IBM makes Mozilla Firefox its default browser

Open-source browser lures IBM with its standards-compliance, interoperability, and independence

IBM is going Firefox.

Starting today, about 400,000 IBM employees around the world will be strongly encouraged to switch to Firefox as their default browser if they haven't already. All new computers will come automatically equipped with the browser. Furthermore, IBM says it will strongly encourage vendors with browser-based software to use Firefox as well.

IBM has decided to use Firefox exclusively because, in the first place, it is incredibly standards-compliant, and "interoperability via open standards is key to IBM’s strategy." The massive tech company wants to ready itself for the shift to cloud computing with a browser already prepared for such a shift.

Additionally, IBM is attracted to the fact that, being open source, Firefox is developed by an international community, not one commercial entity. And despite that, the browser continues to be one of the most secure, customizable, and innovative.

Bob Sutor, VP of the Open Source and Linux, IBM Software Group, further expands his appreciation for Firefox on his blog:

"I think it was Firefox and its growth that reinvigorated the browser market as well as the web. That is, Firefox forced competitors to respond. Their software has gotten better and we have all benefited. We’ll see this again as Firefox continues to add even more support for HTML5."

"It is not news that some IBM employees use Firefox. It is news that all IBM employees will be asked to use it as their default browser."

Mozilla says 400 million people around the world use Firefox, certainly one of the most popular browsers on the market. Full support from IBM is a big win for the open-source browser, as it continues to compete with big players like Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Internet Explorer.