Island unveils Enterprise Browser to improve security for business users
Island unveiled a new category of enterprise software, an Enterprise Browser, developed specifically for business users and aimed at improving cybersecurity and the nature of work.
After almost two years of product development, the company emerged today from stealth mode to introduce the Enterprise Browser, eliminating the massive gaps between current consumer-focused browsers and the increasingly complex IT and security requirements of enterprises worldwide.
With core needs of the enterprise naturally embedded within the browser itself, Island is a browser to provide end-users with the same Chromium-based experience they expect, while giving the enterprise much needed functionality to vastly improve corporate security and employee productivity.
Headquartered in Dallas with research and development in Tel Aviv, Island is led by co-founder and CEO Mike Fey, previously president and COO at Symantec and GM and CTO of McAfee; and co-founder and CTO Dan Amiga, inventor of web isolation technology and previously founder and CTO of Fireglass. Island emerges from stealth with a complete senior management and technical team bringing decades of experience in enterprise security from both successfully established cybersecurity firms and start-ups, as well as deep domain expertise in Chromium research and development.
To date, the company has secured almost $100 million in financing from leading early-stage investors including Insight Partners, Sequoia Capital, Cyberstarts and Stripes and has hired over 100 employees.
“For decades, organizations have globally utilized consumer browsers in the corporate computing environment,” said Mike Fey, co-founder and CEO, Island. “These organizations require strong control and governance, which consumer browsers were never built to deliver. Island uniquely provides manageability, control, security and enhanced productivity features from within the browser itself, while users enjoy a familiar browsing experience. We envision the Enterprise Browser fundamentally improving not just security, but enterprise work itself.”
“SaaS has fundamentally changed how IT teams are providing value added services to their companies and the industry is ripe for a new way of thinking about how we secure that value,” said Bob Schuetter, CISO, Ashland Global Holdings, Inc. “A browser built for the enterprise can fundamentally change the industry, empowering us to reimagine how we approach our use cases with tremendous power yet elegant simplicity.”
Product features, capabilities and use cases
The Enterprise Browser enables organizations to deeply govern how users interact with all SaaS and internal web applications. Through the use of the Island Enterprise Browser, security teams can fully control last-mile actions from advanced security demands to more basic data exfiltration protections such as copy, paste, download, upload, screenshots and other activities that might expose critical data.
This opens up unprecedented opportunities across a growing number of enterprise use cases, including securing critical SaaS and internal web applications from data leakage, safe access for contractors and BYOD workers and full governance over privileged user accounts. It can also reduce virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) dependency while also supporting built-in safe browsing, web filtering, web isolation, exploit prevention, smart network routing and Zero Trust access.
“The browser is the office where today’s hybrid workforce lives,” said Dan Amiga, co-founder and CTO, Island, “We have engineered the Enterprise Browser to be the platform for the future of their work. It begins by redefining how an organization secures its work but will positively impact endless needs across information technology.”
“It’s rare that you see a security technology with the potential to reimagine the industry the way Island’s Enterprise Browser does,” said Jeff Horing, co-founder and managing director, Insight Partners. “Island has all the attributes we look for in a successful venture – an experienced management team, a brilliant idea and a large market disruption capability.”
Market demand intensifying
Island released and deployed its GA product beginning in September 2021 to some of the world’s most recognizable brands across a range of industries, including several in the Fortune 500.
“When we first saw Island’s design, we immediately recognized the revolutionary impact it could have on securing the workplace,” said Doug Leone, global managing partner, Sequoia. “By delivering on the long-standing goal of security by design, we see it as a disruptive solution within the security industry.”
“Our focus at Cyberstarts is to invest in important ideas and people that will change the cybersecurity industry,” said Gili Raanan, founder, Cyberstarts and general partner, Sequoia. “Island’s Enterprise Browser has the potential to positively impact every part of the space.”