What is SWG?

Using the internet inevitably carries risks such as malware infection, phishing scams, and information leakage. SWG passes employees' web traffic through first and performs inspections such as the following.

• ✓URL filtering. Blocks connections to dangerous sites or sites unnecessary for work (gambling, adult content, etc.)
• ✓Malware inspection. Detects and blocks malicious programs contained in downloaded files or traffic
• ✓Traffic visibility. Records who is using which sites and cloud services
• ✓SSL traffic inspection. Examines the contents of encrypted traffic (https) to uncover hidden threats

Traditionally a dedicated appliance (a proxy) was placed on-premises, but because SWG is delivered from the cloud, the web traffic of employees working remotely can be protected to the same standard.

An analogy: a “checkpoint” for the web

Every employee web access passes through the SWG, which decides to allow, limit, or block based on the type of site.

Before / after: how web traffic flows

Traditionally each PC connected directly to the internet, and dangerous sites tended to slip through. With SWG in place, all web traffic passes through the SWG for inspection.

Step by step: how the SWG protects the web

For every request, the SWG checks the destination and judges whether it is dangerous or non-work, then displays only safe sites.

~500 employees, manufacturing (multiple sites)

Challenge: Phishing emails impersonating business partners have increased, raising concerns about access to dangerous sites. With more branches and remote workers, web usage management can no longer keep up.

Existing setup: Only a proxy appliance at headquarters. Web traffic from branches and remote workers goes unchecked.

• 1Deploy a cloud-based SWG so web traffic from all devices at HQ, branches, and remote workers is inspected
• 2Automatically block dangerous and phishing sites
• 3Restrict non-work sites (video, gambling, etc.) by time of day
• 4Use access logs to make usage visible and review it monthly

Outcome: Connections to dangerous sites were blocked and infection risk fell. Branches and remote workers are protected to the same standard, and bandwidth gained more headroom.

• QWhat is SWG (Secure Web Gateway)?
  SWG is a cloud-based checkpoint that routes employees' web access through inspection and controls connections to dangerous sites or sites unnecessary for work. As one of the building blocks of SASE, it keeps web usage safe under the same rules whether users are inside or outside the office.
• QHow does it differ from a traditional proxy appliance?
  Traditionally a dedicated appliance (a proxy) was placed on-premises, but SWG is delivered from the cloud. As a result, the web traffic of employees working remotely can be protected to the same standard.
• QWhat can SWG inspect and control?
  It blocks dangerous and unnecessary sites through URL filtering, inspects downloaded files for malware, and records who is using which sites. It also examines the contents of encrypted traffic (https) to uncover hidden threats.
• QCan SMBs and mid-sized companies adopt it?
  Yes. Because suddenly restricting all sites strictly would disrupt work, a realistic approach is to proceed in stages: assess the current state, design the policy, run a pilot, roll out in phases, and then operate and tune.
• QWhat are the benefits and caveats of SWG?
  The benefits are applying uniform web usage rules inside and outside the office, blocking malware and phishing, gaining visibility into shadow IT, and supporting audits through logs. The caveats include the processing load and privacy considerations of SSL inspection, the impact of excessive blocking on work, the effort of policy design, and a monthly cost per user.