Secure Internet Gateway Assessment (SIGA)
Your internet gateway decides which websites, downloads and cloud services staff can reach, and what gets blocked. VOWTECH reviews that gateway for businesses in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and across the UAE, testing whether filtering, threat protection and policies really work as intended and recommending practical improvements.
A Gateway That Exists Is Not the Same as a Gateway That Works
Most businesses already have something filtering their internet traffic: a web filter on the firewall, a proxy, a cloud web security service or a unified threat management appliance. Far fewer have checked recently whether it is still doing its job. Rules accumulate, exceptions are added in a hurry, licences lapse and features are switched off to solve a complaint.
A Secure Internet Gateway Assessment is a focused review of that one control. We examine how it is configured, test what it blocks and what it lets through, and look at real traffic to see how the internet is actually being used, including by laptops that spend most of their time outside the office.
The result is a short, specific set of recommendations: settings to change, rules to remove, gaps to close and, where the platform has reached its limits, options for replacing it, whether with a newer firewall or a cloud-delivered service as part of a SASE approach.
Three Questions the Assessment Answers
Each one looks at the gateway from a different direction: the rules, the protection and the blind spots.
Are the Policies Right?
We read the rule base the way an auditor would: what is allowed, for whom, and why. Old exceptions, overlapping rules and categories left open by default are the usual findings.
Does the Protection Work?
Using safe test files and test sites, we check whether malware downloads, phishing pages and risky file types are stopped, and whether encrypted traffic is being inspected at all.
What Goes Around It?
A gateway only protects traffic that passes through it. We look for the routes that do not: remote laptops, guest Wi-Fi, unmanaged devices, alternative DNS and personal VPN or proxy tools.
What the Gateway Assessment Covers
Six areas of review, reported together so you can see how they relate.
Gateway Security Audit
Firmware or service version, enabled security features, administrative access, high availability and backup of the configuration are reviewed against vendor hardening guidance.
Policy Review & Optimisation
Filtering policies are compared with what the business actually wants to allow. Redundant, shadowed and overly broad rules are identified for clean-up.
Threat Protection Testing
Controlled tests confirm whether known-bad categories, harmless test malware, phishing simulations and command-and-control style destinations are detected and blocked.
Network Traffic Analysis
Gateway logs are analysed for top destinations, bandwidth-heavy applications, unsanctioned cloud services and signs of infected devices calling out.
Logging & Reporting Review
We check that useful logs are being kept for long enough, that alerts reach someone, and that management reports exist. Logs can be fed to a SIEM solution where one is in place.
Recommendations & Monitoring Guidance
Findings are ranked and paired with specific changes, plus guidance on periodic rule reviews and monitoring so the gateway stays in good order.
From Gateway Audit to Final Guidance
The review is read-only until you approve changes, so normal browsing is not interrupted.
Current Gateway Audit
We gather the configuration, licence status, network placement and administrative settings.
Policy & Rule Review
Filtering rules, exceptions and user mappings are analysed against your intended policy.
Threat Assessment
Protection is tested safely and gateway logs are analysed for risky or unexpected traffic.
Recommendations & Optimisation
Proposed changes are discussed, and approved adjustments can be applied by our engineers.
Final Report & Guidance
You receive the findings, the agreed actions and advice on keeping policies current.
Why Review Your Internet Gateway
Web browsing and email links remain the everyday routes by which malware reaches a business.
Rules Pile Up
Years of quick exceptions leave gaps nobody remembers approving. A review restores a rule base people can understand.
Most Traffic Is Encrypted
Without TLS inspection a gateway sees very little. The assessment shows how much of your traffic is actually being examined.
Work Has Left the Office
Filtering that protects only the office network misses roaming laptops. We identify how to extend it.
Review Plus Remediation
VOWTECH, based in Abu Dhabi, can implement the recommended changes as well as report them.
Internet Gateway Assessment Questions
What is a secure internet gateway?
How is this different from a penetration test or firewall audit?
Will the assessment interrupt internet access?
What do we receive at the end?
Related Services
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Segmentation, monitoring and protection across the whole network.
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VOWTECH cybersecurity services for businesses across the UAE.
Learn moreIs Your Web Filtering
Doing Its Job?
Tell us which firewall, proxy or cloud service handles your internet traffic. We will review it, test it and tell you plainly what to change.