Many organizations are now moving their products and services to the Internet, and web browsers are the primary gateways for this. Cybersecurity attackers are aware of this trend and often employ a wide array of methods, ranging from age-long phishing to more sophisticated cross-site scripting.
Enterprise browsers have emerged as an incredible solution and protection from cyber threats, especially those targeted at office settings. However, organizations using enterprise browsers need a security strategy around it, and it must be executed ruthlessly to guarantee security. If a security strategy is not executed correctly, it could open room to vulnerabilities, leading to ransomware attacks and loss of sensitive data. Below, we will explore comprehensively how an organization can create and execute an enterprise browser security strategy. Let’s dive in!
Enterprise Browser and its Capabilities
Enterprise browser security platforms like LayerX Security are solutions that satisfy the cybersecurity needs of organizations and businesses. They mainly focus on security, flexibility, manageability, and integration with other tools used within the organization to ensure it does not fall to cyber attackers. They primarily provide enhanced security features for business settings, which are places where employees and employers exist.
As a user, an enterprise browser is optimized for work-related activities, and it comes fitted with an admin console for the IT and security teams. Fundamentally, an enterprise browser comes with the following features:
- Visibility and Privacy
Unlike consumer-focused browsers, an enterprise browser provides organizations with visibility concerning their employees’ activities. It also provides businesses with comprehensive analysis and data on user behavior and application usage. However, it does all this while respecting the user’s privacy.
- Centralized Control
Centralized control is one of the major features of an enterprise browser, as it provides an organization with the opportunity to have complete control of how its employees use the Internet while working. Thus, the organization can control the settings, permissions, and functionalities of its browsers from a single dashboard. Subsequently, this can help the organization enforce crucial security policies and standards across its workforce.
- Compliance and Regulatory Support
Compliance standards like GDPR and HIPAA exist across many industries, and integrating an enterprise browser into the workflow can help an organization adhere to them. Data encryption, secure browsing, and access control are features within an enterprise browser that ensure sensitive data is handled correctly.
- Improved Security and Customization
Improved security and customization are features to expect from an enterprise browser. Encryption protocols, secure socket layers (SSL), security policies, multi-factor authentication systems, and many other integrations contribute to the heightened security in an enterprise browser. Moreover, unlike regular browsers, an enterprise browser gives organizations access to tailor the browser to their needs.
5 Steps for Executing an Enterprise Browser Security Strategy
Below, we will explore some of the steps organizations or companies can take to ensure they implement an excellent security strategy within their enterprise browser:
- Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is a crucial step when executing an enterprise browser security strategy. This involves conducting a comprehensive analysis of the current security setup within an enterprise browser to detect weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Upon identifying the vulnerabilities, the next step is usually to assign priority levels to each one to focus on high-risk vulnerabilities first.
- Security Policies and Protocols
Immediately after risk assessment, security policies and guidelines will be created that dictate how employees use the Internet. These policies will guide browser usage, data access, and policy management and apply to everyone within the organization. Examples of policies like these are restrictions on the type of websites employees visit, copy-and-paste restrictions while handling certain documents, and password policies.
Setting security policies also means that employees within the organization will have to be educated and trained on how to implement them. They should be taught to adhere to the guidelines and even make use of the tools involved.
- Multi-factor Authentication and Zero-trust Policy
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) will be needed when executing a security strategy for enterprise browsers like Layer X Security. It is a security concept that requires two or more verification steps before someone is granted access to data, a website, a request, or an application. The primary aim of MFA is to reduce unauthorized access to sensitive data and applications.
However, for this to work effectively, a zero-trust security policy needs to be in place. This is a security framework where all users, whether in or outside the organization’s network, are continuously verified and authenticated before they get access to data. In this case, it does not matter if it is the CEO of the organization or the intern. Everyone is vetted before they are granted access to their request or application.
- Active Monitoring of Web Usage and Traffic
Monitoring employees’ internet activities through the centralized dashboard on an enterprise is part of the proactive steps when executing a security strategy. Already, enterprise browsers are built to provide detailed logging of web activities, offering insights into user interactions on the internet. So, the Security operations center (SOC) of an organization can make use of the data gathered in forensic investigations and proactive threat detection.
Moreover, monitoring internet usage can help the organization determine which websites, SaaS, and web applications to block access. This ensures that employees do not intentionally or accidentally access unsafe parts of the internet.
- Regular Updates
Within the cybersecurity landscape, updates are essential, and missing an update for software can provide a gateway for a severe attack. Software vendors provide updates to their applications as frequently as possible, and it is now left for individuals or organizations making use of them to download the updates. These security updates often provide patches to security vulnerabilities. Thus, applying regular updates helps minimize security loopholes and ensure an organization is ahead of any potential security vulnerability.
Wrapping Up
Above, we discussed enterprise browsers, their capabilities, and how to execute a security strategy for them comprehensively. An enterprise browser is primarily crafted for businesses and organizations to ensure the security of their internet operations. It often comes with capabilities such as enhanced security, compliance and regulatory support, centralized control, security policies, and many others.
An organization needs to follow specific steps to execute an enterprise browser security strategy. These include risk assessment, creating security policies, multi-factor authentication, active internet usage monitoring, and regular updates.
