Streamlining operations with Island and ServiceNow

One of the most common challenges to implementing effective security policies is the friction it causes. For every rule, there are always edge cases where exceptions need to be made, and it is important for users to have a streamlined process for requesting access to restricted resources. To accomplish this, Island, the Enterprise Browser, has become a ServiceNow® partner, which allows joint customers to streamline their policies through integrated approval workflows. 

What is Island?

Island set out to create a browser tailormade for enterprises by taking the everyday web browser — an app so universal we often take it for granted — and building in enterprise capabilities like application access, security, productivity, connectivity, and more. Organizations now have a detailed, yet holistic view of every area of work from the very place work happens. Using Island, your company can control every element of the last mile of data security. This includes restricting browser extensions, copy and paste, screenshots, screen sharing, downloads and uploads, and any other way someone might export data from a browser. 

Enterprises also need their tools to work together. Island includes integrations with:

• Identity and single sign-on 
• Security information and event management (SIEM)
• Cloud storage
• Anti-malware scanners
• Virtual desktop infrastructure / Desktop-as-a-service
• And more

Approval workflows with Island and ServiceNow

Consider this common scenario: Using Island, an organization is blocking unapproved and risky browser extensions, but a director wants to pilot the extension to see if it is worth putting it through a new tool approval process. Without a ticketing management system, this process is usually painful. Usually, the director has to contact an IT administrator, who then has to manually adjust the rule just for that user. And often that exception lasts forever, creating a long-term risk.

ServiceNow IT Service Management revolutionized ticket management to solve this problem, and today, it is one of the most popular ticketing systems in the world. Our integration with ServiceNow enables our customers to implement rules with the confidence that they can maintain the flexibility necessary to keep their business functioning.

With Island and ServiceNow, you can implement a variety of approval workflows, including for:

• Website access
• File uploads and downloads
• Browser extension installation
• Content category access (i.e. social media, generative artificial intelligence, etc.)

Using the previous example, here is how it works with Island and ServiceNow. 

The director navigates to the Chrome Web Store’s page for the extension in question. Because the extension is blocked by policy, the user sees a “Request Approval” button instead of the usual “Add to Island” button. When the director clicks the button they are prompted to raise a ticket with a description of the request.

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Once the director submits the request, it creates a ServiceNow ticket that routes to the appropriate IT administrator. In ServiceNow, the administrator can resolve the incident by approving or denying the request. They can also specify the date and time the approval will expire, allowing them to grant temporary access, which helps prevent exceptions from building up and increasing the organization’s attack surface.

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Once a request is approved, ServiceNow notifies the Island servers, which then grant access to the director within minutes of approval. This approval is seamless and straightforward for the user and the IT administrator.

Security built for enterprise needs

Web security, extension management, and data loss prevention policies are critical to reducing your attack surface and protecting your “crown jewels.” However, enterprises need to remain agile, which means granting exceptions to rules in an efficient, timely manner. Island enables you to define policies that allow users to request access to blocked resources using your ServiceNow ticketing system, streamlining operations while preserving effective security practices.

To learn more about Island and ServiceNow, schedule a demo.