1 week ago
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The way we work has fundamentally changed. From automated agents to sophisticated AI services, Generative AI (GenAI) has become a daily tool for a vast majority of employees. But with this rapid adoption comes a new, critical challenge for IT leaders: the need to protect corporate information in an era where the browser acts as the priority workspace and data often traverses AI-driven workflows.
To understand how organizations are navigating this new landscape, we commissioned a report from industry analyst firm Omdia. They surveyed 400 IT and cybersecurity professionals in North America, and the findings show that the browser is the frontline for modern enterprise security, especially when it comes to securing AI usage.
The importance of the browser continues to grow
New and emerging threats continue to act as a catalyst for browser management. Nine out of ten individuals responded that browser security is a top five priority, with an emphasis on how browsers play an important role in their organizations.
Gen AI usage rises, and so does prioritization around securing it
The survey indicates that overwhelming 92% of organizations now permit employees to use public GenAI applications, and the majority of this activity occurs directly within the browser. This creates new avenues for data to escape enterprise oversight.
Browser security ranks as a major priority, and offers an opportunity to effectively secure AI usage
With this shift, browser-related threats are a major concern. The report found that 55% of organizations have experienced a browser-based security attack in the last 12 months. When asked about emerging threats, IT leaders rated AI-powered phishing (75%) and data leakage from GenAI tools (71%) as their top concerns.
When evaluating new security solutions, 59% of IT leaders reported "GenAI application security" as an important use case for a secure browsing solution at their organization.
The Chrome Enterprise Solution
The report's findings highlight the limitations of traditional, network-based security tools in a cloud-first, AI-powered world. These legacy systems may lack the visibility to inspect encrypted traffic to SaaS and GenAI applications, leaving a significant gap in data protection.
Instead of relying on network proxies or additional agents, Chrome Enterprise builds AI security directly into the browser. With Chrome Enterprise, IT and security teams can:
- Discover and Govern AI Usage: Gain visibility into how employees are using GenAI tools and identify potential data exfiltration risks with enterprise controls.
- Enforce Data Protection Controls: Prevent data loss by using granular controls to manage uploads, downloads, copy-and-paste, printing, and screen captures within any web-based application, including GenAI tools.
- Set Context-Aware Access Policies: Go beyond simple blocking. Chrome Enterprise allows you to create policies that grant access to sanctioned AI tools based on user, device, and location context, ensuring that productivity and security go hand-in-hand.
As work becomes more browser-centric and AI-driven, securing the browser is no longer optional—it's essential.
Read the research spotlight “Securing AI Usage Starts in the Browser” today to learn more about emerging browser security strategies and how Chrome Enterprise can help you protect your organization.