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We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities.Dark Reading Resource LibraryBlack Hat NewsOmdia CybersecurityAdvertiseNewsletter Sign-UpNewsletter Sign-UpCybersecurity TopicsRelated TopicsApplication SecurityCybersecurity CareersCloud SecurityCyber RiskCyberattacks & Data BreachesCybersecurity AnalyticsCybersecurity OperationsData PrivacyEndpoint SecurityICS/OT SecurityIdentity & Access Mgmt SecurityInsider ThreatsIoTMobile SecurityPerimeterPhysical SecurityRemote WorkforceThreat IntelligenceVulnerabilities & ThreatsRecent in Cybersecurity TopicsEndpoint SecurityChina's Webworm Uses Discord, Microsoft Graphs to Hack EU GovernmentsChina's Webworm Uses Discord, Microsoft Graphs to Hack EU GovernmentsbyAlexander CulafiMay 22, 20264 Min ReadApplication SecurityGitHub Confirms Breach, 4K Internal Repos StolenGitHub Confirms Breach, 4K Internal Repos StolenbyAlexander CulafiMay 20, 20263 Min ReadWorld Related TopicsDR GlobalMiddle East & AfricaAsia PacificLatin AmericaSee AllThe EdgeDR TechnologyEventsRelated TopicsUpcoming EventsPodcastsWebinarsSEE ALLResourcesRelated TopicsResource LibraryNewslettersPodcastsReportsVideosWebinarsWhite Papers Partner PerspectivesDark Reading Resource LibraryRemote WorkforceEndpoint SecurityСloud SecurityNews, news analysis, and commentary on the latest trends in cybersecurity technology.Akamai Joins Growing Chorus of Vendors Betting Big on Secure Enterprise BrowsersWhen Akamai announced its LayerX acquisition, the company joined a growing list of vendors adding secure enterprise browsers to their product portfolios.Jeffrey Schwartz,Contributing WriterMay 22, 20264 Min ReadSource: Robert Avgustin via ShutterstockSecure enterprise browsers continue to gain traction as more vendors add them to their portfolios, with the latest coming from Akamai Technologies, which last week agreed to acquire LayerX for $205 million. LayerX, a Tel Aviv-based startup founded in 2021, offers a lightweight browser extension that turns Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and other major web browsers into a policy‑enforced, secure workspace, rather than requiring users to switch to a separate enterprise browser. While Akamai will continue to provide the LayerX browser as a standalone product, the company plans to also integrate the browser into its Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) portfolio, which includes Guardicore Segmentation, Secure Internet Access Enterprise, Enterprise Application Access, and a multifactor authentication (MFA) access offering. Integration with ZTNA is important because Akamai's platform controls application access, but not what happens in the browser once authenticated, Mani Sundaram, Executive VP and General Manager of Akamai's Security Technology Group, tells Dark Reading. Related:Zscaler-SquareX Deal Boosts Zero Trust, Secure Browsing CapabilitiesLayerX is designed to observe each click, prompt and action in the browser across SaaS and AI tools and enforce policy before traffic is encrypted and transmitted, effectively extending Akamai ZTNA's access decisions into the browser session once access is granted."LayerX, by itself, has a great product that we intend to take to our customers just as it is right now," Sundaram says, but in the long term, the plan is to extend the combined ZTNA+LayerX model across the broader set of Akamai offerings, including API security, AI/LLM protection, its content delivery network (CDN), and Akamai Cloud.Secure Enterprise Browsers as Hot Acquisition TargetsThe Akamai deal, set to close next quarter, is the latest in a crowded market of companies that have introduced or acquired secure enterprise browsers in recent months. Earlier this year, Zscaler acquired early-stage startup SquareX and CrowdStrike acquired Seraphic Security. Palo Alto Networks was one of the first large cybersecurity companies to enter the secure enterprise browser market when it acquired Talon in 2023. Palo Alto Networks upgraded its Prisma browser with new agentic AI capabilities last March. "There has been quite a bit of M&A activity in both these areas as major vendors, particularly ones that offer [secure access server edge] SASE functionality for securing SaaS app usage, such as Akamai, have recognized the need for something on the endpoint as well as in the cloud for this purpose," says Rik Turner, chief analyst in Omdia's security research group.Related:Torq Moves SOCs Beyond SOAR With AI-Powered Hyper AutomationIn addition to M&A activity, there have also been organic developments. Earlier this week, Versa Networks released a Secure Enterprise Browser designed to extend its SASE policies directly into the browser workspace. Versa developed a new Model Context Protocol‑based zero-trust layer in its Versa Verbo AI‑based co‑pilot, which runs on the VersaONE platform. The new capability is designed to validate every agent‑generated action against identity, roles and policies before execution. As more work has shifted to SaaS-based applications, the browser has become the primary computing interface, in turn driving increased traction for secure enterprise browsers. According to Gartner, 10% of the organizations the research firm surveyed were using SEBs, a trend forecast to reach 25% by 2028.Adding Control Points to the Browser Is KeyWhile LayerX is a browser extension that adds security policies to major web browsers, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Browser and Netskope One Enterprise Browser are distinct, standalone Chromium‑based browsers."Layer-X was one of the early, full-featured browser security extensions," says Forrester Research senior analyst Paddy Harrington. "They've done a lot of work with the product, and when it comes to controlling data and access to AI through the browser. For an add-on, they do a good job of monitoring and managing things."Related:CrowdStrike to Buy Seraphic Security in Bid to Boost Browser SecurityAkamai's Sundaram says he has been following the secure browser market for some time. "What became an inflection point for us was the fact that AI adoption has moved across our customer base, and it became very clear that the adoption of AI, a different set of capabilities and tools was required, and the secure browser was the right one," Sundaram says.Sundaram believes the LayerX secure browser will give Akamai a significant control point for identifying how employees interact with AI. "Traditional control points in the SASE/SSE environment are typically at a proxy level, potentially far from where employees are, which results in performance issues," he says. "[We realized that] the right control point for us was in the browser, before encrypting all the data."About the AuthorJeffrey SchwartzContributing WriterJeffrey Schwartz is a journalist who has covered information security and all forms of business and enterprise IT, including client computing, data center and cloud infrastructure, and application development for more than 30 years. Jeff is a regular contributor to Channel Futures. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of Redmond magazine and contributed to its sister titles Redmond Channel Partner, Application Development Trends, and Virtualization Review. Earlier, he held editorial roles with CommunicationsWeek, InternetWeek, and VARBusiness. 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Akamai has joined a growing group of vendors by acquiring LayerX for two hundred five million dollars, signaling a strategic move toward embedding secure enterprise browser technology into its product portfolio. LayerX is a lightweight browser extension designed to transform major web browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and others, into a policy-enforced, secure workspace, thereby eliminating the need for users to switch to separate enterprise browsers. Akamai intends to integrate this browser functionality into its existing Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) portfolio, which encompasses solutions like Guardicore Segmentation, Secure Internet Access Enterprise, Enterprise Application Access, and multifactor authentication. This integration is crucial because Akamai's platform currently controls access at the network level, but there is a need for control points within the browser itself to govern what happens once a user is authenticated. LayerX achieves this by observing every click, prompt, and action within the browser across SaaS and AI tools, allowing policy enforcement before traffic is encrypted and transmitted, effectively extending Akamai's ZTNA access decisions into the active browser session.

This development is situated within a broader market trend where secure enterprise browsers are gaining traction as organizations manage access to SaaS-based applications. The need for this technology is amplified by the rise of artificial intelligence, which has necessitated new security controls to manage how employees interact with AI tools within the browser environment. As the browser increasingly becomes the primary computing interface, it naturally becomes a critical location for security oversight. Research indicates that this trend is accelerating, with Gartner forecasting that the percentage of organizations using secure enterprise browsers will rise from ten percent to twenty-five percent by 2028.

The acquisition of LayerX reflects broader mergers and acquisitions activity in the cybersecurity space, where major vendors have recognized the necessity for endpoint and cloud-based security controls, particularly those offering Software as a Service Edge (SASE) functionality for securing SaaS application usage. Other entities have also entered this market, such as Zscaler’s acquisition of SquareX and CrowdStrike’s acquisition of Seraphic Security, alongside earlier activity from Palo Alto Networks, which entered the market through the acquisition of Talon in 2023 and subsequently upgraded its Prisma browser with agentic AI capabilities.

In addition to M&A, organic developments are also contributing to the shift toward secure browsers. Versa Networks, for example, released a Secure Enterprise Browser designed to extend its SASE policies directly into the browser workspace. They further developed a Model Context Protocol-based zero-trust layer within their Versa Verbo AI-based co-pilot, which validates every action generated by agents against established identity, roles, and policies before execution. This demonstrates the increasing focus on adding control points directly within the browser interface.

Analysts note that while solutions like LayerX focus on monitoring and managing data and access to AI within the browser, they are distinct from other solutions such as Palo Alto Networks Prisma Browser and Netskope One Enterprise Browser, which operate as separate, standalone Chromium-based browsers. This distinction highlights the ongoing development in this sector, where the effectiveness of controls depends on where the control point is established. Akamai’s executive leadership views the secure browser as an essential control point for identifying employee interactions with AI, recognizing that traditional control points situated at proxy levels are often too distant from the actual user actions, leading to performance issues. Therefore, the browser is identified as the appropriate control point for enforcing security policies at the point of interaction, before data transmission occurs.