Microsoft outlines policies to fit Edge into the enterprise

Microsoft Edge uses Group Policy and Microsoft Intune to make managing business computer settings much easier. One of the ways Edge does this is by allowing users to set up a policy setting only once, and then copying the configurations onto many computers.

According to a new blog post, Microsoft is pushing Edge and Internet Explorer 11 to become the seamless browser experience that will ease IT management for enterprises–meaning it’s no surprise that Edge itself will be improving in this regard through the Windows 10 Anniversary Update coming later this summer.

Microsoft makes note of some differences between the desktop and mobile versions. The policies for Microsoft Edge on the desktop have Group Policy and MDM settings on them, whereas its counterpart on mobile does not have Group Policy.

Currently, Microsoft Edge supports these policies:

Available in Windows 10 version 1507 or later:

• Configure Autofill
• Configure Cookies
• Configure Do Not Track
• Configure Password Manager
• Configure Pop up Blocker
• Configure search suggestions in the Address bar
• Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List
• Configure the SmartScreen Filter
• Send all intranet sites to Internet Explorer 11

Available in Windows 10 version 1511 or later:

• Allow Developer Tools
• Allow InPrivate browsing
• Allow web content on New Tab page
• Configure Favorites
• Configure Home pages (see additional note below)
• Prevent bypassing SmartScreen prompts for files
• Prevent bypassing SmartScreen prompts for sites
• Prevent sharing LocalHost IP address for WebRTC

Thanks to the Anniversary Update, Microsoft Edge will have a couple of new additions to its policies. Included in the update will be:

• Allow access to the about:flags page
• Allow usage of extensions
• Configure WebRTC media port ranges
• Show a transitional message when opening Internet Explorer sites

Other policies will be tweaked and adjusted based on user feedback, such as Group Policy settings from desktop versions being available through User and Machine settings. Also, the home page is expecting a major change, blocking users from overriding settings for a domain-joined device.

If you’re an enterprise IT professional, you’ll likely be looking forward to the upcoming updates to make Edge work better with Internet Explorer. Let us know in the comments what you think about Microsoft’s plan.