On August 17 2020 Microsoft announced that as of August 17 2021 Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported by any remaining Microsoft 365 apps and services. The browser had already stopped being supported by the Microsoft Teams web app as of November 30 2020.
After this date, anyone trying to access the apps on IE 11 will have a significantly reduced experience in which the apps may crash, or features will not be available when trying to use them after the official end date.
Microsoft have made a plethora of changes to Microsoft Edge so for anyone still using Internet Explorer, we strongly recommend switching to this alternative browser.
How will this affect you?
If you are using Internet Explorer to create a mapped drive from SharePoint, then this function will no longer be available.
If you’re unsure what this is, here’s a brief overview of how it works:
Windows computers can utilise features within Internet Explorer (such as ActiveX) and Windows (WebDAV) to map a SharePoint document library to appear on the computer as a network drive (such as S: drive from an on-premise server).
Example of a mapped drive:
What now?
- Look at and assess how you use your data/workflows – is this a necessary feature for your business?
- Test the web-based access version – can you get by using this method once the file mapping feature becomes unavailable?
- Talk to your IT! Organise a meeting with your IT services or call ONGC. We can review your systems and create a solution that will keep your business running without hindering productivity with your staff.
No one likes change but this is inevitable and it is vital to your business to keep up with the ever-changing development of technology to keep your business running smoothly and securely.
