Investing in Island, the “Enterprise Browser” Transforming the Future of Work

In the digital age, enterprises face a difficult task balancing productivity and security: how do you give employees access to the tools they need while also protecting your firm from external threats and data loss?

Complicating the information security equation, many software companies have shifted from providing device-native applications to software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications accessed through a web browser. As a result, the amount of time knowledge workers spend in browsers is dramatically increasing.

While this migration can boost employee productivity by centralizing all their apps in one browser, the current enterprise security stack is ill-equipped to handle this new attack surface. Furthermore, most commercially available and consumer browsers lack the robust feature set required to provide enterprise-grade security.

Enter Island. Founded in 2020 by Mike Fey, former President and COO of cybersecurity firm Symantec, and Dan Amiga, a serial cybersecurity entrepreneur, Island provides the industry-leading Enterprise Browser that is changing the way people work online.

Based on the Chromium open-source project that powers both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, Island combines enterprise-grade security, IT, network controls, data protections, identity security and observability into a single platform that operates just like a regular web browser. With Island, employees can access all their browser-based tools via one secure, compliant login — meaning no need to use Single Sign-On (SSO) every time you want to log into a secure webpage or SaaS platform.

Use cases for Island’s enterprise browser include:

• Replacing Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): As browser-based applications are more widely adopted, VDI becomes less relevant. Island supplants many VDI use cases and simplifies the security stack.
• Improving Security Controls: Island provides IT teams with greater control over allowed actions within the browser, such as limiting documents that can be uploaded to external SaaS platforms. This can help IT administrators grant employees and contractors greater access to more SaaS websites while providing enterprise security controls.
• Controlling Access for Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD): Companies can use Island to control how employees and contractors access corporate resources from their personal devices, safeguarding the separation between work and personal data.

In short, Island can dramatically simplify enterprise IT stacks without sacrificing data security, compliance or user experience — making it the ideal platform for CIOs, CISOs and their teams across financial services and beyond.

No wonder, then, that the enterprise browser market Island helped pioneer is growing fast. A 2023 Gartner^® report predicted that 25% of enterprises will use managed browsers or extensions by 2026, and by 2030 enterprise browsers will be “…the core platform for delivering workforce productivity and security software... for a seamless hybrid work experience.” Island is poised to capture much of that growth, and the market is responding to its potential: the company’s recent Series D funding round, which we were pleased to join, values Island at $3 billion — double what it was less than a year ago.

Our congratulations to Mike, Dan and the whole Island team! We look forward to helping you grow your business to new heights.