What is Secure Web Proxy?
Secure Web Proxy is a fully managed Google Cloud service that filters and controls outbound web traffic from cloud workloads. The service acts as a transparent forward proxy, inspecting HTTP and HTTPS requests against security policies before they leave the network.
Organizations face the challenge of controlling outbound internet traffic without operating complex proxy infrastructure themselves. Secure Web Proxy solves this problem as a cloud-native service that integrates seamlessly into existing VPC networks and provides centralized policy management.
The service supports TLS inspection, URL filtering, and detailed logging. This helps meet compliance requirements and reduces the risk of data exfiltration through web channels.
Core Features
- URL-based access control: Define allowlists and denylists for outbound web requests at the domain and URL level
- TLS inspection: Decrypt and inspect HTTPS traffic to detect hidden threats
- Centralized policy management: Security policies can be defined organization-wide or per project
- Transparent integration: No changes to existing applications required, as the proxy operates transparently
- Detailed logging: Complete logging of all web requests for audit and compliance
Typical Use Cases
Outbound Traffic Control
Organizations with strict security requirements use Secure Web Proxy to control which external websites and APIs their workloads can reach. This prevents data exfiltration through web channels.
Compliance and Auditing
Regulated industries such as financial services or healthcare require complete logging of all internet access. Secure Web Proxy provides detailed logs that support compliance requirements like ISO 27001 or GDPR.
Zero Trust Network Architecture
As part of a zero trust strategy, Secure Web Proxy serves as an additional control layer. Every outbound web request is explicitly inspected rather than allowing all outbound traffic by default.
Benefits
- No need to operate your own proxy servers or appliances
- Reduced risk of data exfiltration
- Centralized management through Google Cloud Console
- Automatic scaling without capacity planning
- Native integration with Cloud Logging and Security Command Center
Integration with innFactory
As a Google Cloud Partner, innFactory supports you with Secure Web Proxy: network security architecture, policy design, TLS inspection configuration, and integration into existing VPC environments.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Secure Web Proxy?
Secure Web Proxy is a cloud-native, fully managed web proxy service from Google Cloud. It filters outbound HTTP/S traffic from workloads and enforces URL-based access policies without requiring you to operate your own proxy infrastructure.
How does Secure Web Proxy differ from Cloud NAT?
Cloud NAT provides basic outbound internet access for private VMs. Secure Web Proxy goes further by enabling URL-based filtering, TLS inspection, and granular access policies for outbound web traffic.
What policies can I enforce with Secure Web Proxy?
You can define URL lists, domain-based rules, and TLS inspection policies. This controls which websites and APIs your workloads can reach. Rules can apply per project or across the organization.
