What is the best web gateway these days? What are the reasons why companies need to find and use the best one for their business? Know below.
Best Web Gateway
The best web gateway is hardware or software-based device that provides an interface between a local network and the Internet. It enables users to access the Internet and protect their systems from malicious attacks, viruses, and other security risks. In general, a web gateway can be classified as a web filter, firewall, or proxy server.
Moreover, web gateways are used by businesses and other organizations to secure their network. As well as to restrict access to the Internet via a web proxy or an Intranet. This internet security measure is intended to prevent unauthorized people from gaining access to sensitive information.
Further, these were initially used for filtering incoming traffic by blocking specific websites before it reaches the internal network. Later on, more advanced features were added that enabled the device to act like a firewall or a proxy server.
More recently, web gateways have become more sophisticated. And it can act as load balancers for multiple Internet connections as well as for clustering IP addresses and managing content caching. They are also capable of initiating connections with remote servers without using an application layer protocol like HTTP or FTP.
Elements of a Web Gateway
A web gateway is composed of different elements that help determine its overall performance such as:
- Web Filtering. Web filtering involves authorizing or blocking certain websites based on the content they display. For example, a company may decide not to allow its employees to access social networking sites. This is to protect sensitive information and copyright materials stored on their systems. Web filtering also allows companies to monitor their employees’ browsing activities by identifying which websites they often visit during work time.
- Web caching. In addition to filtering incoming traffic, most web gateways can also cache frequently accessed websites. So users will not have to wait for data retrieval every time they visit these websites. This improves the performance of all websites that the web gateway is in charge.
- Web application firewalls. Web gateways that have application layer firewalls can prevent malicious attacks such as SQL injections and cross-site scripting. Then, this makes it harder for hackers to gain access to company data stored on their servers.
- Remote access VPN. A remote-access VPN enables authorized users to gain access to company networks from remote locations. This is through a secure connection over the Internet. It also permits people to use their laptop computers or smartphones as if they were directly connected to the internal network. This is done by using virtual private network (VPN) connections.
Final Words
When companies are looking into using a web gateway, they should always choose the best one. This is by taking into account the features they need and their cost. Then, they will be able to determine which one is the most suitable for their business.
Moreover, a web gateway can be used to protect the network against malicious attacks, viruses, and other security risks. As well as restricting access to the Internet via a web proxy or an Intranet.