Since browsers have become a major target for cybercriminals, organizations with a digital footprint must ensure their web security. Recently, cyber threats have become so advanced that only more sophisticated web security solutions can mitigate an attack. One of the methods several organizations adopt is using enterprise browsers.
Enterprise browsers aren’t like normal browsers, as they come with advanced security solutions and tools. However, users still consider some aspects of enterprise browsers a challenge. In this article, you will learn what is an enterprise browser and the challenges this web security solution faces in 2023.
What Are Enterprise Browsers and Their Function?
Enterprise browsers are specifically designed for the type of work organizations do. This type of browser isn’t like the normal Chromium browsers that don’t prioritize security. The major focus of enterprise browsers is providing security for an organization whenever they are carrying out any activity online. Regular browsers don’t usually have the type of security features and solutions an organization needs.
Since most businesses have grown beyond using browsers for common web browsing, the online activity of organizations has become the target of cybercriminals. These cybercriminals would do anything within their limit to get their hands on sensitive organizations’ data. Cybercriminals now launch a wide range of cyber threats on browsers using techniques such as drive-by downloads, malicious plugins, keylogging, and many others.
Web security threats like these increased the need for more secure web browsing security solutions. Enterprise browsers became widely sought after as they were created to protect an organization’s data from hackers. With enterprise browsers, features such as anti-screenshot, anti-malware, multi-factor authentication, and other security tools are present. This is often not available in regular or standard browsers. However, organizations still face issues when using enterprise browsers to secure their web activities.
Major Challenges Faced by Enterprise Browsers in 2023
● Poor User Experience
The common issue users face with enterprise browsers is the poor user experience and interface. Enterprise browsers are created specifically for an organization, and it looks and functions totally different from legacy browsers.
The major issue enterprise browsers have is that they often make static policies to maintain the security of an organization’s web activity. These policies are not flexible leading to a poor user experience. Also, some random features found in regular browsers might not be found in an enterprise browser.
Sometimes features such as a download button, copy and paste, and screen sharing are disabled with the browser. Those who have not been using browsers like this will find it new and inconvenient. This is why many organizations prefer browser-agnostic platforms such as LayerX to enterprise browsers; they are more flexible.
● Over-dependency
One of the biggest issues organizations face with enterprise browsers is over-dependency. An organization automatically loses the right to flexibility when using an enterprise browser. Everything in an enterprise browser is so specific that using another browser might lead to data loss. To avoid situations like this, organizations continue using the enterprise browser leading to “vendor lock.”
By “vendor lock,” it simply means that the organization is now overly dependent on one entire service provider for the security of its web footprint. A business or organization in a “vendor lock” situation is very dangerous. It makes their business’s progress overly dependent on the enterprise browser. In other words, if the enterprise browser of an organization is slow to advanced technology adoption, it will also slow down the advancement of an organization using it.
● Huge Cost
For all the customizations and security perks a user gets with an enterprise browser, they have to pay a huge chunk of money at the end of the day to keep it running. Because of the “vendor lock” that happens, organizations might even miss out on cheaper web security solutions that would have done a better job than an enterprise browser.
Compared to browser-agnostic platforms like LayerX, enterprise browsers come at an incredibly huge cost. Most browser-agnostic platforms come at a more reasonable price, and users have better control over their expenditures. Organizations don’t have to worry about “vendor lock,” as migrating from one browser-agnostic platform to another is much easier than enterprise browsers.
● Restricted Usefulness
The issue with enterprise browsers is not because it does not serve its purpose of protecting and organizing online. It performs the function very well; however, it is too restricted to protecting web security that it leaves out other details. How enterprise browsers operate makes it so limited for an organization that needs those extra perks found in regular browsers.
If an organization needs features such as copy and paste, upload, or download to make their work faster, they may find using an enterprise browser very hard. This leads to compatibility issues, as employees will find it inconvenient to use browsers that do not have this feature. This is the challenge most enterprise browsers face, and if they can find a way to wriggle out of it, it will change their perception.
● Challenges with Deployment
Even in 2023, users of enterprise browsers still find it hard when deploying or onboarding new enterprise browsers. If an organization has been using normal browsers for a long time, deploying enterprise browsers on its employees can be time-consuming. First, the IT department of the organization and other users need to familiarize themselves with the new enterprise browsers to perform their tasks.
To deploy custom-made browsers such as these, an organization still needs to spend time and resources on training employees to adapt. Since adapting to a whole new browser takes time, it slows down work and productivity in any organization. Even when the enterprise browser has been deployed, enforcing its usage in an organization might be problematic.
