Island and Pax8 Forge a New Security Frontier for Small Businesses

DALLAS and GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. – June 08, 2026 – In a move poised to reshape the cybersecurity landscape for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), enterprise browser innovator Island has partnered with global cloud marketplace Pax8. The collaboration introduces Island for SMBs to the Pax8 Marketplace, making a purpose-built, enterprise-grade secure workspace available to hundreds of thousands of businesses through their trusted Managed Service Provider (MSP) partners worldwide.

This isn't merely another product hitting the channel; it's a strategic response to a market in desperate need of simplification. The partnership aims to democratize security by consolidating a suite of complex and costly tools—including VPN, web filtering, data loss prevention (DLP), and password management—into a single, unified platform built on the familiar foundation of the Chromium browser. For the SMB sector, which faces enterprise-level threats without enterprise-level resources, this development marks a critical turning point.

Closing the SMB Security Gap

The cybersecurity reality for SMBs has become increasingly grim. Targeted by 94% of cyberattacks in 2024, small businesses are caught between sophisticated threat actors and the overwhelming complexity of modern security solutions. Lacking dedicated IT staff and budgets, many have been forced to either stitch together a patchwork of disparate tools or go without adequate protection, creating a dangerous security gap.

“SMB customers deserve the same level of protection that larger organizations have, without the complexity or the cost of stitching together a dozen different tools,” said Keith Weatherford, VP of Channels at Island. “Island solves that problem, and Pax8 is the premier partner to bring it to the MSP channel.”

Island’s approach directly confronts this challenge by re-imagining the browser not just as an application, but as the central work environment. By embedding security directly into the browser, it provides what it calls “last-mile” control—governing user actions like copying, downloading, and printing at the precise point where work happens. This browser-native approach replaces the need for multiple agents and applications, drastically reducing management overhead and potential points of failure.

A New Playbook for Managed Service Providers

This partnership is as much about empowering MSPs as it is about protecting SMBs. With 94% of small businesses now relying on MSPs for their IT and security needs, the channel has become the front line in the fight against cybercrime. The Island offering provides these vital partners with a powerful new tool.

“Our MSP partners are looking for solutions that simplify how they deliver security and productivity for their SMB customers without adding operational complexity,” noted Oguo Atuanya, Corporate VP of Vendor Experience at Pax8. “Island brings a unified approach that aligns well with that need.”

For MSPs, the benefits are threefold. First, it represents a significant consolidation opportunity, allowing them to replace a complex web of vendor contracts and renewal cycles with a single SKU, a unified management console, and a single vendor relationship. Second, the per-user, per-month pricing model, complete with a 25% partner margin, creates a predictable and profitable recurring revenue stream. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it enables MSPs to elevate their service offering, moving beyond basic support to deliver sophisticated, proactive security strategies that include Zero Trust access and advanced data protection—capabilities previously out of reach for most of their clients.

The Browser as the New Fortress

The technology underpinning this shift is the concept of the Enterprise Browser, a market category Island has pioneered and now leads, backed by over $4.8 billion in valuation. The core innovation is to transform the browser from a simple gateway to the web into a secure, manageable, and intelligent workspace.

Island replaces legacy Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) with a more secure Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) model. Instead of granting broad network access, Island Private Access provides granular, application-specific connections, drastically shrinking the attack surface and preventing the lateral movement common in breaches. This is especially critical for supporting today's hybrid workforces and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, allowing secure contractor onboarding in minutes without requiring endpoint agents.

Furthermore, its integrated Data Loss Prevention (DLP) engine provides deep control over sensitive data. Administrators can create policies that prevent confidential information from being copied, downloaded, or screenshotted, effectively creating a secure perimeter around data, even within SaaS applications. This level of control helps SMBs meet stringent compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2.

Enabling the AI-Powered Future, Securely

Beyond traditional security, Island is positioning its browser as the safe entry point to the age of artificial intelligence. As employees increasingly turn to consumer AI tools, businesses face a new and potent risk of sensitive data leakage. Gartner analysts warn that internal policy violations will be the source of 80% of unauthorized AI transactions by 2026.

Island’s platform directly addresses this with its new AI Protect offering. The browser can automatically identify and redact sensitive data from prompts before they are sent to external AI models. It provides a governed AI chat experience, allowing organizations to integrate multiple AI providers while maintaining full visibility and audit trails. For MSPs, this means they can help their SMB clients safely harness the productivity benefits of AI without opening the door to catastrophic data loss, turning a major risk into a managed opportunity.

The launch of Island for SMBs on the Pax8 Marketplace is more than a distribution deal; it is a clear signal of where the business technology market is headed. By collapsing security and productivity into the browser, Island and Pax8 are offering a simpler, more effective, and more accessible model for the millions of small businesses that form the backbone of the global economy.