Knowing the truth about secure web gateways (SWGs) will help you weigh down whether you need this tool for your company or not. So, read on.
The Truth About Secure Web Gateways
Today, companies are facing various ills of cybercrime. And one of the ways to get rid of these ills is by using secure web gateways (SWG). What is an SWG?
An SWG is similar to a firewall that protects your network from intruders. It’s a hardware or software appliance that connects your network and the internet. It acts as a gateway for all traffic going through the internet and your network. But what makes it different from firewalls is its ability to inspect traffic and block malicious connections.
Moreover, you can use an SWG in various ways to protect your company from attacks, including:
1. Prevent users from accessing websites that contain malware or inappropriate content, thus reducing the risk of virus attack in your network.
2. Blocking access to websites hosting illegal content, such as pirated materials or files.
3. Scanning emails for viruses and preventing users from downloading viruses and malware into their systems.
4. Blocking hackers trying to break into your system through online games and instant messaging services.
5. Filtering out confidential information so that it won’t pass through your company’s website.
6. Prevent malicious activities like data theft and DoS (denial of service) attacks on your company’s website. This is by blocking IP addresses that are known for such activities.
7. Monitoring user activity in real-time so you’ll know if there are any suspicious activities on your website
8. Allowing only authorized employees to access their emails
9. Allowing employees who have been authorized to download/upload files from/to the Internet
10. Filtering out spam messages going into users’ inboxes
So, this means SWGs could indeed help you protect your company from cybercrime. But, the question is: do you need an SWG?
Things to Consider Before Using SWGs
You see, SWGs are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it could indeed help you keep cybercriminals out of your company’s network. But on the other hand, it could also do more damage than good. Let’s take a closer look at what SWGs are capable of doing to your company.
If you’re thinking of buying an SWG, here are some things to consider:
1. SWGs have their limitations, just like firewalls. So, they could fail to detect malware, viruses, and Trojans that are not on their list of “known” threats. This means – it may fail to prevent your company from getting infected by sophisticated attacks that can bypass security measures.
2. They only work for websites, but viruses and malware could come from anywhere. When an employee clicks on a link from an email or plays a game online where he/she will be exposed to malicious websites. So, there’s no guarantee that the SWG will block them out.
5 . Setting up an SWG is easy, but fine-tuning it requires technical expertise. So, you’ll need to hire experts who know how to set up and configure it properly.