FIVE CONTROL TYPES
AI endpoint control types: on-device, browser, network, gateway and policy only
Short answer
By The Device Desk · Endpoint AI Finder · Published 2026-10-11
Desk research from public vendor pages read on 27 September and 11 October 2026. Profiles follow our published method; we did not run the products.
Vendor pages read September and October 2026 · updated 2026-10-13
What does each control type see?
- DEV
On-device control
Acts on the laptop itself, where agents run commands and read files: a resident agent, a binary pushed through EDR or device management, or hooks inside the agent.
Described by 8 of 19 products, partly by 8
Read the DEV guide - BRW
Browser extension
Sits in the browser and watches or controls what employees type, paste and upload into AI chat tools.
Described by 6 of 19 products, partly by 2
Read the BRW guide - NET
Network or SSE proxy
Inspects web traffic to AI services as it leaves the device, through a proxy or a security service edge.
Described by 3 of 19 products, partly by 0
Read the NET guide - GWY
AI or MCP gateway
Routes AI and MCP traffic through one checkpoint that can filter, block and log calls to models and tools.
Described by 5 of 19 products, partly by 1
Read the GWY guide - POL
Policy only
A written policy, an approved-tools list and the settings AI tools already offer, without buying a dedicated product.
No product needed
Read the POL guide
Which product describes which control type?
| Product | Map | On-device control | Browser extension | Network or SSE proxy | AI or MCP gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Access Security (Palo Alto Networks) | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Described | Not in our sources | |
| Akamai Workforce Protector | Partly | Described | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Bay | Described | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Bloom Security | Partly | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Cloudflare AI Gateway | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Described | |
| CrowdStrike Falcon Guardian | Described | Partly | Not in our sources | Partly | |
| Ent | Described | Described | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Glow Security | Partly | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Harmonic Security | Partly | Described | Not in our sources | Described | |
| Koi (Palo Alto Networks) | Described | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Lasso Security | Partly | Described | Described | Described | |
| Neo | Described | Partly | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Noma Security | Described | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Onyx Security | Described | Described | Not in our sources | Described | |
| Pluto Security | Partly | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Prompt Security (SentinelOne) | Described | Described | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Sun Security | Partly | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | |
| Zenity | Partly | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Described | |
| Zscaler Generative AI Security | Not in our sources | Not in our sources | Described | Not in our sources | |
| Products describing it | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
How do the control types fit together?
The five types are not rivals. They sit at different points between the person, the AI tool and the systems the tool reaches. The closer a control sits to the action, the more it can see: an on-device control can see a coding agent read a credentials file, which nothing on the network will ever see. The further out a control sits, the less you need to install: a gateway or a proxy works without touching the device, as long as the traffic passes through it.
That is why the device question matters so much in the finder. On managed devices, an on-device control or a browser extension can be rolled out through tools you already run. On devices you do not manage, the options shrink to what the traffic passes through, and to policy.
Policy is the fifth type because it is the cheapest and it never goes away. Even companies that buy a product still need an approved-tools list, a rule for who may connect which MCP servers, and someone who reviews new requests.