Control and Inspect Every Web Request — From Any Location
A Secure Web Gateway (SWG) inspects and controls all web and internet traffic from corporate devices — blocking malware downloads, enforcing acceptable use policies, preventing data exfiltration, and providing visibility into web activity regardless of where users are working.
What RLM Delivers on Secure Web Gateway
SWG is a foundational component of cloud security architecture, but the quality of URL filtering, threat detection, SSL inspection, and cloud application visibility varies significantly across platforms. RLM advises on SWG selection and integration with your broader security architecture.
How We Approach Secure Web Gateway
Our network advisory runs from discovery and market evaluation through vendor selection and post-deployment optimization — scoped to the Secure Web Gateway decision in front of you.
Web Security Requirements Assessment
We assess your web security requirements — acceptable use policy, SSL inspection scope, DLP requirements, cloud application control, and the compliance framework that governs web access.
SWG Platform Evaluation
We evaluate SWG platforms — Zscaler Internet Access, Netskope, Palo Alto Prisma Access SWG, Cisco Umbrella — against your URL filtering quality, threat detection capability, and CASB integration requirements.
SSL Inspection Architecture
Most threats travel over encrypted connections. We design the SSL inspection architecture — certificate authority deployment, bypass policies for sensitive categories, and the client trust configuration — that provides effective inspection without breaking legitimate applications.
Identity & Endpoint Integration
SWG policy enforcement improves significantly with identity context — applying different policies to different user groups. We design the identity integration with your IdP and the endpoint enrollment that enables user-aware policy.
Secure Web Gateway Evaluation Criteria
The questions below are the ones that decide whether a Secure Web Gateway investment pays back — and the ones vendors are least eager to answer.
SSL Inspection Completeness
Modern threats primarily use HTTPS. Evaluate what percentage of your traffic can be SSL-inspected and the categories that require bypass (financial, healthcare, private browsing) that create uninspected blind spots.
URL Category Coverage
The breadth and accuracy of URL categories determines the effectiveness of acceptable use policy. Evaluate coverage of new domains, IP-based traffic, and the recategorization SLA for miscategorized sites.
Cloud Application Visibility
SWG must provide visibility into sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud application usage. Evaluate CASB integration depth — shadow IT discovery, data upload/download controls, and application-level policy.
Remote User Coverage
SWG must cover users regardless of location. Evaluate the endpoint client approach — agent-based vs. PAC file vs. DNS-based — and the coverage for devices that bypass the agent.
DLP Integration
Data loss prevention requires deep content inspection. Evaluate the SWG's DLP capability — inline content inspection, pattern matching, and integration with enterprise DLP platforms.
Performance Impact
SSL inspection adds latency. Evaluate the performance impact on your most latency-sensitive web applications and the bypass mechanisms available for applications where inspection latency is unacceptable.
"RLM gave us an objective view of our network options that no single vendor could. We replaced aging MPLS across 40 locations and came in 28% under our original budget."
Every engagement is measured against the baseline we establish at the start — not against a vendor’s projection.
Where This Matters Most
Sector-specific considerations we see repeatedly in advanced networking engagements.
A Sample of the Advanced Networking Providers We Evaluate
RLM is vendor neutral. These are among 600+ providers in our evaluation set — inclusion here is not an endorsement, and we are paid by the provider you choose, not by any provider in particular. How that works →
Ready to Move on Secure Web Gateway?
Start with a no-cost conversation with an RLM network advisor — vendor neutral, no agenda, just clarity on the right path forward for your environment.
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