Web security is a topic that’s buzzing around everywhere, especially with the surge in web-based threats. Whether it’s an enterprise securing its data or a government agency ensuring that its digital communication is tamper-proof, everyone’s looking for the best line of defense. This brings us to a popular solution: Secure Web Gateways (SWGs). If you’re scratching your head wondering what to look for in an SWG or just need a quick refresher, you’ve landed at the right place!
What Makes an SWG Worth its Salt?
- Threat Protection: In the vast ocean of the web, malicious URLs and phishing sites lurk around every corner. An SWG should steer clear of these threats like a seasoned captain avoiding known perils.
- Real-time Analysis: We’re living in the age of real-time updates. Why should your SWG be any different? It must scan web traffic on-the-fly to block those sneaky new threats.
- SSL Inspection: A lot of web traffic nowadays is encrypted. But here’s the catch: threats can hide in that encrypted data. Your SWG should be like that friend who spots the details – being able to peek into SSL traffic without slowing things down.
- Application Control: Just as you’d control which guests can attend your private party, an SWG should allow only approved web applications to pass through.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP): An effective SWG acts like a careful librarian, ensuring no valuable data slips out unnoticed.
- URL Filtering: This is about setting boundaries. Make sure you can filter web content based on your rules.
- Friendly with Other Tools: An SWG should play well with other security tools you have. The more integrated your security tools, the better the defense.
- Cloud-Ready: The cloud is more than just a tech buzzword. Your SWG should be ready to float effortlessly on it.
- User-Driven Policies: With integration capabilities, policies can be tailored for individuals or groups, ensuring that John from accounting and Emily from marketing have access to what they need.
- Insightful Reporting: Beyond just blocking threats, an SWG should tell the tale of web traffic and security incidents. After all, knowledge is power!
- Scale as You Grow: Your SWG should be like your favourite sweater – fitting just right no matter how much you grow.
- User-Friendly: From set-up to daily management, using an SWG shouldn’t feel like rocket science.
A Quick Nod to Fortinet
Without sounding too salesy, it’s worth noting some things brands like Fortinet bring to the table:
- FortiGuard Labs: Think of this as Fortinet’s “threat research geek squad” – they’re always on the lookout for new threats.
- Performance: Rumor has it, Fortinet appliances can handle intense scrutiny, especially with SSL inspection, without breaking a sweat. Fortinet’s hardware appliances have dedicated ASIC chips, which offload network and security processing operations, resulting in much higher throughput and concurrency.
- Integration Galore: Fortinet’s array of products have been likened to a well-rehearsed orchestra, playing in harmony. You can couple your SWG with SD-WAN, ZTNA, CASB and other solutions from Fortinet with ease.
- Versatility: Whether you’re team on-prem or team cloud, Fortinet’s got something in its bag. Most of Fortinet’s appliances can be deployed as physical hardware or virtualised appliances, on-prem with a range of supported hyper-visors, or in the larger public clouds.
But, as always, what’s crucial is to shop around, do your homework, and maybe even take a few SWGs out on a test drive to see what suits you best!
