Google’s Chrome Legacy Browser Support (LBS) allows employees to switch automatically between Chrome and another browser. IT specifies which sites should launch into a second browser and deploys this Chrome policy for the organization.
LBS uses an exception list whereby IT maintains a list of sites or domains that need to utilize an alternative browser. This list is based on a URL string match of the text entered. Catalyst is more flexible in that it supports redirection rules based on exact URL, pattern match, Internet domain, or Security Zone. This enables the creation of very complex queries for very specific rules. But it also makes it easy to configure Catalyst with very broad rules. For example, Catalyst can direct all traffic from the Intranet Zone to Internet Explorer and all traffic from the Internet Zone to Chrome or Firefox with two very simple rules.
A third browser, like Firefox, is not a manageable option with LBS, whereas Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox can all be managed together with Catalyst. Catalyst enables IT to choose any of the three as the default browser and manage traffic into and out of each browser based on very broad or very specific rules.
On the management front, Catalyst goes beyond LBS’s Group Policy Editor interface with the Catalyst Configuration Manager – an easy-to-use, graphical tool for creating Catalyst rules and deploying the resulting configuration. Catalyst Configuration Manager also provides the ability to do a test deployment to the local system and easily turn that configuration on and off for rapid test feedback. Catalyst provides the ability to deploy the approved configuration using Group Policy or a flat file – LBS only supports Group Policy. Lastly, because the Catalyst process becomes the default browser on the system, it can route traffic seamlessly and transparently when links are clicked in emails or from desktop shortcuts – no transitory browser windows are opened and closed before the resulting navigation is performed in the target browser.
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