This independent third-party recognition comes at an important moment in the growth of the Enterprise Browser market. In a little over three years, Island went from the idea of the Enterprise Browser to a $1.5 billion company with over 2 million browsers sold. Island's pioneering innovation helped usher in this new market category with more than a dozen vendors offering some version of an Enterprise Browser. Clearly, this demonstrates a previously unmet need within the enterprise technology landscape. To better understand the Enterprise Browser and why Island is the evident Frost Radar leader, let's zoom out and track how we got here.

Security

The Frost Radar primarily focused on the security dimension of the Enterprise Browser. In their research, they define zero-trust browser security (ZTBS) as follows:

“A zero-trust browser security (ZTBS) solution package offers data loss protection (DLP), sandboxing, and malware scanning capabilities to prevent phishing attacks and inadvertent or intentional data leakage.” 

Creating a secure enterprise workspace is a primary motivation for CISOs adopting the Enterprise Browser. The web browser holds a unique position in the context of cybersecurity: it's most often the first link in a cybersecurity attack. As noted in the Frost Radar, "browsers provide the initial foothold for cyber adversaries. As the frequency and complexity of web-based attacks grow, the need to secure the browser attack surface increases." Until now, enterprises addressed browser security by adding tools and technologies adjacent to the browser — secure web gateways, endpoint agents, virtualization layers, etc. With Island's innovation of the Enterprise Browser, the ever-important security layer moves to where it's needed most: within the browser itself.

Business Enablement

Good cybersecurity is essential for any enterprise business, but it's only part of a CIO's responsibility. The larger challenge facing every CIO is how to best enable the business with technology. Over the past two decades, enterprise technology went through a massive realignment as traditional software moved to SaaS and data moved to the cloud. This mega-trend ushered in significant improvements in IT efficiency and capabilities. Today, we are in the beginning stage of another mega-trend with the commercialization of general purpose artificial intelligence. The future is yet unwritten, but it's reasonable to assume that AI presents another monumental technological shift, arguably larger than SaaS. 

CIOs are tasked with simultaneously managing the operational needs of the business while preparing for the next wave of technology change. Here, the Enterprise Browser serves as a key enabling technology. In both of the mega-trends mentioned above, the browser sits at the intersection between users, applications, and data. With most — or for some businesses, all — applications moving to SaaS and cloud platforms, the Enterprise Browser is the ideal layer in the tech stack to manage access, user enablement, and enterprise visibility. As organizations embrace AI, most of these workflows will similarly flow through the browser.

As Frost observed in the Radar,

“The [Enterprise Browser] platform also enables real-time last-mile controls at the presentation layer because policy computation and enforcement happen locally rather than on the cloud.” 

Shifting from a general purpose consumer browser to the Enterprise Browser gives CIOs the point of leverage to optimize and enable the workflows and applications that drive the business.

Productivity & User Experience

Selecting the right tools and technologies is crucial for successful business operations. But that’s only part of it. The employees and other users of those systems require a workspace that promotes productivity and delivers a good user experience. As outlined above, that workspace is increasingly delivered through a browser. Because most enterprises were previously relying on a general purpose browser designed for consumers, they were forced to surround it with a range of access and security solutions that hindered the user experience. The Enterprise Browser offers a new approach where the workspace is optimized for security and productivity.

In their research, Frost identified:

“Legacy VDI, VPN, and DaaS tools do not adequately support new forms of remote and hybrid work connectivity and end up delivering inefficient workflows and unintuitive user interfaces. Such challenges promote the adoption of modern and user-friendly ZTBS solutions.”

It's rare for a solution that addresses the security objectives of a CISO, and the business objectives of a CIO, to simultaneously deliver end-user productivity benefits and real user experience improvements. But it's precisely this distinction that sets Island, the Enterprise Browser, apart and enables our rapid adoption and growth. Island is honored to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the clear leader in zero trust browser security. More importantly, Island is proud to deliver the Enterprise Browser as the ideal workspace that improves security, business enablement, and user productivity for millions of people every day.

Read the full report.