Enterprises that have been thinking of dropping Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser should reconsider now that IE 7 is out, Gartner analysts said.

In an online research note, a trio of analysts -- Ray Valdes, Neil MacDonald, and Michael Silver -- argue that although Microsoft's revamped Web browser may harbor security vulnerabilities, it is enough of an improvement that organizations should upgrade from older editions.

"IE 7 should have fewer vulnerabilities in the long run compared to Internet Explorer 6," the analysts wrote, although "[it] contains a large amount of new code, which, for most software packages, is likely to lead to a new crop of bugs and security vulnerabilities."

That said, IE 7's new features, which include tabbed browsing, integrated search and RSS, and more attention to security, are "likely to be sufficient to convince IT managers that have been considering a change to a non-IE browser to reconsider."

Gartner recommended that organizations using older versions to shift to IE 7; companies or groups still relying on older operating systems that don't support IE 7 -- which includes Windows 98 and Windows 2000 -- should either upgrade the OS to one which will run IE 7, or migrate to a non-Microsoft browser, such as Firefox or Opera.

Users and organizations who have already ditched IE, however, shouldn't bother switching back to IE 7, the three analysts concluded. "It is not likely to win back a significant number of users who are already using alternative browsers like Firefox," they reported.

Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP last week; a version for Windows Vista will be included with the new operating system when it's unveiled next month to businesses. Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox 2.0, meanwhile, debuted Tuesday.