Our integration partner has informed us that if we have 64 bit Windows, we are obliged to use 64 bit office, internet explorer, and outlook plugin as well. Our concern is that forcing people to use 64 bit IE will break many other tools we use as they rely on add-ons that do not have a 64 bit version. The idea of training up people to juggle between two versions of IE is seen as problematic because of these compatibility reasons.
My question then, is: do we really need to use a "pure" 64 bit OS, Office and IE? We haven't experienced issues running 32 bit Office on a 64 bit platform, and given that MS offers clients for both bitnesses, I'm having a difficult time understanding why we have to go all 64 bit. I haven't been able to find verification of our partner's assertion in any MS documentation.
Thank you for any insight you might have!