IT Professionals
The browser is becoming an increasingly central part of your IT environment. Built with security and application compatibility in mind, Internet Explorer 8 helps to keep your customers, users, and investments in Internet Explorer 7 applications safe. Enterprise deployment and management comes standard with Group Policy, and tools for deployment and configuration are all backed by Microsoft''s professional support organization. Internet Explorer 8 will help your customers and users ""Reach Beyond the Page"" and connect with your business and online services in new ways.
Now is the perfect time to start planning your deployment of Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 is built with the needs of an enterprise in mind, including features to help protect against the most recent security threats like cross-site scripting attacks, enhancements to make the browser more reliable and hence easier to support, compatibility features to aid migration from Internet Explorer 7, and of course enhancements to the user experience and development platform to make Internet Explorer 8 great for your users.
- Learn about Internet Explorer 8 features in the Technology Overview for Enterprise.
- Download and Install Internet Explorer 8.
- Test your line of business applications and internal sites by using the Application Compatibility Toolkit.
- Note: Internet Explorer 8 renders sites in the Intranet Zone in Internet Explorer 7 mode, so most sites that work in Internet Explorer 7 should work in Internet Explorer 8.
- Get tips for migrating from Internet Explorer 6 from our MSDN App Compat Center.
- Plan your deployment using the brand new Deployment Guide.
Here are some IT Professional features in Internet Explorer 8:
Internet Explorer 8 Blocker Toolkit: Manage the automatic update roll out of Internet Explorer 8
Slipstream Internet Explorer 8 into your Windows Vista desktop image
More than 100 new Group Policies
Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK)
Slipstream
Slipstreaming is the process of integrating software into the installation file of the original operating system. In the past, to add Internet Explorer 7 to a Windows XP image, for example, you would typically install the Windows XP image, then install Internet Explorer 7, and then recapture the image; this could take up to two hours! But Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Vista let you integrate the browser into the image file of the original operating system in about 15 minutes. No more launching the image, manually installing the browser, and recapturing the image. Slipstreaming support also extends to Internet Explorer 8 cumulative updates and language packs.
Slipstreaming Internet Explorer 8 is only supported in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 do not currently offer a solution for slipstreaming Windows components, which are built using update.exe.
To learn more about slipstreaming Internet Explorer 8, please follow these easy steps.
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New Group Policies
Group Policy provides an infrastructure for the operating system and applications, such as Internet Explorer, that run on the operating system. If you use an Active Directory environment to administer a network of computers, Group Policy will provide you with a comprehensive set of policy settings to manage Internet Explorer 8 deployed to the computers. You can use Group Policy settings to establish and lock registry-based policies for more than a thousand Internet Explorer settings.
In Internet Explorer 8, we have added over 100 new Group Policies. For example, the five new policies added for Accelerators are: Turn off Accelerators, Turn off COM Accelerators, Deploy nondefault Accelerators, Deploy default Accelerators, and Use Policy Accelerators. Whether it is Accelerators, Developer Tools, or InPrivate Mode, all new Internet Explorer 8 features are enabled for Group Policy.
Group Policies allow an IT administrator not only to turn off the feature but also to manage it. You can configure a policy that best suits your organization's needs: for example, you can turn Accelerators off or on, decide exactly which Accelerators to use, or deploy some Accelerators while letting users add their own. Each policy comes with an explanation to help you fully understand its functionality.
By offering such new security features as the SmartScreen Filter, data URIs, and encryption support, Internet Explorer 8 plays an important role in helping you protect users against many attacks. All of these security features are Group Policy enabled, so as an IT administrator you can be certain that users are secure in corporate environments.
Based on the feedback we have received from our IT Pro customers, we have added Group Policy support for some legacy settings (for example, secondary home pages), which was not available in Internet Explorer 7. We have also added extensive Group Policy support for the Favorites Bar and Command Bar; IT administrators now have firm control over how the Internet Explorer user interface (UI) will look.
For more information on Group Policy support in Internet Explorer, refer to the Internet Explorer deployment, maintenance, and support webpage.
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IEAK Overview
The Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) allows the deployment of customized packages and the management of Internet Explorer within a corporate environment and among Internet Content Providers (ICPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). IEAK8 further simplifies the creation, deployment, and management of branded Internet Explorer packages. It is more intuitive and efficient, and it enables customization of all-new key performance enhancing features of Internet Explorer 8, including Accelerators and Web Slices.
Intuitive
Custom Components is a good example of a window redesigned to further optimize the overall flow of the wizard. This window now displays a list of custom components and enables easy addition and removal of items through a pop-up window.
Before
After
Other changes:
- Even with all the new screens we have added, IEAK8 is shorter than IEAK7.
- Enhanced the content in many screens.
- Simplified the wizard by removing the Stage Welcome screens.
- Rewrote instructions in many screens for clarity and conciseness.
- Updated help content to reflect the updates and provide clearer guidance to the user.
IEAK8 also supports full packages for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
New Screens and Features
IEAK8 now supports customization of new features, including the ability to add custom accelerators that will be installed with Internet Explorer 8. Accelerators are easy to add: simply point to an XML file for the desired Accelerator, or import an existing accelerator from a local machine. Find more information on Accelerators.
We have added new search features to the Add Search Provider window. With a new search provider, users can now include such information as a shortcut icon ("favicon"), a suggested URL, or even an Accelerator preview.
We have updated the Favorites, Favorites Bar and Feeds window to enable users to add custom Web Slices. Furthermore, users can now specify the location and the order of appearance for Favorites, feeds, and Web Slices—while adding them.
Customization of the First Run Wizard and Compatibility View is enabled in the respective dialog screens. For the corporate licensed IEAK8, additional customizations of new features— such as InPrivate mode, Developer Tools, and Caret Browsing— can be performed in the Additional Settings window.
These are only some of the enhancements that have been made in IEAK8. If you would like to learn more, the Internet Explorer deployment, maintenance, and support webpage is a great resource, or visit the IE Blog.
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