It’s humbling and gratifying for a technology vendor to get named to a Gartner^Ⓡ Hype Cycle^TM. The Enterprise Browser was just named in four. Four different Hype Cycle reports in the span of two weeks. What’s driving this explosion of interest? 

The observations from Gartner are a reflection of the broad value that the Enterprise Browser delivers. A simplified approach to implementing Zero Trust Networking, even unmanaged devices. The rationalization of the Everything-as-a-Service delivery model. Layered protections for Endpoint Security. Improved productivity through a refined approach to Workload and Network Security. Shifting the point of control and governance to the point of maximum impact — the browser — unlocks new workflows, more flexibility, and ultimately more productivity throughout the enterprise. 

‍Focus on the game and the scoreboard takes care of itself. 

Our mission is to deliver the ideal enterprise work environment. When the call center agent can shave seconds off a task that they repeat hundreds of times each week, that’s progress. When a healthcare provider can quickly access sensitive patient information and spend more time with patients — and less time in front of their computer — that’s progress. When a business can reduce their operational expenses and invest more into their core products and services, that’s progress. These aren’t hypothetical examples; this is how Island, the Enterprise Browser, is delivering real value, right now. When hype is the natural result of delivering real value, then you know the hype is real.

‍Why now? 

The web browser is not new. It’s a technology that’s been evolving for over 30 years, and it reached ubiquity long ago. The “browser wars” are over and we all benefit from universal standards and cross-platform compatibility. Along the way, browsers and the web applications they powered gained more and more capabilities. In the workplace, it’s now common for most employees to do most of their work within a browser. And recently, the work place moved outside the office and left the traditional managed network behind. Put simply, the browser is the workspace, and the workspace is the browser. 

In this context, the rise of the Enterprise Browser is the logical outcome. Critical applications, data, and work flows through the browser; it follows that enterprise technology leaders would choose the browser that’s built for them. The Enterprise Browser represents a new approach to enabling enterprise workflows with security, application controls, and user productivity at the forefront. To learn more about how the Enterprise Browser creates new opportunities for IT, Security, and the enterprise workforce more broadly, read a recent research report from Gartner^Ⓡ about the Future of Enterprise Browsers ¹.

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¹ Gartner, Emerging Tech: Security — The Future of Enterprise Browsers, Dan Ayoub, Evgeny Mirolyubov, Max Taggett, Dave Messett, 14 April 2023

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. 

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. 

In the rapidly evolving world of Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS), security and accessibility take center stage. The Enterprise Browser, a cutting-edge solution by Island, is shaping the future of secure application access. Recognized by the latest Gartner Hype Cycle for XaaS, the Enterprise Browser is designed to offer unparalleled security, even on unmanaged or untrusted devices. This article dives into the transformative role of the Enterprise Browser in the XaaS delivery model, and how it stands apart from traditional solutions.

The most recent Gartner^Ⓡ Hype Cycle^TM for XaaS named Island as a Sample Vendor for Endpoint Access Isolation. The Enterprise Browser offers an elegant approach to secure application access even when the host device is unmanaged or untrusted. The unique last-mile controls and self protecting browser capabilities differentiates Island from legacy solutions like VDI/DaaS or classic VPN. As the research notes, “Trading physical hardware for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and desktop as a service (DaaS) sessions for contractors and partners won’t address the underlying security issues of the local machine — a viable vector for credential and IP theft.”¹

‍As the Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS) trend continues, the browser has an increasingly critical role to play. Enterprise workflows with sensitive business information often take place exclusively through the browser — crossing multiple service providers on the far end. Workers that connect remotely outside the office, or third-party contractors that make up the extended workforce, put a strain on legacy security solutions that were designed for a managed endpoint and managed network environment. 

‍According to the Hype Cycle research, “Traditional remote access tools like classic VPN can profile a device but can’t actively neutralize local threats. As organizations rethink allowing access to SaaS apps via any browser, from any device, this technology can offer a more secure way to reach these apps. This technology allows organizations to simplify both the standard IT “stack” and its deployment to end users for remote access. This is particularly important as hybrid working remains a day-to-day reality for most organizations.”¹

‍Island pioneered the Enterprise Browser to deliver secure access and offer a productive workspace that works across any deployment model and all device types. By embedding access policies, data protection, and security controls within the Enterprise Browser, Island creates a safe working environment that works on unmanaged endpoints (e.g., BYOD or contractor devices) as well as managed endpoints. Last-mile controls protect sensitive data from moving outside the enterprise environment, and the self protecting browser neutralizes tampering and local malware, such as keystroke loggers. This approach is validated in the Hype Cycle research: “There is a trend of adding a layer of security through enforcing consistent browser configuration and control for any user accessing productivity apps and company data from an unmanaged PC.”¹

‍To support organizations with a mix of on-premise and cloud applications, the Enterprise Browser offers integrated Island Private Access (IPA) to make a secure connection to private applications or networks that aren’t open to the Internet. IT administrators or engineers use the integrated SSH client to securely connect to servers over IPA. Internal web applications that were built for Internet Explorer aren’t left behind either, as Island supports IE Mode for a seamless user experience across both modern and legacy applications. 

‍The Enterprise Browser represents a new approach to security that puts access controls, data protections, and application visibility at the point of maximum impact: inside the browser. To learn more about how the Enterprise Browser creates new opportunities for IT, Security, and the enterprise workforce more broadly, read a recent research report from Gartner^Ⓡ about the Future of Enterprise Browsers ². 

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¹ Source: Gartner, Hype Cycle for Xaas, Jason Donham, Philip Dawson, Chris Silva, Stuart Downes, et al., 20 July 2023 

² Gartner, Emerging Tech: Security — The Future of Enterprise Browsers, Dan Ayoub, Evgeny Mirolyubov, Max Taggett, Dave Messett, 14 April 2023

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Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. 

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and HYPE CYCLE is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

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Two massive shifts forever changed the enterprise workplace: Applications moved off the desktop to the cloud, and workers left the office to work remotely.

Together, these changes pushed IT and Security teams to rethink their strategy for delivering and securing enterprise workflows and data. Along the way, the web browser moved from a supporting tool for accessing information to the central workspace where most users do most of their work. It follows that the Enterprise Browser category is growing in importance as more organizations adopt a browser that’s built for enterprise work and delivers essential security controls and governance. 

The most recent Gartner^Ⓡ Hype Cycle^(TM) for Zero Trust Networking named Island as an Example Vendor for Enterprise Browsers. In the report, they highlight several of the key drivers for customer adoption, including “providing Day 1 access for new organizations gained through mergers and acquisitions, contractor access management, or as layered security controls on top of fragile critical infrastructure.”¹

In the context of a zero trust security framework, the Island Enterprise Browser offers a welcome alternative to infrastructure-heavy legacy security solutions. The browser holds a privileged location within the application workflow: it knows the user’s identity, the posture of the device it’s running on, the network it’s connected to, the geographic location it’s operating in. This creates the foundation for zero trust access policies, even for deployments that challenge legacy security solutions. As the report identifies, “Existing security solutions often struggle to support unmanaged devices. This is an area where enterprise browsers have found early traction in the market, by providing an acceptable level of secure remote access that is able to maintain a mostly familiar end-user experience.”¹

Where the Enterprise Browser stands apart is its ability to extend zero trust principles inside an application. With full visibility and control of the specific actions and data, the Enterprise Browser can apply the least-privilege principles within any application. For example, a call center employee could view a customer record in their CRM with certain sensitive fields redacted and be restricted from printing, saving, or exporting that information. Or a contractor could gain access to an internal system in read-only mode for a limited period of time. In these there’s no dependency on the application itself to support role based access policies or redactions, as it’s done within the Enterprise Browser itself. 

The Enterprise Browser represents a new approach to security that puts access controls, data protections, and application visibility at the point of maximum impact: inside the browser. To learn more about how the Enterprise Browser creates new opportunities for IT, Security, and the enterprise workforce more broadly, read a recent research report from Gartner^Ⓡ about the Future of Enterprise Browsers ². 

¹ Source: Gartner, Hype Cycle for Zero Trust Networking, Andrew Lerner, John Watts, Dan Ayoub, et al., 18 July 2023

² Gartner, Emerging Tech: Security — The Future of Enterprise Browsers, Dan Ayoub, Evgeny Mirolyubov, Max Taggett, Dave Messett, 14 April 2023

‍Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. 

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and HYPE CYCLE is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

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