I do user support for over 600 people (all using IE) I can attest to much
spyware. Their browser is locked down pretty well by our policies and is NOT
the way this stuff gets in. They get the spyware because they download
'free' screensavers, games and other crap that contains spyware. Switching
to Firefox will not stop users from doing dumb things.
We're in the same position, but I've moved my users from IE to FireFox
as a matter of support ROI. While users with properly secured/locked
down IE settings are able to surf, in most cases, most websites they
connect to are broken due to being locked down. At the same time, users
are mostly incapable of adding sites to the trusted zone because they
don't remember to do it - and the ones that do remember are adding sites
that should not be added to it.
Sure, FF doesn't stop users from doing stupid things, but stupid users
can browse more sites without being compromised than with IE.
You need to separate the two types of users - there are unmanaged users
and there are managed users. In the case of Unmanaged users, FF is a
better choice. In the case of Managed Users, IE, if properly configured
makes a reasonable choice.
I've been using IE for years without a single security related incident and
I spend a LOT of time surfing.
So have I, but I use both, and I'm not one to surf questionable sites
and know what should / should NOT be clicked on. Most users, the
unmanaged ones in small offices/homes don't have a clue.
It's marginally more secure than a properly configured version of IE. The
big difference is that Firefox users tend to be more computer savvy and
therefore are less likely to do potentially harmful things while surfing.
I can count the hours saved on workstation maintenance since moving
users to FireFox - in most cases we've changed the access defaults so
that FF is the primary browser, and users seem to leave it set that way.
I've only found two instances where we had to let IE remain as the
primary browser, and that was due to a poorly written .Net application.
I think you've missed the market - fire fox users have to be slightly
more technical in that they were looking for a browser replacement in
most cases, but there are masses of them that get FF due to a friends
recommendation, not because they are technical.
I will continue to push FF out to clients until I see some reason to
move them back to IE as the primary. Besides, with a 15% savings in
hours per month, it's a measurable difference now that we're using FF.
Security is just one aspect of a browser. If all we cared about was security
we would all be driving Volvo's.
And you could say that many other cars provide better transportation and
functions than a Volvo, and some of those vehicles are also safer when
properly configured than the Volvo.
