To help make the Internet a safer place to surf, Dell KACE is offering their Secure Browser as a free download. "The Secure Browser uses virtualization technology to provide a safer web experience to users and organizations. When using the Secure Browser any changes or malicious files inadvertently downloaded from the Internet are contained within the secure browser, keeping the underlying OS and computer secure from hostile changes."
Contained in the Dell KACE Secure Browser virtual instance is Firefox 3.6 with some add-ons, Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader. The package is virtualized using Dell KACE's "Virtual Kontainer" technology. According to InformationWeek, the initial release is for 32-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista, and XP only. Rob Meinhardt, president of Dell KACE said,"We chose FireFox as the best fit for the verticals that our products play in, and FireFox's Open-Source was a good fit for working with -- MSIE is a black box, FireFox lets us see inside. We do intend to support Microsoft Internet Explorer. We will probably start with Internet Explorer 6, since, as a virtual instance, you could run it on Vista or on Windows 7"
If a website wants to access an application, such as Windows Media player, the virtual instance will prompt you to allow it before it continues. This goes for downloads as well, if you download something before you run the download, you will be asked whether it is safe to run or not which helps to prevent unauthorized applications from running on the computer.
Another feature offered by the Secure Browser is the reset button, if something causes Firefox to break or takes over your browser, you can press reset which will restore everything back to the way it was when you initially installed the browser. There is also a feature that will allow you to save the current setup with all of your updates and add-ons so that when you press the reset button you will be taken back to the point you set.
Users will be able to install updates and add-ons for Firefox, Adobe Flash, and Adobe Reader in the virtual instance. Dell KACE will also be releasing a new download for each new version of Firefox.
KACE is a company that specializes in enterprise desktop management and application virtualization. In February of this year, Dell acquired KACE for around $120 million.
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