CASB vs. SWG: 16 Critical Differences

Where CASB vs. SWG is concerned, the Cloud Access Security Broker is more like the gateway between cloud services and its customers. There are different kinds of authentication in CASB solutions and organizations can intend to use as many as they want this way to reduce security risks. A Secure Web Payment Gateway (SWG) is considered to be a cloud-based or on-premise network security solution by itself. It protects online payment transactions and sensitive financial & personal information. A common pitfall for CASB solutions is that it does not filter internet traffic before enforcing new policies.

Unauthorized access, malware, data breaches, insider threats, data leaks, and ransomware are major security we face that are too costly for any company. What you should go for between CASB vs. SWG, depends largely on your business model

The Cloud Access Security Broker market will increase at a CAGR of 17.8% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2030. The emergence of cutting-edge technologies like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is generating plenty of jobs for security professionals, while at the same time keeping a lid on the rising number of cyber attacks targeting cloud systems. Web Payment Gateways Secure Web Payment gateways work at the application level, performing real-time web protection against a variety of threats we see every day.

CASBs provide a single pane of glass for cloud environments, govern data access and secure it, and ensure compliance with standards such as HIPAA GDPR PCI-DSS This guide covers comparing CASB vs SWG, the pros & cons of both, and deciding which one is best suited for your organization. By the end of it, you will be able to know how to choose a suitable tool and if to go for CASB vs. SWG. Let’s get started.

What is CASB?

Cloud Access Security Brokers can monitor access to cloud services and applications in real time. Literally, CASB provides comprehensive protection and even ensures policy enforcement for data protection. CASB can add granular control over user access to cloud applications and focus on preventing cyber attacks like data breaches.

There are threats that originate from within cloud systems and not outside these days. CASBs are better equipped to handle such kinds of adversarial campaigns when you compare CASB vs SWG.  Most CASB vendors can offer their services as cloud-hosted software and some CASB providers may offer solutions for on-premise hardware applications and on-premise software. The different technologies that fall under the umbrella of CASB are – shadow IT discovery, data loss prevention (DLP), and access control. CASB solutions offer data loss prevention capabilities to monitor and control data both in transit and at rest.

What are the Pros & Cons of CASB?

Here are the pros of using CASB, in CASB vs SWG:

• CASB can block both internal and external attacks targeting organizations, unlike SWGs as in the case of CASB vs SWG. In terms of data confidentiality for CASB vs SWG, CASB solutions can prevent unknown data leaks and block all cyber attacks.

• When you compare CASB vs SWG, you will learn that many CASBs bring sandboxing benefits. It can block malware, phishing, and URL filtering threats. CASB can inspect data entering and exiting networks and look for malicious traffic activities. It can also run users’ browsers from isolated locations or remote servers and protect them from potentially malicious code infections.

Here are the cons of CASB, for CASB vs SWG:

• In the battle of CASB vs SWG, you will be surprised to learn that many major CASBs are a result of acquiring solutions or services that are bundled with other previously cloud security products. CASB vs SWG vendors may partner with external companies to deliver additional offerings.

• API support is not native or included by default for CASB vs. SWG solutions. In CASB vs SWG, CASB has this downside. Many businesses need a proxy for monitoring in-life traffic.

• CASB is only limited to protecting access to SaaS apps on cloud platforms. It only extends protection to cloud-based deployments and cannot protect assets outside of the scope of these cloud services. If any internal attacks occur that target the cloud but don’t leverage its resources, CASB cannot protect them.

What is SWG?

A Secure Web Gateway (SWG) allows you to prevent unsecured traffic from entering an organization’s network. It protects employees and users from being infected by malware, viruses, and other forms of cyber threats. SWGs can help ensure regulatory compliance with various standards and enforce granular access policies. It can decrypt and inspect TLS/SSL-encrypted data for hidden threats. For any compliance policy violations, it can send automated alerts and the solution can parse content for sensitive data protection. Common features included with modern SWGs are remote user protection, bandwidth controls, URL filtering, application control, policy management, data loss prevention (DLP), and advanced threat protection measures like anti-phishing, anti-malware, and firewalls. You can also block or restrict access to malicious websites using SWGs and it’s great for securing connections associated with hybrid work models, SaaS apps, and web-based resources.

What are the Pros & Cons of SWG?

Here are the pros of SWG when you contrast CASB vs. SWG:

• You can scale up or down SWG solutions depending on your business requirements. There is no limit to the volumes it can filter or analyze for weeding out malicious traffic.  For CASB vs. SWG, SWG will use advanced threat detection techniques, Artificial Intelligence, and deep learning algorithms to weed out complex threats.
• SWG simplifies the task of policy enforcement and adds visibility deeper into cloud usage, thereby improving your overall security cloud security posture. It’s quick, easy, and takes minutes to set up. You can observe compliance with standards like PCI-DSS, HIPAA or GDPR by utilizing SWG tools.
• Another comparison factor between CASB vs. SWG is SWG’s ability to integrate with various other security solutions e.g., firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, etc., into a single unified platform.

Here are the cons of SWG, when it comes to SWG vs. CASB:

• SWG tools need internet traffic to transit or pass through them. Without traffic coming in, they cannot detect threats. SWGs are known to change their deployment locations and cannot change any core functions.
• SWG is a web-based portal so it demands a stable internet connection which could potentially pose a concern for organizations with unstable internet connectivity.
• SWG increases the load it takes for traffic to reach external websites and services, especially if not configured as per organization standards. That quickly creates bottlenecks down the line.
• You also face an increased risk of vendor lock-ins. To access SWG solutions you must enter into a long-term contract with its vendors. However, you cannot pivot to another security solution like CASB vs. SWG overnight.
• SWG is good at creating false positives which means it can block or quarantine legitimate traffic. When traffic is encrypted, it cannot scan the content and this will make its threat detection and prevention capabilities reduced.
• SWG can be problematic for threat detection and response because it does not provide complete visibility inside web traffic, which might allow it to overlook threats or make them harder/slower to identify. Most older CASB vs. SWG solutions do not provide DLP capabilities for apps and cloud services, web browsers and forms, or mobile apps, nor can they sync clients.

5 Critical Differences between CASB and SWG

Here, in the case of CASB vs. SWG, both offer a secure gateway when it comes to defending against cyber threats online. They enforce data usage policies as requested by organizations and they provide authorized access to users or resources when allowed, at any time from anywhere.

SWG tools bundle security services that may not be under the direct control of users.

CASB can directly map users, files, and context, which allows it to protect sensitive content. It can detect and prevent any malicious activities from occurring or escalating due to access data security negligence, by tracking behaviors.

Below, we will explain the key differences between CASB vs. SWG:

1. Features and Capabilities of CASB vs. SWG

All CASB solutions offer cloud application discovery and monitoring, data loss prevention, encryption, user behavior analytics, and threat protection on the cloud. They also include cloud data compliance and governance. SWG tools are more concerned with URL filtering and blocking, malware/ virus scanning, content filtering (category-based), SSL/TLS inspection & decryption, web application firewalls, etc.

2. Area of Coverage

CASB vs. SWG solutions can cover protective measures for more than one cloud provider. SWG solutions will address security matters about web traffic movements inside an enterprise network or at the edge. While CASB solutions are often cloud-deployed, SWG offerings can be anything from on-premises appliances to fully SaaS-operated services.

3. Cost Differences

CASB solutions’ basic features could cost between USD 5 to USD 10 per user/month. Some solutions may charge, on average USD 20 (up to) for advanced features. The agency-based approach to CASBs can be quite expensive — as much as USD 5,000 and USD 10,000 per year since the solutions are very hardware-based. On-premise-hosted SWGs which are software-based have often started at USD 2,000 to USD 10K per year. There are different vendors with varying price points.

Moreover, other costs such as TCO (total cost of ownership) or maintenance and support fees have to be taken into consideration too. SentinelOne is a great choice in the market when it comes to scalability and flexibility when compared to other CASB vs. SWG solutions.

4. Encryption Protocols

CASB is a technology that secures access to applications and data hosted on the cloud, including SaaS, IaaS, or PaaS. Since cloud-based applications and services use protocols such as CAP, OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and SAML, they enable seamless communication with SWG by leveraging them. On the other hand, SWG solutions employ only web-based protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, or SSL/TLS for solely inspecting and filtering web traffic.

5. Visibility and Control

When you compare CASB vs. SWG, it is clear that CASB provides deeper visibility as well as more control over different cloud services. This enables organizations to identify any unauthorized applications or shadow IT practices that may be happening within their walls while monitoring data usage and user movements across all cloud services on a granular level. SWG can let you deploy web-based security policies to monitor internet usage closely. CASB enhances access controls, permissions management, and restricts privileges.

CASB VS SWG: Key Differences

Here are the key differences between CASB vs. SWG for organizations:

Which to choose between CASB and SWG?

Choose CASB if your organization is heavily reliant on cloud-based applications and data, and you want to ensure secure access with the ability to have some visibility into cloud usage. CASB provides improved security and compliance features for cloud-based applications, so in case of a high adoption rate inside an organization, it would be better to use CASB. On the other hand, choose SWG in case there’s a large amount of web traffic in your institution that needs blocking of malicious URLs and guarding against web-based attacks.

Why Do Both SASE and SWG Benefit Your Organization?

SASE and SWG will help an organization by adding security and visibility into web traffic and cloud-based applications to protect against threats and ensure compliance with regulatory provisions. They provide granular control over the access of resources residing in the cloud and web-based applications to ensure that access is authorized.

Conclusion

It is dependent upon organizational needs and requirements whether CASB vs. SWG is implemented. So, while both solutions do overlap, they both target diversified security concerns and offer different advantages. The area where CASB solutions work best is providing businesses with powerful security and compliance features for usually cloud-based applications. On the other hand, SWG solutions are more suitable for organizations that experience a high amount of internet traffic, as they allow for effective protection against web-based attacks and malicious URLs. By understanding the critical differences between CASB vs. SWG, organizations can make informed decisions about which solution best fits their unique security needs, ultimately ensuring the protection of their data and applications.

If you are looking for an AI-driven cyber security platform that can fulfill your CASB vs. SWG security needs, you can try out SentinelOne today. You can request to schedule a live demo from the team to test out its various CASB vs. SWG security features.

SWG vs CASB FAQs

1. Can CASB replace SWG or vice versa?

CASB and SWG are security solutions in the cloud, although they do very different things. In CASB vs. SWG, although CASB will offer some of the web security features, it doesn’t replace dedicated SWG solutions. At the same time, SWG offers some of the cloud security features; however, it doesn’t replace dedicated CASB solutions.

2. Can SWG and CASB Work Together?

Yes, SWG and CASB can collaborate to offer general protection in the cloud. SWG will monitor and govern web traffic, while CASB will monitor and control cloud-based applications and data. CASB vs. SWG solutions can be combined to provide an organization with control over cloud-based web traffic and applications for a more secure cloud environment.

3. What is the difference between SWG and firewall?

SWG monitors and controls web traffic by blocking malicious websites and threats. While a firewall monitors and controls the inflow and outflow of network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Though they are both designed for network security, SWGs are solely focused on web traffic, and firewalls deal with general network traffic.

4. What is the difference between VPN and SWG?

A VPN provides an encrypted, secure connection between a user and a remote network, allowing users to access the internet securely. SWG is a security solution in the cloud that keeps track of and controls all web traffic in order to prevent access to known malicious sites and other threats. Both solutions are used for security, but VPNs provide data in transit encryption, while SWGs inspect and control web traffic. While VPNs secure the connection, SWGs secure the content.