The work-from-anywhere model gained prominence in recent years, particularly due to the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, web browsing emerged as the primary gateway for employees to carry out their daily tasks, ranging from email communication to file sharing and collaborative work. However, with 75% of enterprise work happening through the browser, this widespread adoption inadvertently exposed organizations to increased cybersecurity risks, according to Google Cloud.

Enterprise security teams now find themselves racing against time to fortify their defenses against malicious actors who are increasingly exploiting the browser as a top attack vector. They don’t want their organizations to be among the 90% that have fallen victim to web or mobile attacks, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced security measures, according to Menlo Security.

To help organizations avoid falling into that group, Absolute Software, a provider of innovative self-healing and intelligent security solutions, expanded its Security Service Edge, SSE, portfolio with the introduction of the Absolute Secure Web Gateway (News - Alert) Service.

Designed for hybrid and mobile work models, this latest offering builds upon the existing capabilities of Absolute Secure Access, including Absolute ZTNA and Absolute Insights for Network, empowering organizations to enhance security measures, boost productivity and ensure compliance with internal IT and security policies.

The offering leverages technology from Ericom and delivers robust cloud-delivered security and comprehensive protection. Among its key features are multiple antivirus scans, remote browser isolation, content disarm and reconstruction and data loss prevention. By inspecting web content in a secure cloud container before it reaches the user's web browser, employees can access links and download files seamlessly, without exposing their organization to heightened risks.

The integration of the Absolute Secure Web Gateway Service with the extensive policy capabilities of Absolute Secure Access also allows IT and security professionals to tailor security levels for individuals and groups based on risk factors, workflows, location, network and other essential parameters. This integration ensures a highly customized approach to security and enables real-time insights into an organization's security posture through the integration with Absolute Insights for Network. Consequently, IT and security teams gain valuable intelligence to swiftly assess potential threats and take prompt action to mitigate them.

But that’s not all the business and security benefits that the offering brings to the table.

It optimizes the end-user experience by automatically restoring unhealthy network connections and applications, while providing enhanced visibility into network health and security status. The result is improved productivity and efficiency for employees.

Organizations can strengthen their security and compliance posture by effectively meeting policies and regulations across their device estate, reducing the risk of data loss or leakage associated with unintentional or intentional file uploads by users.

The Absolute Secure Web Gateway Service offers advanced malware protection, actively evaluating webpages, files, software, and application data to identify and eliminate malware threats. It effectively blocks malware, including zero-day threats, from reaching endpoints and networks, safeguarding organizations against evolving cyber threats.

“One inadvertent click can open the door for malicious actors to exploit an employee’s device and gain the access needed to move laterally across the corporate network,” said Joe Savarese, executive vice president of Secure Access products at Absolute Software. “Designed from the ground up with a focus on remote and mobile users, our comprehensive Secure Access capabilities allow IT teams to adopt a ZTNA security approach while actively improving the experience for both end users and IT.”

With the introduction of the Absolute Secure Web Gateway Service, Absolute Software reinforces its commitment to providing innovative security solutions tailored to the modern work landscape. The Absolute Secure Web Gateway Service is available to Absolute Secure Access customers as an add-on to the Absolute Edge package in the spring 2023 release.