With the steep rise in web-borne threats, more and more organizations are turning to enhance their browser security.
Learn why security teams choose LayerX Enterprise Extension over Island Enterprise Browser
Island bases its enterprise browser offering on partial and misleading claims that attempt to plant FUD regarding the commercial browsers’ true capabilities:
Workforce friction
Browser dependency
Productivity features
High, due to forced shift to custom browser
High, because security is delivered by the custom browser provider alone
Need to be built from scratch
Low, since users are working with their browser of choice
Low, since users are working with their browser of choice
Available off-the-shelf
Side-by-side blind spots
Browser isolation, file processing and extension monitoring
Security features (blocklisting, auto-patching, integration with digital identity providers, etc.)
High, due to gradual deployment alongside commercial browsers
High capabilities due to visibility into the device’s OS
Need to build from scratch
Non-existent since side-by-side deployment isn’t required
Reduced capabilities. However existing EPP\EDR solutions already cover this attack vector
Available off-the-shelf
Unmanaged devices
Managed devices
Requires asking the end user (either an employee or a contractor) to install an executable. In a case of local browser isolation - requires compute resources (RAM, CPU).
The organization can force installation of the executable, and they can potentially block other browsers in the organization
Deployment is carried out either through agentless sign-in or a lightweight installer
The organization can force-install the extension via a policy
High, due to forced shift to custom browser
Low, since users are working with their browser of choice
High, because security is delivered by the custom browser provider alone
Low, since users are working with their browser of choice
Need to be built from scratch
Available off-the-shelf
High, due to gradual deployment alongside commercial browsers
Non-existent since side-by-side deployment isn’t required
High capabilities due to visibility into the device’s OS
Reduced capabilities. However existing EPP\EDR solutions already cover this attack vector
Need to build from scratch
Available off-the-shelf
Requires asking the end user (either an employee or a contractor) to install an executable. In a case of local browser isolation - requires compute resources (RAM, CPU).
Deployment is carried out either through agentless sign-in or a lightweight installer
The organization can force installation of the executable, and they can potentially block other browsers in the organization
The organization can force-install the extension via a policy
Workforce friction
Browser dependency
Productivity features
High, due to forced shift to custom browser
High, because security is delivered by the custom browser provider alone
Need to be built from scratch
Workforce friction
Browser dependency
Productivity features
Low, since users are working with their browser of choice
Low, since users are working with their browser of choice
Available off-the-shelf
Side-by-side blind spots
Browser isolation, file processing and extension monitoring
Security features (blocklisting, auto-patching, integration with digital identity providers, etc.)
High, due to gradual deployment alongside commercial browsers
High capabilities due to visibility into the device’s OS
Need to build from scratch
Side-by-side blind spots
Browser isolation, file processing and extension monitoring
Security features (blocklisting, auto-patching, integration with digital identity providers, etc.)
Non-existent since side-by-side deployment isn’t required
Reduced capabilities. However existing EPP\EDR solutions already cover this attack vector
Available off-the-shelf
Unmanaged devices
Managed devices
Requires asking the end user (either an employee or a contractor) to install an executable. In a case of local browser isolation - requires compute resources (RAM, CPU).
The organization can force installation of the executable, and they can potentially block other browsers in the organization
Unmanaged devices
Managed devices
Deployment is carried out either through agentless sign-in or a lightweight installer
The organization can force-install the extension via a policy
Security stakeholders understand better than anyone that the user experience is the foundation of cyber protection. A security solution that disrupts employees when they are performing their job is not sustainable.
With LayerX, your employees change nothing in their browser working habits. We provide visibility and a protection layer on their browser of choice in a way that is completely transparent to them, so they can carry on with their work as usual.
Island, on the other hand, forces employees to convert their work-related browsing to an inferior browser and maintain two browsers in parallel. One is used for work purposes and the other for personal use. This introduces unacceptable interference in their user experience. As a result, leading security decision makers may disqualify this alternative altogether.
Moreover, from the IT perspective, the resulting vendor lock is bound to create friction during the onboarding and the offboarding of the enterprise browser. In addition, the migration to Island forces the IT team to reconfigure any authentication processes that rely on Chrome\Edge identity services.
The browser is subject to multiple types of attacks. This includes attacks that emerge from unsanctioned apps and public websites and target the corporate devices, data, and applications.
LayerX protection applies equally to risks that involve unsanctioned apps and websites, as well as to those that target corporate SaaS apps. LayerX operates over the single browser of choice the workforce uses and can see and govern every browser session the user performs.
Island Enterprise Browser, by design, has partial to zero visibility and threat protection capabilities over all non-work browser activities. It is focused exclusively on sanctioned apps and other corporate-managed web destinations. This leaves you exposed to phishing attacks, adversary-controlled web pages, and malicious SaaS applications.
The ease of getting a security solution up and running, as well as the operational overhead its ongoing usage entails, is as important as the protection capabilities it provides.
The fact that LayerX is delivered as an extension on top of your existing browser vouches for seamless distribution across managed and unmanaged devices alike. In terms of ongoing maintenance, there is no additional overhead on top of the maintenance of the browser app itself.
Island Enterprise Browser requires a complete installation process as a new corporate application. Moreover, not only is there a constant side-by-side maintenance of their browser and the commercial one within every device, but it requires continuous effort to gradually apply its protection to more and more corporate apps, creating constant planning and maintenance efforts.