Secure Remote Worker Use Case 1: Ensure Fast, Secure Access to SaaS Platforms
Even before Covid-19 forced the adoption of work-from-home policies across the globe, the workforce had been getting more remote, more distributed, and more dependent on Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms. In turn, organizations have been looking for a new way to protect these remote users from today’s increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. Phishing attacks remain one of the biggest threats as malicious attackers take advantage of the new normal to trick users into downloading malware or giving up their credentials.
Here at Menlo Security, we’ve come to the conclusion that cloud-delivered security is the only way to protect today’s users given the new normal. Cloud-delivered security ensures that policies follow remote users wherever business takes them—whether it’s a branch office, a customer site, a home office, or any public Wi-Fi. A cloud-based secure web gateway (SWG) acts as the central security control point for all traffic, implementing isolation through a ubiquitous and separate security layer in the cloud through which all web traffic flows.It’s here where security policies in addition to isolation can be applied, ensuring policy enforcement regardless of whether the user is behind a firewall, trying to get access from a home office, or logging in from public Wi-Fi. Isolating web traffic through the ubiquitous cloud allows organizations to easily and efficiently provide a local Internet breakout for each user that is secured as if they were at corporate headquarters. This protects users from malicious attacks, including phishing. All web traffic originating from email and SaaS traffic—the most common phishing attack vectors—is isolated in a remote browser in the cloud while only safe content is rendered on users’ devices.
Users’ traffic can be monitored and controlled by corporate security policies while they enjoy the performance and reliability benefits of connecting directly to the SaaS platforms they need for productivity.
Menlo Security’s cloud-delivered security solution enables organizations to adopt this new approach to cybersecurity, starting with rapidly deploying secure local Internet breakouts in a scalable way. Because it is software delivered via the cloud, Menlo Security’s SWG is easy to deploy to remote users and integrate with legacy network architecture such as a VPN. Split tunneling secures traffic headed to the data center, while the SWG makes sure all SaaS traffic is secured by the same corporate security policies. This ensures a consistent and robust security posture across all traffic types. Together, the SWG and split tunneling give all users secure, fast access to the data center and SaaS resources. Your organization and users are protected, and the native user experience remains fast and reliable. Read our new ebook, Securing the Future of Work, to learn how you and your organization can intelligently transition to this new normal.
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