Introduction

Our client is a prominent worldwide industry leader in the B2B distribution of Paper, Packaging and Visual Communication solutions. In the UK, the organisation operates through a network of sales and logistics facilities spanning the country. The head office accommodates the bulk of its IT users, while the remaining IT personnel are situated in other office locations.

The Challenge

The client’s IT team play a pivotal role in supporting company strategic objectives by managing essential business applications and communication tools. Their responsibilities encompass improving productivity, cost reduction, and mitigating risks. Within the company’s IT infrastructure, various tools and capabilities are in place to safeguard the business from cyberattacks and security incidents.

One crucial aspect of these security measures was the utilisation of a category-based web access filtering system, built on the legacy Symantec Blue Coat solution. This system provided monitoring of web access, generated management reporting, and allowed the logging, blocking, or granting of access to certain websites based on predefined categories. However, these products reached the end of their operational lifespan (EOL) and were to be formally retired by Symantec.

Our client wanted to introduce a modern and secure web resolution service alongside their existing system. They needed to do this without affecting the current system’s performance, as part of their plan to retire outdated tools in stages. They were looking for a solution to replace the aging Blue Coat web filtering system with ongoing support and updates.

Additionally, they needed a solution for devices that were slowing down network capacity and didn’t have malware scanning capabilities. The new service had to be easy to set up, dependable, offer category-based filtering and management reports, and work seamlessly for all employees, regardless of their location.

The Solution

Babble recommended the Netskope Next Generation Secure Web Gateway (SWG), which is a straightforward forward-based proxy service. This service, in a more advanced fashion, replaced a commonly overlooked network function, namely domain name lookups, with a more sophisticated security-enhanced service, which effectively monitors and secures all requests for website access from the client’s computing devices.

The Netskope Secure Web Gateway also offers several key features, including built-in reporting capabilities, an extensive range of 80 website categories that can be used to create specific policies, and enhanced scanning for identifying concealed malware and viruses within web traffic. These features complemented the existing Sophos malware solution on the client’s endpoints. More notably, the Netskope Secure Web Gateway is designed for resilience, with built-in redundancy, scalability, and fault tolerance, making it a robust and reliable platform.

The secure web gateway service is hassle-free as it doesn’t require any additional hardware, and it works seamlessly for all users, regardless of where they are located. It simplifies network structure, removing any obstacles that might slow down performance. IT and security staff have full control over the system, and they receive comprehensive support, including immediate assistance with malware issues if a device seems infected.

Babble implemented the Netskope SWG resolution service alongside the existing Blue Coat platform without disrupting its functionality until the Netskope service eventually replaced the outdated system. After setting up the platform to manage name resolution requests for our client, their IT team could choose to use the secure resolver service for any or all devices on their network.

Our client had a good technical understanding and recognised the value of fully engaging with this new service to maximize its benefits and advantages. Babble’s technical support was able to demonstrate its ability to handle specific support challenges, with users being cooperative in conducting tests and adjusting platform settings as needed.

For endpoint devices outside the corporate network, like those used by remote or home-based workers, a lightweight agent could be installed to override local resolver settings, ensuring they also benefited from web filtering and anti-malware protection. This change allowed the company to better monitor and manage security, even for remote workers.