Customer story

Clearwater Analytics (CWAN) Gains Real‑Time Endpoint Control and Visibility with Island

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Founded

2004

Industry

Financial Services

Island solutions

SaaS and Web Apps, BYOD Workforce, M&A Onboarding, Zero Trust, Safe Browsing, Privileged Access Management, Say Yes at Work, AI

Founded

2004

Industry

Financial Services

Island solutions

SaaS and Web Apps, BYOD Workforce, M&A Onboarding, Zero Trust, Safe Browsing, Privileged Access Management, Say Yes at Work, AI

Data Loss Prevention

Gain real‑time visibility to strengthen and customize DLP rules.

Sensitive Data Protection

Safeguard customer information with robust, layered controls.

Security‑First Culture

Enforce policies enterprise‑wide through a single secure browser.

Faster M&A Integration

Onboard acquired companies quickly while preserving data security and sovereignty.

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Meet Clearwater Analytics (CWAN)

In the financial services sector, with its stringent regulations and relentless cyber threats, maintaining operational efficiency and airtight security are paramount. That’s why over 1,400 insurers, asset managers, corporations, pension plans, governments, and nonprofits trust CWAN to safeguard and streamline their investment operations.

As a cloud-native SaaS platform, CWAN automates the intricate work of investment accounting, performance tracking, compliance, and risk reporting. Its technology distills complex, multi-asset data from numerous sources into a single, daily-updated source of truth. CWAN meets the strict demands of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Section 1, with Section 2 in progress), the GDPR, and is advancing toward compliance with the Digital Operational Resiliency Act (DORA).

CWAN faces the ongoing challenge of balancing robust security with operational efficiency while ensuring clients maintain real‑time access to their data and the platform keeps that data secure.

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“We look for solutions that aren’t heavy and resource-intensive, since compute costs money in the cloud,” says Evans. “We want to ensure that we’re providing the best security possible while operating at the highest efficiency the platform can achieve.”

Sam Evans, CISO, CWAN

The Challenge

Balancing security with operational efficiency

Clients frequently inquire about CWAN’s data protection and cybersecurity measures, from encryption at rest and in transit to encryption algorithms, key storage, and employee access controls. To meet these expectations, CWAN employs a "defense in depth" strategy, layering protections such as edge controls, firewalls, intrusion prevention, malicious artifact scrubbing, and data accuracy checks. Internally, the company uses data loss prevention and endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools.

CWAN has always embedded security into its operations, from application development to customer service. For example, security checks are built into the CI/CD pipeline, allowing vulnerabilities to be caught before code reaches production, with a real-time feedback loop for remediation. When CWAN moved to the cloud, it designed its platform around its security components. It also features a private instance of Microsoft Copilot, ensuring that users don’t plug sensitive information into a public AI platform. CWAN even uses Island’s own AI features to help with policy design and with deployment – for example, creating a custom user interface element that indicates a site where security policy is enforced.

“Our trust and reputation are foundational to CWAN’s core attributes,” says Sam Evans, Chief Information Security Officer at CWAN. “Our most sensitive data is our clients' data. Our security strategy is to protect our clients' data at all costs.”

Evans aimed to bring security closer to end users without disrupting workflows. His priorities included blocking the copying, screenshotting, or sharing of sensitive data to external sites or social media, as well as defending against increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks. He sought a frictionless endpoint solution offering secure browsing, BYOD protection, and granular, real‑time controls tailored to users or groups. His ultimate goal was to ensure strong data protection with a seamless user experience.

“We’ve got the visibility we need, and it’s not slowing anybody down,” says Evans. “In fact, it’s making their jobs easier.”

Sam Evans, CISO, CWAN

The Solution

Deployment without disruption

Evans was already familiar with the Island Enterprise Browser, which immediately came to mind as he searched for a solution to CWAN’s endpoint security challenges.

After a competitive head‑to‑head with another vendor, CWAN selected Island. Evans was impressed by the team’s commitment to understanding CWAN’s needs and how employees interact with data on their devices, as well as its assurance that the deployment wouldn’t disrupt daily operations.

“Island spent an incredible amount of time with us, making sure that we weren't going to do it in a disruptive way,” says Evans. “We’re a SaaS company; our platform is entirely web‑based. If our users can’t access the web and our product, we’re not effectively serving our clients.”

Island took a multi-phase approach to the four-month deployment, continuously integrating feedback from user groups. The team dispelled initial concerns about “big brother” security by demonstrating that Island operates like other browsers, but with robust, built‑in security that governs user actions without interfering with productivity.

Reinforcing a security‑first culture across the enterprise

Island provides CWAN with a secure enterprise browser that meets their goals of bringing security controls directly to the endpoint with minimal compromise in user experience.

Island also supports secure browsing for bring‑your‑own‑device (BYOD) users, integrates with existing data loss prevention (DLP) and Security Operations Center (SOC) workflows, and enables rapid policy updates across teams.

Combined with Island’s highly responsive support and speedy browser updates, these capabilities strengthen CWAN’s defense‑in‑depth strategy, reinforce its security‑first culture, and help protect sensitive customer data while maintaining operational efficiency.

“Island is your traditional browser on steroids,” concludes Evans. “Island gives us so many different ways to solve a problem, it’s almost like a Swiss Army knife for a security solution.”

Sam Evans, CISO, CWAN

Conclusion

Improving data loss prevention

Island has enhanced CWAN’s DLP strategy by providing greater visibility into how data moves through its platform and across the web. This insight has enabled the team to create more precise and customized rules, informed directly by real-time usage patterns surfaced in the browser.

“Island gives us the functionality to make the policy change, and within minutes it’s being pushed out to the browsers,” says Evans. “That for us was very important and… a great selling point for the product.”

Further insight into how developers and users access the web, as well as the tools they use, allowed CWAN to strengthen and improve enforcement of its security policies. With this deeper understanding, CWAN can continually strengthen its safeguards, respond more quickly to emerging risks, and operate with greater confidence in the effectiveness of its security policies.

Speeding M&A integration

As CWAN looks to acquire new companies and expand into new regions, Island will be integral to ensuring smooth acquisitions. Without Island, integrating new teams and systems during M&A would require time‑consuming reconfigurations, manual policy enforcement, and a higher risk of operational disruption. With Island, CWAN applies existing access rules and destination controls directly in the browser, instantly extending the same security and governance to new users. Sensitive information stays protected, and clients continue to access their data and move money without interruption, even in the middle of complex transitions.

With Island’s Enterprise Browser, CWAN has achieved:

Security enhancements that include greater visibility into user activity, blocking copy/paste, screenshots, and uploads to unsanctioned sites, as well as BYOD security and phishing mitigation.
Operational impact through a seamless user experience that provides robust security without disrupting workflows.
Strategic benefits, including fast, secure M&A integration, strengthened customer trust, and readiness for global expansion.
Cultural shift with employees engaged as partners in security, with protections embedded in development and customer service workflows.

The Island Enterprise Browser also enables CWAN to identify new and emerging security trends that were previously invisible, positioning the company for a strong, secure future.

“Island is your traditional browser on steroids,” concludes Evans. “Island gives us so many different ways to solve a problem, it’s almost like a Swiss Army knife for a security solution.”

Sam Evans, CISO, CWAN

Founded

2004

Industry

Financial Services

Island solutions

SaaS and Web Apps, BYOD Workforce, M&A Onboarding, Zero Trust, Safe Browsing, Privileged Access Management, Say Yes at Work, AI

Clearwater Analytics (CWAN) Gains Real‑Time Endpoint Control and Visibility with Island

Meet Clearwater Analytics (CWAN)

Balancing security with operational efficiency

Deployment without disruption

Reinforcing a security‑first culture across the enterprise

Improving data loss prevention

Speeding M&A integration

With Island’s Enterprise Browser, CWAN has achieved:

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