Cisco Umbrella: A Cloud-Based Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) On and Off Network

Abstract

In present era, organizations use cloud in a variety of different service models and deployment models. So the cloud providers must ensure the security of their infrastructure and the protection of clients’ data and applications against malwares. Cloud security architecture is effective only if correct defensive implementations are in place. A secure Web gateway (SWG) is a solution that filters malware from user-initiated Internet traffic to enforce corporate and regulatory policy compliance. SWGs were originally used for bandwidth and access controls; they are nowadays also helpful in threat protection. But they usually do so ineffectively and in an inelegant manner. Moreover deployment of SWG is complex, and in order to avail protection, agents or PAC (Proxy auto- config) files are required to be installed. The SWG is not competent enough to properly secure the users in this mobile, cloud-era. These challenges are addressed and users are protected everywhere effectively by using a new category called Secure Internet Gateway (SIG). A SIG is a cloud-delivered internet gateway that provides safe and secure access to the users wherever they go, even when the users are off the VPN/network. Whenever initiation of internet requests is made, it is first checked and inspected by a SIG. Cisco Umbrella is Cisco’s first SIG in the cloud. The aim of this paper is to gain an insight into the features of Cisco Umbrella - a Cloud-based Secure Internet Gateway. Keywords: Cisco Umbrella; OpenDNS; Off-Network Security; Threat Intelligence; Cloud-delivered network security.