What Is Island Browser?
Island is an enterprise web browser that allows organizational users to securely browse the web. Unlike consumer browsers that prioritize general usability, Island focuses on security, control, and productivity within the workplace.
The Island browser integrates access controls, data protection mechanisms, and automation capabilities directly into the browsing environment. It enables secure access to applications and data without relying on traditional security tools like VPNs or virtual desktops.
Addressing challenges like BYOD, third-party access, and SaaS visibility, Island offers control and insight into user behavior, session activity, and data flow. Its architecture supports zero trust principles and delivers security as a core function of the browser, not an added layer.
However, dedicated enterprise browsers like Island force users to switch from standard browsers like Chrome and Safari to a different environment. This can reduce productivity, introduce compatibility issues, and reduce user satisfaction.
In this article:
- Key Features of the Island Browser
- Notable Use Cases of Island Browser
- Limitations of Island Browser
- Notable Island Browser Alternatives
Key Features of the Island Browser
Below are the key features the Island browser provides for enterprise computing environments:
- Universal application access control: Island allows enterprises to enforce conditional access rules based on identity, device state, network, location, and application contexts. These controls are embedded within the browser, making access management consistent across environments and devices.
- Device visibility and management: The browser evaluates device posture before granting access, ensuring compliance with organizational policies. This visibility extends beyond the browser itself, allowing policy enforcement on external applications like Zoom, Slack, Teams, and WhatsApp.
- Application automation: Island supports workflow automation directly within the browser. Without modifying source code or requiring APIs, teams can simplify repetitive tasks, minimize errors, and customize how SaaS and web apps function for users.
- Zero trust network access: Island delivers agentless zero trust access to internal apps, reducing exposure to threats and eliminating the need for additional network security tools. It simplifies deployment and strengthens overall security posture.
- Built-in security: Security is native to the Island Browser. It protects against web threats like malware, phishing, session hijacking, and man-in-the-browser attacks. This design reduces the reliance on third-party endpoint protection tools.
- Context-aware data protection: Island enforces data protection policies that respond to the context of the user and environment, helping prevent data leakage and insider threats.
- User analytics: Organizations can gain insight into user activity, enabling real-time monitoring, forensics, and behavior-based risk assessments.
- Privileged access management: Admins can apply granular controls over privileged accounts, increasing oversight and reducing the risk of human error or misuse—without requiring code changes.
- Productivity and user experience: Island improves productivity with built-in tools like an AI assistant, a smart clipboard, ad/tracker blockers, and geolocation anonymization. It also supports company branding and includes features like password management.
- Broad platform support: The Island platform runs on major desktop and mobile operating systems—including Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android—and is available as extensions for Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox, ensuring flexible deployment across environments.
Notable Use Cases of Island Browser
Here are a few common use cases for Island browser in enterprises:
- Secure SaaS and web app access: Island provides control over SaaS and web app interactions. Enterprises can prevent data leakage with built-in data loss prevention (DLP), enforce multi-factor authentication on any app, and maintain visibility into user actions—without altering source code or deploying complex infrastructure.
- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): With Island, employees can securely access corporate apps from personal devices without agents, proxies, or virtual desktops. All data protection and access policies are enforced in-browser, ensuring corporate data remains secure while preserving user privacy and device independence.
- Privileged user and third-party access: Island allows organizations to grant secure, limited access to vendors, contractors, or high-privilege internal users. Admins can control session activity, restrict data flow, and capture detailed logs—reducing risk without requiring endpoint management on external devices.
- Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) onboarding: Island simplifies onboarding for acquired teams. New users can be productive on day one by logging into the browser and accessing pre-configured workspaces, applications, and resources—without the need to provision hardware, ship devices, or install VPNs.
- Secure alternative to VDI/DaaS: For companies relying on virtual desktops, Island delivers the same security and access controls in a native browser experience. It reduces costs, removes complexity, and improves usability while maintaining policy enforcement and data protection.
- Threat protection and visibility: Island protects against phishing, malware, and session hijacking using built-in, context-aware controls. It logs high-fidelity activity across web apps and integrates with SIEM tools, offering security teams the insight needed for real-time response and threat hunting.
- Extension and app usage governance: Organizations can control browser extensions and isolate sensitive workflows from personal activity. Island ensures only trusted extensions run during critical operations and anonymizes logs for private app usage, balancing oversight and end-user privacy.
Limitations of Island Browser
Island Browser presents several limitations that have led some organizations to consider other options. These limitations were reported by users on Gartner Peer Insights:
- Separation of personal and work environments: Users are reluctant to adopt Island as their default browser for personal use. Running both a work-specific and a personal browser adds friction to daily workflows.
- Sales and pricing concerns: While the technical support is generally reliable, some users have encountered unexpected charges after signing contracts.
- User interface and experience problems: Persistent UI bugs and design inconsistencies continue to impact usability and overall satisfaction.
- File access limitations: Although it allows access to internal file repositories, the browser does not enable editing or direct interaction with documents within the interface.
- Complex web filtering diagnostics: Troubleshooting blocked websites can be difficult. The root cause is often unclear, and third-party tools may be required for diagnosis.
- Interruptive software updates: Browser or policy updates can trigger session reloads, causing disruption to in-progress work.
- Adoption resistance: Users who prefer non-Chromium browsers are less willing to transition, and persuading external partners to install Island is often a challenge.
- VPN compatibility issues: Island has known conflicts with certain VPN solutions, which can degrade connectivity and performance.
Notable Island Browser Alternatives
1. Seraphic Security
Seraphic Security delivers enterprise-grade browser security that works with employees’ existing browsers, eliminating the need to deploy specialized browsers that require users to change their familiar browsing environments. Seraphic provides a superior remote browser isolation technology that transforms any standard browser into a secure enterprise endpoint without disrupting user workflows or requiring browser migration.
Key features:
- Browser-agnostic security: Works seamlessly with Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and other browsers, allowing employees to maintain their preferred browsing experience while gaining enterprise protection.
- Complete remote isolation: All web content executes in secure cloud containers, ensuring zero malicious code reaches corporate endpoints, providing stronger isolation than browser-based solutions.
- Transparent deployment: Requires no browser replacement, endpoint agents, or user training, enabling rapid enterprise rollout without the adoption challenges of specialized browsers.
- Universal web compatibility: Supports all web applications, plugins, and interactive content without the compatibility limitations or feature restrictions that can affect standalone enterprise browsers.
- Enhanced user productivity: Preserves native browser performance, extensions, bookmarks, and personalization while adding enterprise security layers invisibly to the user experience.
2. LayerX
LayerX is a security-focused browser extension intended for enterprise use. It improves standard browsers by embedding monitoring and protection mechanisms. Unlike full browser replacements such as Island, LayerX adds its functionality directly to existing browsers.
Key features include:
- Plexus engine for session monitoring: Operates both locally within the browser and through a central cloud backend. It analyzes DOM changes, page scripts, and user interactions.
- Context-aware security policies: Adjusts user access or blocks content based on session risk, with customizable rule sets for detecting unusual behavior.
- Threat scanning: Detects and blocks harmful scripts, files, or page content before users interact with them.
- Augmented identity security: Functions as an auxiliary layer for identity protection, complementing existing authentication systems and mitigating account compromise risks.
- Centralized management console: Enables global configuration and policy enforcement across browsers, independent of browser type or version.
Notable limitations reported by users on Gartner Peer Insights:
- Frequent false alerts: Overly sensitive DLP and phishing protections can lead to excessive false positives, causing operational friction.
- Platform limitations: Incomplete support for VDI environments and lack of Safari compatibility limits deployment in some settings.
- No offline functionality: Key features rely on live connectivity to the management server, making offline usage impractical.
- Complex policy design: Requires technical skill, including REGEX use, for effective policy authoring, raising the setup barrier.
- Minor performance lag: Some users report temporary browser slowdowns under load, though typically addressed by vendor support.
- Lack of real-time notifications: Does not currently offer automated alert routing to external tools like Slack or email for critical events.
Source: LayerX
3. SquareX
SquareX provides browser detection and response (BDR) for modern security threats such as phishing and unauthorized use of generative AI. Instead of intercepting traffic at the network level like CASBs or SWGs, it applies controls directly in the browser.
Key features include:
- Browser-integrated DLP: Monitors in-browser activity to prevent data exposure during phishing attacks.
- Generative AI policy enforcement: Lets organizations govern usage of tools like ChatGPT by blocking high-risk behaviors, such as pasting sensitive data into chat fields.
- Clipboard usage controls: Prevents data from being copied into or out of AI applications via the clipboard.
- File upload restrictions: Stops users from submitting internal documents to external AI tools.
- Password policy enforcement: Enforces unique, strong passwords across SaaS platforms to reduce reuse vulnerabilities.
Notable limitations reported by PC Magazine:
- Session timeout constraints: Browsing sessions auto-expire after 10 minutes, extendable only up to 60 minutes—unsuitable for extended work periods.
- Not meant for daily browsing: Optimized for secure, short-duration tasks rather than general-purpose use.
- Limited anonymous email support: Offers basic functionality for disposable email, limiting use cases involving temporary or anonymous testing.
- Traffic latency: Because traffic is routed through SquareX servers, users may experience reduced browsing speed.
Source: SquareX
4. Vivaldi
Vivaldi is a highly configurable browser targeting privacy-conscious users who require granular control over the browsing environment. Built by Vivaldi Technologies, it includes numerous built-in tools that remove the need for third-party add-ons.
Key features include:
- Integrated tools: Includes native email client, calendar, and RSS reader with no algorithmic filtering.
- Tab management: Offers features like stacking, tiling, and workspace creation for managing browsing workflows.
- Interface customization: Users can alter appearance, keyboard mappings, toolbar arrangement, and startup behavior.
- Privacy-centric design: Includes ad and tracker blocking, encrypted sync, and Proton VPN integration. User profiling is not performed.
- Sidebar web panels: Allows users to pin websites—e.g., chat or social tools—to the sidebar for quick reference.
Notable limitations reported by Software Advice:
- High system resource usage: Can consume more CPU and memory than competitors, especially on battery-constrained devices.
- Instability in edge cases: Prone to crashing during interactions with certain webpage elements.
- Inconsistent sync: Users have reported sync issues between desktop and mobile devices.
- Non-intuitive settings menu: Some features are hidden in the settings interface, making configuration harder.
- Slower than rivals: Performance, especially page load speed, may lag behind faster browsers like Chrome or Brave.
Source: Vivaldi
5. Prisma
Prisma Access Browser, developed by Palo Alto Networks, is part of a broader Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) ecosystem. It delivers secure browsing for both corporate and personal (BYOD) devices, embedding security into the browser environment.
Key features include:
- SASE-native architecture: Integrated with Palo Alto’s security stack, enforcing policies across users and devices from the cloud.
- Zero trust for BYOD: Applies access controls without needing virtual desktops or physical hardware distribution.
- Granular access restrictions: Supports control over copy-paste, downloads, and app-specific user interactions.
- AI usage monitoring: Tracks user interactions with generative AI platforms to detect risks or block shadow AI behavior.
- Threat detection engine: Uses large-scale event analysis and AI to detect threats such as malware, phishing links, or malicious downloads.
Notable limitations reported by PeerSpot:
- Limited user-side diagnostics: Users lack tools for self-troubleshooting and must often rely on vendor support.
- Integration issues: Compatibility problems have been observed in healthcare environments and with certain third-party software.
- Disruptive updates: Updates may cause service interruptions due to limited communication or planning during rollout.
- Cost concerns: Some users believe pricing is not competitive and have asked for improved licensing flexibility.
- Weak documentation: Help materials and support responsiveness are considered inadequate for self-service problem resolution.
Source: Palo Alto Networks
Learn more in our detailed guide to island browser competitors (coming soon)
Conclusion
Island provides browser-based access while integrating security and control into the browsing layer. However, limitations around usability, compatibility, and deployment complexity suggest it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Organizations evaluating secure browser platforms must weigh the trade-offs between native security features, user experience, and operational overhead to find the right balance for their environment.
