According to the Redmond, Wa-based firm, the IE6-dependency issue is a significant problem for organisations looking to migrate from XP but that have critical web apps written for IE6.

The UniBrows technology, the firm adds, gives them a solution for maintaining availability of those applications in a new environment. By running IE6 applications in an IE8/IE9 browser, it also alleviates the security issues associated with IE6.

According to CDG, the enterprise IT distributor and systems integrator, which is supporting the Browsium product range in the UK, the technology allows IE6-dependent line-of-business applications to run natively on new OS and browser platforms, without changing a single line of code.

UniBrows, says the firm, is a lightweight browser add-on that is easy and inexpensive to deploy and requires no new infrastructure investment to support it. By simply installing UniBrows on PCs running Windows 7 or Windows XP, enterprises can continue to use all their IE6-dependent applications within an IE8 and IE9 tab, without the need for app redevelopment or use of complex and expensive virtualisation solutions.

Gary Schare, Browsium's president, says he has seen demand for UniBrows from organisations around the world that are trapped on Windows XP and IE6 because of prior web application investments.

“Through our web application continuity approach, these organisations have the freedom to upgrade and reap the benefits of new platforms while extending the return on investment of their business-critical applications”, he explained.

In addition to supporting IE6-dependencies, UniBrows is billed as providing control over all IE settings, freeing customers from the trade–off of security versus compatibility. With UniBrows, the firm claims that enterprise organisations can manage IE settings at the web application or even web page level.