Spread across three campuses in Northern California, The University of the Pacific recently faced a familiar dilemma for higher education: How to provide secure network access to an increasingly dynamic, diverse and distributed community of students and faculty while meeting regulatory requirements.
To address these challenges, the university deployed an enterprise browser. Like consumer browsers, enterprise browsers offer quick and easy access to the Internet and web-based apps. However, they prioritize enterprise information technology (IT) and security needs by including features to control, monitor, audit and enforce policies, while making life easier for end users.
University dentistry students, for example, can use the browser to access certain electronic health records (EHRs). But, depending on the sensitivity of the information, policies running in the background might blur part of the screen or prevent students from downloading, saving, capturing images, or exporting this information.
“At the end of the day, what you can really do with this product is enable students to have the same experience as their faculty, or even folks who are medical professionals, but they’re not seeing that sensitive information,” said Shawn Kerns, an information security analyst and professor at the university.
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The University of the Pacific is just one of a rising number of organizations that are using enterprise browsers to address modern IT challenges. Indeed, Gartner projects that by 2025, enterprise browsers or extensions will be featured in 25 percent of web security competitive situations, up from less than 5 percent today.1 By 2030, Gartner also expects enterprise browsers to be the core platform for delivering workforce productivity and security software on managed and unmanaged devices for a seamless hybrid work experience.
Access for everyone, everywhere
Higher ed institutions, which serve one of the most diverse and distributed user bases of any industry, are particularly well suited to benefit from enterprise browsers. Faculty members often need seamless access to research tools and data while traveling. Students rely on secure, intuitive workspaces on their devices. Administrators and guest lecturers expect systems that are both reliable and easy to navigate.
What’s more, 53 percent of college students nationwide enrolled in at least one online course in the 2022-2023 academic year, and 66 percent of higher ed professionals report they can work on campus, from home or both. With colleges and universities under constant threat from cybercriminals, such remote arrangements are heightening the pressure on institutions to fortify all the private and sensitive data they control.
Role-based controls in enterprise browsers allow universities to customize security measures based on user identity and device posture.
The compliance puzzle
Enterprise browsers also help address compliance challenges. Institutions today must adhere to strict regulations, including the:
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) for student financial records.
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for health data.
- Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act) for digital materials.
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for personal information.
- Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 for federal information protection.
Noncompliance can be costly. Last year, for instance, Pennsylvania State University paid $1.25 million to settle allegations it violated cybersecurity requirements in the False Claims Act (FCA), a federal statute that punishes anyone who knowingly submits false claims to the government.
Enterprise browsers with built-in compliance features are helping universities address these challenges with features like dynamic copy-paste restrictions, detailed activity logs and application boundaries that prevent unauthorized data sharing.
The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM), for instance, enhanced its security posture by deploying an enterprise browser to meet GLBA compliance. The browser’s application access controls, device management capabilities and zero-trust architecture offered ICOM a robust solution. According to ICOM CIO Brian Atkinson, around 80 percent of students and faculty have now made the enterprise browser their default method of securely accessing data and applications.
The shift to digital campuses
In addition, as campuses expand into hybrid and online models, enterprise browsers are helping higher ed IT departments manage and secure their sprawling networks. Systems must support everything from students logging into a dorm’s network to professors accessing sensitive research data abroad. Traditional tools like VPNs, once considered the gold standard for such access, have been shown to sometimes fall short when it comes to network identity and access control.
Emerging zero-trust architectures are reshaping how institutions secure their ecosystems. Enterprise browsers enable universities to secure data and applications directly where users work — on-campus, remote or hybrid — while maintaining tight control over sensitive information.
Navigating the AI landscape
The rise of generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges for higher ed. While AI tools can enhance learning experiences, they also pose risks to academic integrity. A Wiley survey found that 96 percent of instructors suspect cheating in the past year, up from 72 percent in 2021. More than half (53 percent) of students agree cheating has increased, with 23 percent describing it as happening “significantly more.”
Advanced tools address these concerns by integrating monitoring features that detect unauthorized apps during exams and implementing watermarked screens to discourage leaks. AI use policies are also evolving to balance educational benefits with safeguards against misuse.
Future-ready universities
Higher education faces immense IT challenges, from compliance and remote access to preserving academic integrity in the age of AI. However, enterprise browsers are equipping institutions to turn these challenges into opportunities. By investing in more modern, secure IT solutions, universities can position themselves for success in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
1: Gartner, Emerging Tech: Security — The Future of Enterprise Browsers, Dan Ayoub, Evgeny Mirolyubov, Max Taggett, Dave Messett, 14 April 2023
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