Microsoft releases Edge for Business with separate work profiles

Microsoft has released a version of Edge for business users. That version of the browser has some elements for that audience, including separate storage and cache locations, and containers to keep work and private life separate.

Microsoft writes in a blog post that Edge for Business is generally available to all users and on all platforms where normal Edge can also be used. Microsoft already showed the browser during the Build developer conference in May. Since then, the browser has been available in beta, but the final version has now been released.

Edge for Business is a modified version of Edge, but aimed at business users. Users who log in via Entra ID, the former Azure Active Directory, will have the browser automatically downloaded. One of the most important parts of the browser is that it supports different profiles in which tabs automatically open in their own containers, similar to how Firefox Containers work. Users can log in to the browser with a private and a work profile. If they then go to a Microsoft 365 web app, for example, it will automatically open in a work profile window. For that purpose, there will also be several places to manage the cache and storage memory.

Furthermore, IT administrators have more control over the browser. When you install Edge for Business, policies, settings, and configurations are automatically transferred. “System administrators retain full control over policy and feature management and configuration,” Microsoft writes. The browser works on both managed and unmanaged devices. In the future, there will be new releases that should make it easy for users to navigate from their business to their personal profile, but Microsoft does not provide any further details about this.