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Over the last few weeks, I have talked a lot about shadow IT and how it is evolving. I recently did a webinar on AI as the new shadow IT, but there is another area Apple IT administrators need to consider: the web browser. A new report from Omdia, commissioned by Parallels, surveyed 400 IT and cybersecurity professionals and found that 68% of organizations are seeing an increase in browser-based security incidents. Since most enterprise SaaS apps are browser-based, it’s worth considering.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
The Safari blind spot
When you look at how IT teams manage browsers, the data is fairly interesting. According to the report, Google Chrome is formally supported by 88% of organizations. Microsoft Edge sits right behind it at 84%. Safari is much lower at 46%.
Here is the interesting part: 27% of organizations report that Safari is in use but informally supported. If your users are on Macs, they are likely using Safari. It is fast, battery-efficient, and deeply integrated into macOS. If your IT team is not actively managing it using your device management, you have a massive shadow IT blind spot right on your users’ desktops.
The browser is the new endpoint
Why does an unmanaged browser matter? Because that is where the attacks are happening. The Omdia report notes that more than half of the surveyed organizations (55%) said they had been the victim of a browser-based attack or could have been in the last 12 months. In fact, 22% experienced multiple successful attacks. Phishing leads the pack at 40%, followed closely by data loss or leakage at 38%. Malicious browser extensions account for 34% of these incidents.
Island has become a popular choice for IT administrators looking to take browser security to the next level as well. Because it’s a Chromium-based web browser designed specifically for enterprise security, it delivers the familiar, fast experience users expect on a Mac while integrating directly with existing IT and security infrastructure.
Wrap up
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