Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) could cause some
enterprise applications that usebrowser-based user interfaces to fail. IT
directors must ensure their enterprise applications will be
compatible with IE8, which will be launched soon, before rolling it
out to end-users.
Older PC desktop hardware may also be incompatible with IE8.
Experts urge IT departments to test it thoroughly before deploying,
to avoid costly support issues.
Tests run by software compatibility specialist ChangeBase found
that 15% of applications could fail due to a security feature of
the browser, known asDEP/NX, that prevents downloadable components
from running.
Greg Lambert, technology director at ChangeBase, saysany
application that runs in Internet Explorer and is not compatible
with DEP/NX will crash on start-up and will not function.
"The impact of this obviously depends on how many web
applications an organisation has. At the moment, looking at all
applications, we are finding that up to 15% of enterprise
applications will fail," he says.
Compatibility testing
SAP has begun compatibility testing, but says, "Until it passes
all of our tests to SAP certification level, we are recommending
IE6 and IE7."
In his
blog posting, Steven Chan, senior director in the Oracle
Applications Technology Integration group, warns that IE8 features
will impact Oracle'sE-Business Suite enterprise software.
"Internet Explorer 8 changes its rendering and handling of web
pages in a number of important ways. This directly affects its
E-Business Suite compatibility, says Chan.
Salesforce.com is currently running compatibility tests. "IE8 is
still in beta so we do not officially support it. We are putting it
through our certification process, but there are no official dates
set yet. Initial tests have not surfaced any significant problems,"
the company says.
RightNow, a supplier of CRM software as a service (SaaS), says,
"We will not officially certify IE8 until the browser is generally
available."
A blogger on the Microsoft Developer Network says IE8 is not
compatible with the NetSuite SaaS CRM package.
"NetSuite does not work with IE8 period. Please have someone get
an account, log onto the website and try the JavaScript drop-down
boxes anywhere on the site - they stay open and never close. Please
fix this. NetSuite is used by a lot of people (including me)."
NetSuite says it is putting IE8 through its certification
process and "initial tests have not surfaced any significant
problems".
Disable Windows
Update
Like Windows Vista, Internet Explorer introduces security
features that will break older applications and may even fail on
older PCs.
Microsoft has made a tool available from its
Download Center to prevent Windows Update from automatically
installing IE8 when the browser is released.
IT departments should use this tool to disable Windows Update.
They should also check with their application providers when
enterprise applications will be supported on IE8.
| DEP/NX |
|---|
| DEP/NX is designed to prevent buffer overflow type attacks by
stopping hackers from running viruses and trojan horses.
In Internet Explorer 7, DEP/NX was disabled by default for
compatibility reasons. Several popular add-ons, including the
Logmein.com remote desktop service and GoToMeeting web conferencing
tool, were not compatible with DEP/NX and crashed when Internet
Explorer loaded them with DEP/NX enabled. While developers of many popular add-ons have since released
updated extensions compatible with DEP/NX, some add-ons may not be
updated before Internet Explorer 8 becomes available. Source:
ChangeBase |
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