In different industries, many companies are going digital as they explore various options to reach new audiences and convert new customers. However, many of these companies often encounter cybersecurity challenges in their quest, requiring them to invest in cybersecurity solutions. Besides customers, the increasing acceptance of remote work in different organizations means that sensitive information and resources are shared over the Internet.
Thus, while accessing their options for security solutions, there are often arguments on which to choose between enterprise browsers and remote browser isolation tools. In this article, we will explore how each of these cybersecurity solutions works and the major differences between the two.
Understanding Remote Browser Isolation (RBI)
Remote browser isolation, also shortened to RBI, is one of the enterprise browser alternatives, and there have been debates about which is a better solution. Remote browser isolation allows organizations to manage and monitor corporate databases and networks and secure unmanaged devices whenever they access data. This type of cybersecurity solution employs a zero-trust approach, which means it inherently does not trust any website until it has been verified to be safe.
When users access the internet using remote browser isolation, they are typically going through the visual representation of the web pages. Since they are accessing the internet over a secure channel, they are usually not allowed to execute codes or download files within the local environment.
Typically, this is how remote browser isolation works. Whenever a user tries to access the internet through RBI, their requests on the device they are using are forwarded to a remote server hosting the isolated browser environment. Within an isolated sandbox environment on the remote server, the requested website is loaded, preventing any cybersecurity breaches from happening. Once a request is processed, an RBI solution does not send the complete page data to a user’s device. Instead, it only sends the visual output, such as text, images, and videos, to the device to prevent harmful scripts and web elements from executing.
Introduction to Enterprise Browsers
Enterprise browser solutions like LayerX Security provide a secure environment specially designed to prevent and fight cyber threats and vulnerabilities. Enterprise browsers are mostly known for impacting excellent user experience, as they often come in the form of extensions. They allow for comprehensive visibility and analysis of users’ actions while using a web browser while also enforcing security policies.
These types of browsers are mostly tailored for organizational use, and they perform a wide range of functions, such as controlling resource access, enhancing security, and enforcing specific IT policies. Assuming a company or organization decides to use an enterprise browser, they are allowed to make predefined policies or rules. So, what happens is when users such as their employees use those browsers, it ensures they don’t constitute a security threat. They mostly do this by content inspection and access control.
Enterprise Browsers vs Remote Browser Isolation: Key Differences
Below, we will discuss some of the critical factors that differentiate an enterprise browser from remote browser isolation (RBI) solutions:
User Experience
It is important to start with user experience, as users would like to know how much they would enjoy using each of these cybersecurity solutions. Assuming a user decides to go with a remote browser isolation tool, they should be prepared to battle with a below-average user experience. When a user is trying to access a web page from an RBI solution, not all web applications or websites may function properly. The implication of this is that users might experience broken functionalities, and some web features might not work.
On the other hand, enterprise browsers like LayerX Security have proven to offer some of the best user experiences. This is mainly because of how they operate. They often come as web extensions. Thus, users can continue to use their favorite web browsers while installing an enterprise browser as an extension.
Mode of Operation
The mode of operation between the two cybersecurity solutions differs. Enterprise browsers operate mainly as a centralized control system over web activities while still integrating with business operations and security frameworks. Thus, they often ensure that browsing activities are compartmentalized from the local device by introducing in-browse isolation. This ensures that the browsing environment is safe without necessarily having to disrupt the entire process or shift it to another cloud server.
On the other hand, remote browser isolation tools are popular for shifting the whole browsing process to a remote server hosted in the cloud. It removes the entire browsing activity from the user’s device and only presents a visual stream to the user. So, what happens is that it effectively removes any chances of malicious elements interacting with the user’s endpoint.
Latency
Because of how fast they are, users might not even notice that they are using an enterprise browser except when certain security notifications come. This is what leads to the great user experience people have while using enterprise browsers. Even while isolating end-user activity and maintaining endpoint security, they are swift in processing user requests.
But the reverse is the case for remote browser isolation tools. In its mode of operation, remote browser solutions often have to process users’ requests and web content remotely before they transmit the visual stream to a user’s device. In between the two processes, users will notice significant delays in the rendering of web pages. If a web page has interactive or media-rich content, a user would get frustrated by the waiting time involved in processing their requests. A comparison between enterprise browsers and RBI solutions shows that the latter is often less productive.
Costs
The amount of money it takes to install remote browser isolation in an organization is quite different from the one required for enterprise browsers. Enterprise browsers are known to be significantly cheaper. There’s no need for hardware or maintenance costs, and it is easier for it to support a large number of unmanaged devices and users.
Conclusion
The surge in cyber attacks means organizations and companies need new cybersecurity solutions to help them fight the threats and vulnerabilities. Enterprise browsers and remote browser isolation tools emerge as some of the top choices for these organizations. However, there are significant differences between the two, ranging from their mode of operations to the cost of running them. Enterprise browsers are often known to be more user-friendly, while RBI solutions have below-average user experience due to latency issues while using them. Nevertheless, the choice of a user or organization depends on their security needs and their preferences.