Many of us don't understand the difference between a router and a gateway when we talk about cybersecurity devices. When we ask ourselves how a secure web gateway differs from a firewall or UTM, we always offer ambiguous, even confusing answers. We can say that everything is so, in a sense it is correct. But variations remain.

The tendency to refer to modem routers as gateway devices has been and continues to be. This is true, since the word "modem" is now completely outdated. A modem, abbreviated as "modulator-demodulator", refers to a device that demodulates an analog signal from a telephone line into digital information for use by a computer and modulates reverse digital data in analog mode (relay). The technology we use today is different for broadband, but the word modem is still widely used.

Now on a wooden router, this is a network traffic control device. There are two IP addresses for routers. This is because all simple four-port wireless routers have two NIC (Network Interface Card), one of which connects to the WAN port to the modem and the other (still a few internal NIC) belongs to the wireless antenna or port. Routers are typically configured to improve performance and security by providing shaded traffic on the corporate network. And many people tend to call a gateway to a router in this context.

Okay, a gateway is a tool used to manage traffic between two networks. Therefore, the gateway can also be called a regular one-piece modem router. Therefore, a router can be called a portal.

Let's now talk about how UTM and firewall are different from what we call a web security gateway.

As you know, a hardware firewall is located between the modem and the router and inspects packets sometimes as a separate component, sometimes as part of it. Sometimes the same functionality is available when the virtual server is configured as a router and an anti-virus tool is installed to convert it to a firewall. Now a different look! The modern hardware firewall that sits at the perimeter of the network is itself a router with built-in security features and therefore also a gateway. The packages will be checked and malicious content will be filtered out. IT managers can configure firewalls to filter content and thus act as gateways. Seeing this on the other hand, we have to say that today's web security gateways are mostly firewalls and that we have arrived at a state where almost all boundaries are lowered to a level that either does not exist or only exists for technical purposes.

The main difference between a UTM or firewall and a secure web portal is that it allows for more efficient content filtering and device regulation. A secure web gateway basically has robust reporting platforms. These features are not available in firewalls. Firewalls help companies with security, but the company must have a secure web gateway to closely monitor and report users.