Opinion: Updates for IE are coming, but Microsoft should extend full browser security protection to those who haven't upgraded to the latest operating system.

During his keynote address at the RSA security conference, Bill Gates announced that Microsoft will release a beta version of Internet Explorer 7.0 for Windows XP Service Pack 2 customers sometime this summer. Company officials said the browser will gain new anti-phishing, anti-spyware and anti-virus safeguards. There has been much speculation about Microsoft's reasoning behind its decision to update IE sooner than originally planned. With Google and Yahoo rumored to be preparing to launch their own branded browsers, some say the move is more about combating rivals in the lucrative search market and less about assuring security. Microsoft needs only to look in the rearview mirror to see browser rivals gaining on IE. For the past few years, IE, with its security holes and ties to the Windows operating system, has become one of the most common reasons for enterprises to move off Windows.