Web security gateway Overview: Best deployment method (1)

Web security gateway can significantly improve the overall security status of an enterprise, but it is not a product that is "deployed immediately forgotten, the deployment, configuration, and maintenance modes of the Web security gateway affect the security level it provides. In this article, we will discuss how to maximize your investment in Web Security Gateway by optimizing deployment, configuration, and maintenance.

Select a Web security gateway deployment policy

To maximize the advantages of Web security gateway, enterprises must establish clear security objectives and understand the advantages and disadvantages of various deployment policies. Although traditional physical devices are still very popular, they are increasingly interested in Virtual Devices. As the deployment is relatively simple, cloud computing-based Web security gateway services are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, many such products now use cloud services to provide real-time URL search and credit services. It is already widely used to deploy Hybrid Elements that combine internal, hosted, and cloud computing.

The key to success is to select products or services that can be integrated into existing IT infrastructure, especially security infrastructure, and such products or services must be able to handle current and future network traffic loads. Products targeting small and medium-sized enterprises provide protection against basic threats and are easier to manage. enterprise-level products and services provide enhanced protection against advanced and targeted threats, however, more skills and resources are required for management.

For enterprises with limited internal resources or professionals, cloud computing-based products and managed products are often a better choice. However, these options mean that enterprises need to hand over data to third-party systems and individuals, so do not forget to consider related compliance requirements. In addition, compared with the enterprise's internal Web security gateway, the disadvantage of these products is that they cannot use bandwidth and application control to block unnecessary traffic on the Internet, because the traffic needs to be transmitted to the cloud service for analysis.

The proxy architecture is the most effective for the Web security gateway deployed inside the Enterprise. By forcing all Web traffic to stop at the web security gateway, it can allow or block any traffic before the traffic enters or leaves the network. At the same time, traffic is replicated and forwarded to the web security gateway for analysis through embedded passive monitoring deployment, also known as TAP deployment. If the threat is not detected in time, the threat cannot be completely blocked because the traffic is not blocked in the embedded proxy configuration. The deployment of TAP is easier to deploy and change, and is also conducive to implementing enterprise policies. However, it is definitely not a reliable protection against network threats.

Many Firewall vendors have begun to integrate the Web security gateway feature into their products, but the complexity of modern threats makes unified Threat Management (UTM) and other devices useless. For high-capacity networks, it is best to use a firewall to filter and block low-level network traffic, such as prohibited protocols or port requests, before traffic is transmitted to the Web security gateway. In this way, you can achieve an appropriate balance between performance and in-depth analysis.