Meds White

Island, a startup founded in 2020 and that a few weeks ago launched a security-focused enterprise web browser, has reached a valuation of 1.3 billion dollars. This is a surprising takeoff, as few companies achieve “unicorn” status in such a short time.

The company, created by two ex-executives of Symantec, has attracted the attention of investors, who see in its web browser a proposal with a future. In a series B funding round, the company managed to raise $115 million, bringing total funding above $200 million.

What Island Browser has that Chrome and Edge don’t

We currently have a wide range of browsers to choose from. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, etc., with the former being the absolute dominant in market share (with Microsoft’s stealthily approaching Apple’s). So why add a new proposal to a market that is full of options? Let’s see.

The main difference of your web browser is that, unlike the examples we mentioned above, it is not consumer-oriented. Island Enterprise Browser, which is based on chromium, has been designed to be used in companies and offer tools that “enhance overall security.”

While consumers look for browsers that allow us to adapt the browsing experience to our liking, for example, by installing extensions, in corporate environments the opposite is often the case. Many companies prefer to limit the type of pages that can be viewed or the plugins that can be installed.

Every so often you come across something that makes you ask “why didn’t I think of that?”

An idea so simple yet so profound, you won’t remember how life was without it.

This is @island_io the #enterprisebrowser.https://t.co/BDwMgILGKZ pic.twitter.com/bK2dDGPlu7

— Island.io (@island_io) February 1, 2022

Island Enterprise Browser seeks to make things easier in this regard. The browser provides IT administrators with advanced configuration tools that, according to Island, help protect SaaS applications, prevent data leakage and allow you to identify sources of incidents to address them as quickly as possible.

For example, with the Island browser, the company will be able to choose whether the computers on which it is installed can use the copy and paste functions, take screenshots or download content. Limits may also be placed on the types of extensions that can be installed and the domains that can be visited.

Although companies have many resources to protect IT infrastructure from security problems, the idea of ​​doing it from the browser also seems interesting, not only for investors. “Our team has been able to secure business across a wide range of industries and sizes of organizations,” ensures the company.

And of course, we are talking about a business browser, so your access is limited to Island business customers, which means that it is not available to the rest of the users, that is, it is a solution that we will not be able to test. For now, we must continue to cling to our browsers, and the freedom they give us.

More information | Island

In Xataka | If you use Chrome, update as soon as possible: Google detects a serious security flaw