Black Hat 2024: Enterprise Browser Creates Endpoint Security for Every User

Michael Fey, co-founder and CEO of Island, joins Dark Reading's Terry Sweeney at News Desk during Black Hat USA to talk about his company's enterprise browser and how it's different from so-called "secure" browsers or the average freeware desktop browser.

Fey says he and his colleagues got the idea from the open-source Project Chrome initiative to rework the standard browser and make it less porous and buggy. "To us, that meant [giving the end user tools to make them more productive, and to reduce the fundamental cost structure of running [browsers] for the business, and then to dramatically improve security by building it into that last mile," Fey explains. And that's important because "the browser has becomes a company's portal for work, long term."

Adopting enterprise browsers also means reducing an organization's tech stack. No longer do companies have to support the virtual desktop interface for accessing widely used business applications like Salesforce; they can also shut down VPN gateways by adding zero-trust network architecture in the process, Fey adds. Island has also separated the operating system from the hardware with its enterprise browser. The browser is able to download organizational policies to ensure correct formatting, reconfigure as needed, and deliver the appropriate apps for that work session. "That makes it a very nimble, easy-to-run environment," Fey adds. Click the video "start" button to learn more about Island's thoughts regarding where organizations can derive greater ROI, as well as some important distinctions between enterprise browsers and secure browsers.

Michael Fey is Island's co-founder and CEO. Fey was president and COO at Symantec. Prior to Symantec, he was president and COO of Blue Coat. Mike was also executive VP and general manager for enterprise products at McAfee, and CTO of Intel Security, playing a pivotal role in Intel's acquisition of McAfee in 2010. Fey holds a degree in engineering physics and mathematics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and was co-author of "Security Battleground: An Executive Field Manual," providing a playbook for security-obligated executives coping with the new realities of cybersecurity responsibilities to the board.