Getting the help of the right secure web gateway providers is a big task. You need to make sure this provider gives the solution your company needs. How can you ensure this?
Secure Web Gateway Providers
To begin, what are secure web gateway (SWG) providers? SWG providers are organizations that provide a gateway for secure web traffic. SWG is software that sits between the Internet, a company’s internal network, and any applications or servers within the internal network.
Then, the goal of SWG is to protect the internal network from hackers and security threats on the Internet. SWG protects in two ways. Firstly, by filtering out any malicious traffic coming into the network. Secondly, encrypting data sent over the Internet to protect it from being hacked or intercepted.
When a company sets up an SWG server, they decide which ports should be open to the Internet and which ports should be reserved for use within the internal network. For example, port 80 is typically open to the Internet, allowing web traffic to pass through. The rest of the ports are only used for internal communications between computers within the company’s internal network.
Although some features allow companies to block specific ports from being used by someone outside of the company’s network, this can create problems. Especially when trying to upload or download files using a non-standard port number.
To monitor and control incoming traffic from the Internet through an SWG server, companies can set up a firewall. Then, the main purpose of a firewall is to limit access between networks so hackers cannot access your private information via the Internet.
What Do Secure Web Gateway Providers Offer?
Since SWG takes care of incoming traffic from the Internet, it makes sense that most SWG providers offer a device that connects directly to your company’s Internet router. Also, a management portal where you can access logs and manage policies
Moreover, they offer a customer service hotline to troubleshoot issues during setup and after you’ve implemented their product. Then, a provider’s product may also include additional features such as:
- Security analytics
- Data loss prevention (DLP)
- Anti-virus capabilities
- Malware scanning
- VPN connections (virtual private networks)
- HTTP/HTTPS load balancing
- Firewall bypass
- Encryption
Thus, because they offer such a wide range of features and capabilities, choosing the right SWG provider can be difficult. So, how can a company find the right one?
There are two reasons why you should choose an SWG provider. Firstly, you need to ensure that the SWG provider’s product aligns with your company’s needs. Then, you need to make sure they can offer the kind of support that you need when using their product.
Finally, you need to look at the cost of using their product. Also, how much will it cost to implement and maintain their product? What is the quality of the SWG provider’s product?
Conclusion
As you can see, finding the right SWG provider is no easy task. However, by making sure they align with your company’s needs and offer the kind of support you need, you can ensure that your company is protected from security threats and hackers.