Prisma Access Browser
Browser-based work needs protection that reaches every device. This solution brief shows how Prisma® Browser™ by Palo Alto Networks extends SASE and Zero Trust capabilities to hybrid and BYOD environments. Download it and learn how Gagiteck Inc can help you support secure access to SaaS, web, GenAI, and private applications while simplifying management and reducing the cost of traditional access approaches.
What problem does Prisma Browser actually solve?
Prisma Browser is designed for the reality that most work now happens in the browser, often on devices your IT team doesn’t fully control. Hybrid work, contractors, and BYOD mean that a large share of users access business-critical SaaS and web apps from unmanaged devices.
That’s a problem because:
- 80% of data breaches originate from web applications and email, which are typically accessed via consumer browsers.
- A majority of organizations report that over half of remote workers use unmanaged devices to access corporate apps.
- Traditional fixes—like shipping managed laptops or rolling out large VDI deployments—are expensive, complex to run, and often deliver a poor user experience.
Prisma Browser tackles this by:
- Creating a secure workspace in the browser on any device (managed or unmanaged).
- Extending your SASE and Zero Trust controls directly into the browser, so you can secure access to web, SaaS, GenAI, and private apps without forcing users onto special hardware or heavy VDI.
- Providing consistent, frictionless zero trust access for employees, contractors, and independent workers, wherever they are.
In short, Prisma Browser helps you rethink how you secure the browser-based workspace: instead of trying to control every endpoint, you secure the place where work actually happens—the browser itself.
How does Prisma Browser improve security on unmanaged and BYOD devices?
Prisma Browser brings enterprise-grade security directly into the browser experience, so you can safely support unmanaged and BYOD devices without traditional device management. It does this in three main ways:
1. Extending Zero Trust to the browser
- Implements Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA 2.0) directly in the browser.
- Uses Continuous Trust Verification to enforce device posture checks before and during access (e.g., checks every 90 seconds).
- Applies identity-based, least-privileged access to apps and data, and supports just-in-time MFA for highly sensitive actions.
- Integrates with Prisma Access to inspect traffic using Advanced Threat Prevention, Advanced URL Filtering, DNS Security, sandboxing, and more.
2. Creating a secure workspace in the browser
Instead of trusting the endpoint, Prisma Browser protects the browser itself:
- Browser assets: Adds an extra encryption layer with a trusted chain that’s independent of the OS, and includes controls to prevent spoofing of the operating system.
- Browser runtime: Provides built-in keylogger and screen scraper protection and safeguards browser memory from tampering.
- Browser surface area: Lets you disable or tightly control vulnerable components on untrusted sites and manage extensions and their permissions to limit access to sensitive data.
3. Protecting data where it’s accessed
Prisma Browser integrates browser-based data loss prevention (DLP) so sensitive data is controlled at the point of use:
- Dynamic masking of sensitive data based on content and context.
- Ability to block screenshots, copy/paste, printing, and sharing on sensitive screens, with configurable watermarks.
- Granular file controls: encrypts downloads from corporate apps, blocks uploads to personal drives, and restricts file movement based on user, app, file type, and destination.
Compared to a consumer browser, which offers minimal control over posture, data, and extensions, Prisma Browser reimagines the browser as a secure workspace that enforces Zero Trust and data protection policies consistently across managed and unmanaged devices.
What business outcomes and cost savings can Prisma Browser deliver?
Prisma Browser is built to improve both security and economics for hybrid and distributed workforces. Internal analysis, reviewed by an independent third party, highlighted several key outcomes:
1. Lower cost versus traditional approaches
- Up to 85% savings vs. shipping laptops: Instead of buying, configuring, and shipping corporate laptops to every contractor or remote worker, you can provide secure access through Prisma Browser on their existing devices.
- Up to 79% total cost of ownership (TCO) savings vs. VDI: Prisma Browser’s cloud-native architecture and simpler operations reduce infrastructure, licensing, and support costs associated with large VDI deployments.
2. Broader security coverage
- Up to 100% of devices secured: Because security is delivered via the browser, you can extend protection to virtually all devices—managed and unmanaged—closing gaps where contractors, partners, and employees previously accessed apps without adequate controls.
- Consistent policies for web, SaaS, GenAI, and private apps, regardless of where users are or what device they use.
3. Operational efficiency and user experience
- Prisma SASE with Prisma Browser offers unified management for all devices, which helps simplify operations and reduce IT overhead.
- Security teams can automate routine tasks and manage policies centrally instead of juggling multiple point tools and endpoint configurations.
- End users get frictionless, zero trust access through a familiar browser experience, which supports productivity while maintaining strong security controls.
For organizations looking to reshape how they secure hybrid work, Prisma Browser provides a way to reduce costs, expand coverage, and streamline operations without forcing users into heavy, legacy solutions.