Companies experiencing security problems will see no benefit from switching their browsers, IT contractors have been told.

Firms should instead concentrate more on ensuring browsers are kept as up-to-date as possible, according to Simon May, author of the Rough Guide to Windows 7.

Microsoft Windows users are now being offered the chance to try browsers from other providers, following a ruling from the European Commission.

As part of the windows update patch, users in Europe will be offered the chance to stick with Microsoft's Internet Explorer or switch to one of 12 different companies' products.

Meanwhile, a report from anti-virus and spyware software provider Kaspersky Lab has found a "vulnerability" in versions 6 and 7 of Internet Explorer.

Yet Mr May believes that all the browsers available have their faults.

"Whatever browser you have on your PC you need to keep it up to date. Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome all include mechanisms for doing this, as long as you allow it to happen," he said.