Introduction:

The enterprise workforce has increasingly shifted to operating within web browsers over the last decade. Today, more than 85% of work is browser-based, with employees expecting seamless access to enterprise systems — anytime, anywhere, and from any device.

With a globally distributed workforce made up of full-time employees, contractors, and third-party vendors, the concept of an “endpoint” is no longer limited to physical devices like laptops and mobile phones. While virtual environments like VDIs (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) emerged as a solution, they’ve struggled to scale efficiently and have not delivered the anticipated reductions in operational costs or complexity.

It’s time to recognize that browsers are no longer just applications running on endpoints — they are the new enterprise endpoints. So IT and Security teams need to treat them as endpoints to secure their digital workplace.

The Browser Risk Landscape:

As browser usage has surged, so too has the cyber risk surface associated with it. Security and IT teams now face a unique and growing set of challenges:

• Session hijacking, phishing, and credential theft remain leading threats initiated via the browser.
  
• Malicious browser extensions are now a primary delivery method for malware in the enterprise.
  
• Shadow AI has worsened the shadow IT problem — with many unapproved apps accessed via browsers without oversight.
  
• Data exfiltration through browser-based activity often escapes traditional DLP detection, especially actions like copy-paste, screenshots, and screen recordings.
  
• Data lineage tracking within browsers is extremely difficult, leaving gaps in auditability and traceability.
  
• Browser patch management is a persistent challenge as multiple browsers are used across operating systems and devices, often unmanaged.
  

Despite efforts to secure browser workloads, the industry has not seen consistent success using traditional security tools to protect work executed within consumer-grade browsers. 

Why Secure Browsers Are the Future:

Having worked in browser security for nearly a decade, I’ve seen the challenges first-hand. At Intel, we used Intel SGX — a confidential computing technology — to secure sensitive browser operations such as digital signature validation. It was powerful, but it didn’t scale. One-off use case protections weren’t enough to drive widespread adoption. The focus was to implement security controls to protect mission critical tasks inside a consumer grade browser. 

More recently, enterprises have shifted their strategy: instead of bolting on controls to Chrome or Firefox, they are adopting enterprise-grade secure browsers such as Island, Chrome Enterprise, and Prisma Access Browser. As an early adopter of secure browsers, with two successful rollouts of secure browsers across two large corporations (Snowflake and Medallia) for thousands of users, I believe this shift is a no-brainer.

Here’s why secure browsers are game-changers:

• Enforced Access Control: You can enforce that corporate apps are only accessed through a secure browser. If SSO is enabled, routing all authentication flows becomes seamless and manageable.
• Extension Governance: Managing apps and extensions across endpoints is nearly impossible at scale. Secure browsers enable organizations to pre-approve only trusted extensions, drastically reducing attack surfaces.
• Group-Based DLP Policies: Instead of applying generic DLP rules across the board, secure browsers support identity-integrated policy enforcement tailored by role, department, or geography.
• Tool Integration & Context-Aware Controls: Secure browsers can integrate with DLP and endpoint posture tools. For example, you can block a Salesforce admin from accessing critical functions unless the device meets patching and compliance standards.
• Secure BYOD Isolation: Many enterprises do not manage employee mobile devices. Secure browsers can provide containerized browser environments on mobile, enabling limited and secured access without a full MDM solution.

Conclusion: 

Insider threats remain the top source of enterprise breaches. There’s no silver bullet — but layered security and preventative controls are the best defense.

Since browsers are now where most work happens, it’s imperative to re-evaluate what browsers your employees use and how you manage them. A secure browser strategy provides the control, visibility, and protection that traditional endpoints no longer guarantee.

The browser is the new endpoint — and it’s time to manage it like one.