What's New in Ivanti Browser Manager?

Browser Manager Console

Ivanti Browser Manager has a new Console which simplifies product setup and configuration allowing configurations to be installed to endpoints via MSI files or as .abmp files.

Management Center Support

Ivanti Browser Manager 2022.1 now supports deployment of agents and configurations via the Ivanti Management Center. Agents can be quickly and simply deployed and configurations can be delivered and managed with full version control and rollback capabilities as existing User Workspace Manager customers do today.

Resource Blocking

A new Resource Blocking feature has been added which in its initial incarnation provides the ability to block ads in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. The Ad Block capability is built using the latest manifest v3 compliant browser extensions which have automatic updating capabilities.

Automatic installation of Extensions

The Browser Redirector and Resource Blocking features require the use of browser extensions. In previous releases these extensions had to be installed via policies. Browser Manager 2022.1 automatically silently installs the required extensions when the relevant features are enabled.

"Ivanti Browser Management" is now "Ivanti Browser Manager"

With the closer relationship between Ivanti Browser Manager and User Workspace Manager, "Ivanti Browser Management" has been re-branded as "Ivanti Browser Manager" (IBM). Please note that previous versions of the Online Help will honor the software title at that time.

Online Help Updates

With a new console, the online help has been restructured to reflect the updates to Browser Manager with this release. Please review and reset any favorite links you may have saved.

In addition to code enhancements and bug fixes the following features are included:

Windows 11 and Server 2022 Support

Ivanti Browser Management now supports deployment on both Windows 11 and Windows Server 2022 operating systems. Where applicable, Browser Management features have been modified to ensure seamless operation on these recently released platforms.

Ivanti Environment Manager Non-Virtualized Application Group Personalization Support

Ivanti Browser Management supports the personalization of browsers using the advanced NVAG feature introduced in IvantiEnvironment Manager 2021.3.

Non-virtualized application group (NVAG) personalization can be configured within Environment Manager to ensure personalization change spersist when the Process Vitualization Component (PVC) feature is disabled.

Internet Explorer Enhanced Protected Mode BHO

The popularity of Internet Explorer continues to diminish but where it does remain in use its Enhanced Protected Mode feature provides additional security and protection to browser based threats. Ivanti Browser Management now provides an option to use a Browser Helper Object (BHO) compatible with Internet Explorer Enhanced Protected Mode to allow the Browser Redirection feature to operate in this secure mode.

Browser Redirector New Instance policy

Within Ivanti Browser Management Browser Redirector feature when a redirection occurs the default behavior is to open a new tab in the current browser. In some scenarios a new instance may be required so support for this has now been added. Administrators now have the option to create a new instance policy and specify URLs that will always open in a new instance of the browser.

Age Based Browser Cache Retention Policies

The IvantiBrowser Manager WebData Management feature previously had policies to retain and remove various browser cache, temporary internet files and DOM data from the browser profiles. In this release, these policies have been enhanced to allow customization of retention policies and allow for data to be retained or removed based on their last use times.

In addition to code enhancements and bug fixes the following features are included:

Browser Redirector re-invented

Earlier releases of Browser Redirector relied on setting browser redirector as the default browser inside a user session so that Browser Redirector could intercept and redirect any URL (http/https) request to the appropriate browser. In conjunction with the Browser Redirector extensions this provided the ability to ensure the correct browser resource is used for the correct website/webapp.

With the 2021.1 Browser Management release the requirement to set Browser Redirector as the default browser is no longer applicable. Instead controls have been added to allow the default browser to be configured to be any of the installed browsers and Browser Redirector now works silently in the background to ensure there is no change to the normal user experience.

This release also provides a utility which can be leveraged to alter the default browser in a user session to ensure this configuration is made as simple as possible.

Browser Redirector has a new capability to allow URLs to trigger a redirection to an external process rather than one of the installed browsers. This can be used to launch, for example, App-V applications or ThinApp delivered applications where required.

Finally, the capability has been added to enforce the use of a specific browser for users. Where multiple browsers are installed certain browsers can be used for specific websites/webapps, but all other requests are forced into the administratively defined browser. The launch of the browsers is controlled by Browser Redirector and can be configured to launch with certain parameters, for example launch the browser in guest mode for kiosk style deliveries.

Notifications and extended Event Logging

Browser Management 2021.1 release extends the event logging capabilities, alongside adding the ability to inform users of actions completed using the Windows toast notification system.

There are now 20+ events which can be raised to the application event log around activities completed by the agent. Browser Redirector events, Favorites Synchronization events and WebData Management events are now configurable to record when redirection has occurred, when favorites have been managed or showing what browser generated data has been managed.

Also, notifications can be configured to provide user feedback when actions are undertaken such as redirecting a website to another browser or when Browser Management has completed processing data. The notifications can be customized with a corporate logo and a custom title to allow branding to be maintained as required.

Favorites Synchronization improvements

The Favorites Synchronization feature in Browser Management has been extended in the 2021.1 release. It is now aware of changes to Internet Explorer favorites made outside of the browser (for example, changes copied in via logon scripts), and will synchronize these changes across all other browsers. The Favorites Synchronization feature also now fully supports the icon only option in all browsers, and retains browser-specific settings.

WebData Management updates

The WebData Management feature has minor changes to ensure continued compatibility with the latest operating systems and browsers. In addition, extension locale removal policies have been updated to automatically keep installed languages rather than just the default extension language. By default this policy will retain any extension locales in accordance with what languages are installed for the user.