The core capability of an enterprise browser is to enable IT to securely deliver web applications onto any device. Security can include capabilities such as copy-paste controls, access to applications behind the firewall, SIEM data feeds, company’s MFA, and others.
There are two distinct scenarios in which an enterprise browser can be used:
- Corporate-managed devices: On corporate-managed devices, companies can choose to have a single browser that combines both consumer (access to amazon.com, Netflix, etc. ) and enterprise access (Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, SAP, etc.), and policies to control behavior either at the browser and/or at the networking layer. Both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are widely used by companies as an “enterprise” browser on managed endpoints.
- Unmanaged, Untrusted, or Bring Your Own Device: For use cases where IT cannot manage or trust the device, we need a new tool. There are two options:
- a unified consumer/enterprise browser that is fully managed by IT
- a browser that is focused on securing access to corporate applications that is fully managed by IT. Excluding consumer access has many positive security implications, because the attack surface for enterprise application reduces significantly.
There is a lot of ongoing innovation to deliver an enterprise browser in the second scenario: unmanaged or untrusted devices.
