Benefits of Remote Browser Isolation in safeguarding internet

• Prospect of integrating Remote Browser Isolation improves opportunities for better security management and regulatory compliance.
• The security improvements in using RBI will yield lots of benefit in terms of defense enhancing against threats from other parts of the web, reducing IT management overhead, and providing an excellent end-user experience.
• By making the most of these technologies, organisations can help enable mobility without sacrificing agility and productivity against the increasingly unpredictable demands of today’s organisations.

The inevitable cyber space offers a lot of business-related threats such as computer viruses, ransomware, and phishing. Sensitive information has become really unsafe; hence the integrity of the whole organisation is at stake. There is growing evidence of this phenomenon as it raises awareness that Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) is a paradigm shift in safe browsing.

Handling advanced devices can do anything at the end of the day-from accessing important company data to doing transactions. In this case, isolation becomes even more important with regards to the ability of remote browser isolation because coupled with mobile device management (MDM), it demonstrates plenty of benefits to companies wanting to improve their security posture.

What is RBI?

Remote Browser Isolation is a security technology that removes the web browsing function from the end-user’s device and executes it in a cloud-based environment. Formerly, the browser isolates web content from a local device and allows the rendering to a secure server. It’s a different kind of approach but gives a higher layer of protection against web-related threats.

In addition, one of the most outstanding advantages of Remote Browser Isolation is better protection.

Benefits of RBI

RBI minimises the risk of infection associated with downloading applications from phishing websites and other cyber threats, which could put very sensitive data in jeopardy. MDMs, as we know, are already there to supplement in enforcement and monitoring device compliance with the security policies of various organisations. The role this will play in RBI will be in the layered defense against web threats.

Secondly, RBI improves the aspect of data privacy as web browsing is a significant leakage point. With isolation in the whole process of browsing, RBI closes any downloaded files or data from being completely opened to unauthorised applications on the device.

The integrated use with MDM will keep the compliance parameters like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) across all the mobile devices. Compliance breaches or data misuse will be minimised.

On top of this, Remote Browser Isolation is actually going to enhance user experience while ensuring security. Without a doubt, users can surf the internet without worrying because RBI keeps unsafe web browsing activity separate from their workplace tasks.

This creates an environment where usage of company devices becomes a culture and improves productivity since employees can hardly experience interruptions which have come about due to security alerts or even slowdowns by malicious content on their devices.

Also, centralised management of all browsing activities is another added advantage by allowing IT admins to manage devices as well as compliance from a single dashboard of MDM Solutions. But onboarded with it, you would enable visibility around the very browsing behavior at real time, thus seeking to understand the possible threats or even be proactive in responding to newly identified threats.

This is needed for any enterprise serious in defining the controls it has over its security posture.

Last, but not least, the cost-effectiveness of adopting remote browser isolation along with MDM should also be included in the equation. This can be used to drive down expensive remediation costs and minimise the impacts and frequency of security incidents, thereby reducing downtime. Also, RBI reduces the need to have a strong arsenal of endpoint security tools as it provides a solid first line of defense against threats originating from the World Wide Web for most situations.

Commercial RBI vendors

1. Menlo Security: Menlo Security is a pioneer organisation in the RBI arena. It offers solutions that block malware from reaching endpoints by running all content in the cloud. This architecture minimises data exfiltration chances and maintains user productivity thanks to an intuitive interface.
2. Symantec (Broadcom): Symantec has created their Web Isolation solution that is currently targeting users into RBI technology to protect them against harmful online content. This would altogether work with the full and integrated portfolio of services that Symantec offers in-house, for free endpoint protection, threat intelligence, etc.
3. Zscaler: The RBI services of Zscaler work on its structure built for cloud-security, thus creating zero-trust architecture. It directly helps secure access to the Internet and cloud applications while isolating all possible threats away from the user’s device to make it truly a seamless browsing experience.
4. Cato Networks: Among the range of its offerings, Cato Networks includes RBI as part of its all-encompassing secure access service edge (SASE) platform. This integration allows organisations to use remote browser isolation along with their other security methods, ensuring that the traffic is filtered and the malicious content is destroyed before reaching the endpoint.
5. Forcepoint: Forcepoint’s RBI solution is one of its purview safety offerings. With a strong focus on user behavior and data safety, it successfully isolates and analyses web content while providing user context.

Open-source RBI solutions

1. Web Isolation Framework (WIF): An open-source project that enables the deployment of an RBI solution at the user end, this framework provides the backbone for building secure browsing environments and can be extended with other features upon demand.
2. Sandboxing Technologies: Technologies like Firejail or Google Sandboxie can be leveraged to build isolated environments for web browsing. These tools help in narrowing down the attack surface by confining potentially damaging web apps to a well-defined environment.
3. Qubes OS: Although not an RBI-only tool, Qubes OS is an open-source operating system, employing virtualisation to create compartments in which applications, including web browsers, are separated. Thus, risks are minimised by constraining any cyber threats within a specific qube while online.
4. Browser Sandbox. Some developers have produced browser extensions for the popular web browsers that enhance their isolation features. Although perhaps not being totally equivalent to the complete isolation provided by dedicated RBI solutions, these extensions do help reduce risk when browsing.