What is Secure Web Gateway (SWG)?

Secure Web Gateway is a security service that protects the web from threats. SWG avoids unauthorized and harmful content from networks. Fundamentally, it monitors the web traffic. When SWG notices suspicious access behavior, it prevents this traffic from accessing. This is how SWG protects resources and networks.

SWG and Business Relations

The importance of SWG is obvious when it comes to companies. Organizations adopt SWG solutions to protect their company resources from unauthorized access. On the other hand, corporations protect vulnerable data by utilizing SWG solutions. The more data security gain importance, the demand for security solutions such as SWG increases. So, the usage of SWG has increased too.

As the name suggests, you can consider SWG as gate security. SWG controls data flow, access requests, and user behaviors. It is a security wall between the internal network and the outside. Modern businesses must protect their internal company network from third-party interventions. Otherwise, they can’t continue their life in such a threatening environment.

SWG in terms of data security

Moreover, corporations must avoid data breaches that threaten them in many ways. Data, data breaches, and data safety topics are widespread. Because all businesses run their daily operations by processing data. Companies send, receive, store, and classify billions of data. They process data with their employees. This is where the human factor shows up. The human dimension of security should be taken seriously.  Employees can risk your data resources and network. They omit data safety procedures and security policies sometimes.

The very first step towards data security is access control. Access control means authenticating user identities when they want to access company resources. So, only authorized users can reach vulnerable data resources. It is about minimizing the attack surface. The more user access authorization a company has, the more it will be subject to data breaches. Managers should limit user permissions in terms of data access.

SWG helps companies in their access control journey. On the other hand, employee risk can be diminished by utilizing SWG solutions. A Secure Web Gateway keeps employees away from malicious content and websites. The fewer employees who access harmful content, the more companies increase their security level.

Why do you need Secure Web Gateway?

Compliance

As a company manager or business owner, you must protect your company from cyber threats. First of all, companies have security laws that they must comply with. The compliance process is vital for all organizations today. Besides the money sanctions, companies can lose their reputation and client circle if they can not meet legal requirements. On the other hand, we live in a world full of cyber threats. Take a glance at the most prevalent cyber threats https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/common-cyber-security-threats/

Now, the most attractive target for cybercriminals is data resources. Capturing vulnerable data and confidential information satisfies criminals’ purposes. You can not prevent data breaches if your security tools rely on legacy solutions. To guarantee your employee’s security %100, you must benefit from a solution compatible with cloud-based environments.

Remote Access

Companies keep switching their work models to remote or hybrid models. Remote work forces your workforce to remote access. Cloud resources, networks, and applications are the best ones for remote access. However, existing cyber solutions can not safeguard cloud-based components. SWG can be distributed via the cloud and on-premises. While you can not profit from legacy security solutions for your remote workforce, you can enjoy the compatibility of SWG. Furthermore, you can set up several security points on your browsers thanks to SWG.

Although employees on office premises have VPN connections, the remote workforce can not benefit from VPN security solutions. Phishing, malware, and ransomware risks are closer to remote access. To protect your data resources from all these malicious attacks, you must benefit from SWG solutions. On the other hand, you can level up team productivity by preventing them from distracting websites. Regardless of their locations, you can regulate their access authorizations using SWG.

Working Principle of Secure Web Gateway

At the edge of a network, SWG works as a software, cloud-based service, and physical solution. As mentioned above, SWG protects the web against malware, ransomware, and viruses.

• SWG benefits from anti-malware tools and software. When employees download and upload data files, they expose to malware. SWG can detect and prevent malware from harming data resources. It’s advantageous for the employees when running their daily tasks. They do not have to be concerned about malware dangers.
• Content filtering is another vital feature of SWG. It can filter URLs so malicious URLs can be blocked. Some URL addresses are infamous for their violating content. It is unavoidable for users to fall victim to viruses when they access these websites. Thanks to SWG, harmful URLs are under control.
• SWG also masks the company’s IP address. IPs are the home addresses of digital devices and Internet connections. Cybercriminals can trace users by looking at their IPs. VPN technology is also available for IP masking. On the other hand, SWG offers IP masking solutions to its users. So, companies can protect their users from shared gateways thanks to SWG.
• DNS filtering accompanies SWG. Domain Name System(DNS) filtering refers to filtering websites according to their names. It is similar to URL filtering. SWG can avoid harmful content with blocklisting. It also offers traffic encryption.
• SWG monitors and controls applications employees use. So, dangerous and suspicious applications are blocked. Companies can safeguard their employees against malicious applications and threats.

Final Words

Secure Web Gateway offers remote access security, data protection, and a secure Internet connection. You can increase employee productivity by utilizing SWG. Instead of expensive and complicated security solutions, SWG presents many services under one roof. You don’t need to embrace several security tools.

You can benefit from SWG even if you are a small-scale enterprise. SWG is affordable compared to other tools. It presents extensive data protection over the Cloud and physical environments. The vitality of data security is beyond dispute. Every enterprise must comply with data protection requirements. Secure Web Gateway can stay in your mind with its attractive opportunities.