Should you use secure web gateway? Should you invest in this tool for your organization? Let us find out below.
Should You Use Secure Web Gateway?
Companies today are constantly facing challenges related to cyber-attacks. If a business is taking an interest in the world of social media or is just using email, there are chances that they will be hit by these cyber-attacks.
A data breach can come at any time and it can cause severe damage to your business. But such events do not have to be catastrophic. If you use a secure web gateway (SWG), you can restrict the entry of cyber-criminals into your network. Does it work?
An SWG works by analyzing the traffic that comes in and out of your system. It will block the malicious traffic and allow only the traffic that is deemed safe. Thus, this ensures that even if you remain vulnerable to threats from the Internet, you will be protected from most attacks.
However, there are some limitations to this tool as well. For example, it cannot protect you from insider threats. Indeed, an employee may accidentally put malware on the system through their computer or email account and this malware can then spread across to your network where it will wreak havoc on your business.
The use of this tool also depends on how well you can implement it. Many organizations hire external agencies to help them implement this tool. But if you are not aware of what you are doing, you might end up causing more harm than good to your business system.
For example, if you block certain ports without a purpose or refuse access to certain websites without a reason, it will affect your employees’ productivity. As they won’t be able to access what they need through their computers and email accounts. So, how do you use this tool properly??
How Should You Use Secure Web Gateway?
To use SWG properly, you first need to understand what it does. It works by allowing only those traffic that is deemed safe to enter your network. But the lines that separate safe traffic from malicious traffic are not always clear.
Therefore, keep an eye on what your employees are doing on their computers and email accounts. If they are using these programs for personal purposes, you should restrict their usage of these applications in the office. In this way, the chances of these cyber-attacks will be limited.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that there are many ways in which a cyber-criminal can access your system. For example, he could send an employee an infected file through a phishing email or he could use a fake Wi-Fi connection at a public place to access your system without your knowledge.
If you want to make sure that such incidents don’t take place in your office, you will have to do background checks on all the people who come into contact with your system.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is not easy to use an SWG properly. Even if you do everything possible, there are chances that there will be lapses in your system. So, if you have just started exploring this tool, you should take things one step at a time.