and 2 p.m., CST. After hours, the browser usage drops to 6% of all Web traffic. The same pattern emerges when comparing weekdays to weekend days, according to the research.

The data also reveals that when IE6 usage drops, competitive browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari (as well as Microsoft's IE8) experienced an increase in usage, accounting for a greater percentage of all Web traffic than during work hours on week days.

"It almost looks like individual Internet users are more tech-advanced at home than the IT departments where they work," said Alden DoRosario, Chitika's CTO, in a statement. "It's crazy to think that people whose job description revolves around employees having secure ways to browse the Web would keep IE6 alive, while these same employees go home to more secure browsers."

IE6 shipped in summer 2001 with the introduction of Microsoft's Windows XP. The company is currently working on its latest browser revision, IE9, which is set to include support for Web standards such as HTML5.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: etwork, Microsoft

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: ie6, Microsoft
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • HP Imaging and Printing Services
    According to Gartner, a major focus for organisations today and in the foreseeable future is shifting from cost reduction to growth, expansion, innovation, and operational excellence. If your organization is serious about driving growth and innovation and improving customer experiences, you’ll find that a well-managed imaging and printing environment is key to these goals. A growing number of organizations are turning to services as a means of integrating imaging and printing into their overall IT infrastructure strategies. It may be one of the fastest ways to continue to drive down costs, fund innovation, and prepare your organisation to capitalise on future opportunities. Read more.
    Learn more »
  • Virtualise, Manage, Backup, Consolidate
    Datacenter sprawl is one of the larger challenges that datacenter managers are facing today. Over time, applications, servers, and storage can create many unique architectures across the IT infrastructure. This can introduce complexity, increase costs, and compromise business-critical application performance and availability. Read on.
    Learn more »
  • Pathways Business Brochure 2012
    Tailored learning and development program for organisations looking to build business acumen within their Key ICT executive. The course curriculum is designed in conjunction with the specific requirements the enrolling organisation.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments