HERE partners Keep Aware on browser security tools

HERE has partnered with Keep Aware, adding Keep Aware's browser security tools to HERE's enterprise browser.

The partnership focuses on browser-based threat detection, data protection and oversight of how information moves through web, software-as-a-service and artificial intelligence applications.

Under the agreement, Keep Aware's technology will be integrated into the HERE environment, allowing customers to detect suspicious browser activity, respond to phishing attempts and credential theft, and apply controls to uploads, downloads and data entry. The arrangement also gives security and compliance teams greater visibility into browser behaviour and the use of unsanctioned applications.

Browser security has become more important as companies shift more work to cloud applications and generative AI tools. That has increased the volume of sensitive information passing through browsers and created new risks around data leakage, social engineering and employee use of tools outside approved systems.

HERE said its browser already includes controls such as process isolation, restrictions on screenshots and screen sharing, print controls, and governance over copying and pasting. Adding Keep Aware is intended to extend those controls with monitoring and intervention at the point where staff interact with websites, applications, corporate data and AI services.

The companies are also expanding the relationship beyond technical integration. HERE will market and deliver the combined offer to customers globally, support product evaluations and proof-of-concept work, and provide frontline technical support in engagements it leads.

A joint committee will oversee product alignment between the two businesses, including customer requirements, integration priorities and product enhancements.

HERE's customer base is concentrated in regulated industries including finance, government, defence and healthcare. The company said it is used by more than 90% of global financial institutions, suggesting the Keep Aware partnership is aimed at organisations with strict requirements for auditability, governance and data handling.

Four areas

The combined offer focuses on four areas: browser-native threat detection and response, adaptive data protection, control over uploads, downloads and data entry, and behavioural visibility for security teams.

In practice, customers can set alert, warning and blocking policies based on factors such as the user, group, application, website and context. That approach is designed to reduce the risk of sensitive information being exposed through routine browser activity.

Mazy Dar, Chief Executive Officer of HERE, framed the deal as an extension of the company's security model.

"HERE was built for organizations where security is non-negotiable, such as the banks, hospitals, government agencies and defense organizations that cannot afford to get it wrong," said Dar.

"This partnership raises that bar again. By combining HERE's governed workspace with Keep Aware's browser-native threat intelligence and response capabilities, we're giving customers a more complete way to control risk at the point where users, data, applications and AI actually meet," Dar said.

Steve Mocarski, Chief Technology Officer of HERE, said the arrangement goes beyond a standard listing or loose connection between products.

"This is not a marketplace listing or a loose integration," Mocarski said.

"We are aligning go-to-market, customer support and product development around a shared view of where enterprise security is heading. Keep Aware brings exceptional depth in browser-based threat detection and response, and together we can make those capabilities part of a much broader governed workspace strategy," he said.

Keep Aware has focused on security controls inside the browser, reflecting a broader industry view that the browser has become the main workspace for many employees. That is especially true for organisations adopting AI assistants and web-based business tools, where users often move between multiple services in a single workflow.

Ryan Boerner, Chief Executive Officer of Keep Aware, said the fit between the two companies rests on that shared assumption.

"We built Keep Aware to operate where the work actually happens - inside the browser," Boerner said.

"HERE built its enterprise browser around a governed workspace model that aligns closely with our own. Because HERE is designed to meet the governance and control requirements of highly regulated enterprises, this partnership delivers Keep Aware's browser protection to some of the most security-conscious organizations in the world," he said.