GCP – Digital bank N26 strengthens security and simplifies compliance with Chrome Enterprise

Editor’s note: Today’s post is by Carlos Rodriguez, Internal IT Tech Lead, and Jamie Sayers, IT Manager, IT Support and Endpoints Management, for N26, a digital bank with headquarters in Berlin. N26 adopted Chrome Enterprise and Chrome’s cloud management tool to meet high security standards and compliance demands while remaining digital-first.

At N26, our vision is to change the world’s relationship with money for the better. We offer full-service banking that’s designed for our digital lifestyles—always on, mobile, flexible, and incorporating the latest technology. This mission puts us in a unique position. We’re in the banking business, but our company DNA is in tech.

Being a tech company and a bank is challenging. We like to think of ourselves as a fast-moving disruptor that gets new ideas off the ground quickly. But banking doesn’t usually work that way. It’s a highly regulated industry where security and compliance must come before all else.

When selecting tools for our workforce, our number-one rule for meeting this challenge is simplicity, which improves our IT management while reducing security vulnerabilities. It was natural that we turned to Chrome Enterprise to support all of our workers and offices.

Managing the browser with fewer people and less time

For us, Chrome’s cloud management tool is the great equalizer. No matter which device our 1,500 employees in offices around Europe are using, whether devices are managed or unmanaged, and whatever apps we’re using, everyone and everything goes through the Chrome browser. Our browser IT team is lean and manages every process through a single admin console. If we attempted this feat with another browser, we’d likely need to triple the size of our team. In fact, the management tool is so capable that we can manage a great variety of our cases 100% remotely, without any on-site IT staff required to step in.

Simpler and streamlined security and compliance

In banking, we follow very high compliance standards. We operate within the rules, and as part of the audit process, we document everything. Chrome Enterprise enables us to produce detailed logs of all browser events, including extension activities. We can easily access the browser insights we need, making the auditing process a lot more efficient.

Because we can manage Chrome browser across multiple operating systems with Chrome’s cloud management tool, it helps reduce our exposure to security risks. Companies that are cloud-ready like us can then adopt ChromeOS, the cloud-first operating system.

We love the built-in security with ChromeOS. The platform ensures our apps are trusted while providing us with essential IT controls—all while keeping our employees safely in the cloud. Company activities go through one layer, so it’s easy for us to customize policies and install guardrails—such as accepted lists for browser add-ons and detailed controls for extensions.

We can further tighten security by bolstering our identity management and data loss protection with Zero Trust and context-aware access controls from Chrome Enterprise. Of course, with a managed browser, lost or damaged devices pose much less risk. We can simply suspend browser sessions, shut down access to apps, and change passwords.

The browser that does everything

No other browsing solution offers anything like Chrome Enterprise does. Not only does Chrome Enterprise provide a secure browsing experience, but it also enables us to manage cloud workflows and equips us with the tools necessary for efficient compliance. What’s more, it simplifies IT for our organization by streamlining browser management and access control.

N26 has disrupted the traditional banking model for a decade with over 8 million customers. While our tech-driven approach may be unconventional in our industry, it’s backed by the strength and security of Chrome Enterprise, giving us the confidence to redefine the banking landscape.