Browsers Are Now the Workplace

Whether you’re on a tablet, a smartphone, a laptop or a PC doesn’t matter;  the chances are that you’re reading this article through a browser right now. 

And that browser, whichever one you prefer, represents something of a silent revolution in how you and your colleagues work.

As the use of the cloud and SaaS applications has become commonplace, your browser is no longer just ‘something you use to access the internet’ , it’s the nerve centre of your entire operation. Collaboration tools, customer-facing systems, AI platforms, specialist software, and so much more are all accessed through a browser in the first instance.

This applies to businesses, big and small. 

Research by SQ Magazine has found that 61% of corporate IT departments make use of Microsoft Edge, while 49% of small and medium-sized businesses that operate a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) set up use Google Chrome. 

From a security perspective, that’s positive, as it means that there’s a natural level of protection that comes from market-leading technology. But that isn’t necessarily enough on its own.

Many businesses, especially smaller ones, have security solutions and processes that were designed around traditional work on applications approved and installed by the IT/security team. These solutions weren’t designed for everything to be happening through a web browser, which means there’s a serious risk of critical data and processes taking place outside existing network controls.

It’s for that reason that now is the time for a rethink around your browser security, to make sure that your organisation is maximising the advantage of flexibility and efficiency, without introducing major security vulnerabilities along the way. 

This topic is sponsored by Palo Alto Networks, whose commitment to making enterprise-grade security accessible to mid-market organisations helped bring this discussion to the community.