Co-founder and CEO Mike Fey (left) and co-founder and CTO Dan Amiga (right). [Image: Islands]

Cisco Investments pumped new funds into tech startup Island, joining a handful of backers betting on its enterprise-focused browser technology.

Island launched its Enterprise Browser in February. It was built by Island co-founders Mike Fey and Dan Amiga wanting to provide enterprises with control over its browser environment, which is traditionally made for the consumer market rather than an enterprise one, according to a Cisco Investments blog.

The Island Enterprise Browser simplifies the security stack, gives an enterprise complete policy control, and delivers a “more efficient, safer, and productive browsing environment,” according to the blog. 

“The Enterprise Browser is the desktop of the future, enabling organizations to protect users and data at the very point where they interact with [software-as-a-service] and internal web applications,” Fey wrote in an email to SDxCentral. “By using the Island Enterprise Browser, security teams can fully control the last mile, from basic exfiltration protections such as copy, paste, download, upload, and screenshot capture, to more advanced security demands such as smart network routing and multi-factor authentication insertion.”  

The browser opens up “unprecedented opportunities across a growing number of enterprise use cases,” including securing critical SaaS and internal web applications from data leakage, safe access for contractors, and full governance over privileged user accounts, Fey explained. The browser also delivers a native user experience for the hybrid worker “while supporting built-in safe browsing, web filtering, web isolation, exploit prevention, and zero-trust network access at much lower cost and with a significantly better user experience.”

Cisco did not disclose the amount of its investment, but Island has already attracted more than $200 million in capital from existing investors Insight Partners, Stripes, and Sequoia Capital.

“This partnership powerfully validates our belief that the Island Enterprise Browser is a game changer in our industry and can fundamentally change how we all work,” Fey wrote of the Cisco investment. “To have a well-respected technology leader like Cisco as a strategic investor is both humbling and incredibly exciting.”

Island wants to use Cisco’s investment to boost its go-to-market success. 

“We are extraordinarily optimistic about the future of the Enterprise Browser and are excited to continue innovating and growing,” Fey added. “This solution has the ability to benefit not only in security, but IT and the business itself. … We will continue to expand the capabilities of the Enterprise Browser along all three of those dimensions and grow our presence in the market.”

Co-founder and CEO Mike Fey (left) and co-founder and CTO Dan Amiga (right). [Image: Islands]