Should you use a secure web gateway? What is this tool for? Let us know more about this technology in this blog post below.
What Is a Secure Web Gateway?
To begin, a secure web gateway or SWG is a security device that monitors, analyzes, and filters unsecured web traffic before it reaches the internal network. It is installed in-line between the Internet and your internal network to protect against a wide variety of threats.
Moreover, it has a number of features that make it very efficient at protecting the network, such as:
- Web application firewall. It uses a rules-based system to inspect traffic to detect malicious activity.
- Intrusion prevention system. It can block known and unknown attacks.
- URL filtering. Based on administrator configurable policies, it can block access to known malicious sites or can be used for general corporate policy enforcement. Such as blocking access to social media sites.
- Malware inspection. The gateway can scan content for malware, effectively blocking malware from entering the corporate network.
- VPN termination. Additional interfaces can be added to the gateway so remote users can use it as a VPN termination point. So, this allows users to encrypt all of their traffic while they are on the public network.
How does this work? The SWG is installed in-line between the Internet and your internal network. It then inspects all traffic before it enters the network. So it can block malicious traffic and allow good traffic into your network environment.
So, the SWG is an essential part of any security architecture, regardless of whether you’re protecting a small business or a large enterprise with thousands of employees. Why? What are the reasons for this?
Should You Use a Secure Web Gateway?
Today, we now live in a world that heavily relies on the internet. The internet has become the main channel of communication, commerce, and entertainment. Thus, we use it all the time. Whether you are at home or work, you are likely using it.
Therefore, using a secure web gateway is essential to protect people from threats that exist in this Internet environment. You see, there are so many threats out there that you should be protected from.
For example, malware can steal your information, viruses can damage your hardware or software. And also phishing sites can lead you to malicious websites that might try to steal your information or install malware onto your system.
The best way to protect yourself from these threats is to deploy a secure web gateway between our internal network and the Internet. So by doing this, you will be able to block the threats before they enter your network environment.
So, review the list of supported features of an SWG provider. And make sure they match with the features that are important to you.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is important to have a secure web gateway in your organization. It is the best way to protect yourself from malicious attacks that might try to steal your information or damage your network and hardware. Therefore, consider installing a secure web gateway if you are not using it yet.