SwiftNet Link (SNL) is a critical component of the SWIFT infrastructure, serving as the mandatory network interface for accessing SWIFTNet services. The Swift Alliance Gateway (SAG) is a communication interface that consolidates message flows from various applications and connects them to the SWIFT network. According to SWIFT documentation, SAG is a modular software package installed on top of SNL, meaning SNL is a foundational requirement for SAG to operate.
SNL provides essential functionalities such as transport, formatting, security, and service management, enabling secure and interoperable communication over the SWIFT Secure IP Network (SIPN). SAG uses SNL to establish this connectivity, as it does not have direct network access capabilities on its own. For example, SAG relies on SNL to handle SWIFT message types like FIN, InterAct, and FileAct, ensuring secure communication with the SWIFT network. This dependency is evident in architectures where SAG is deployed, such as in the Alliance Connect Virtual solutions, where SNL is always included alongside SAG to facilitate connectivity.
The mention of "SIL Connectivity" in the question refers to the SWIFT Integration Layer (SIL), which is often part of cloud-based deployments like Alliance Cloud. However, even in such setups, SNL remains a requirement for SAG to function, as SIL itself interacts with SAG/SNL to manage message flows. The categories "Generic," "Products Cloud," "Products OnPrem," and "Security" likely refer to the context of SWIFT services, but they do not alter the fundamental requirement of SNL for SAG operation.
There are no exceptions in SWIFT’s official documentation where SAG can operate without SNL. Even in cloud-based solutions like Alliance Cloud or Alliance Lite2, SNL is either embedded or provided as part of the connectivity stack. For instance, in Alliance Connect Virtual deployments, SAG and SNL are deployed together to ensure connectivity to SWIFTNet. Therefore, the statement is unequivocally true.
References to SWIFT Customer Security Programme Documents:
•SWIFT Customer Security Controls Framework (CSCF) v2024: The CSCF mandates secure connectivity components like SNL within the SWIFT secure zone (Control 1.1 SWIFT Environment Protection).
•SWIFT Alliance Gateway Documentation: SAG is described as requiring SNL for connectivity to SWIFTNet, as it acts as an interface on top of SNL.
•SWIFTNet Link Documentation: SNL is the mandatory network interface for all external SWIFTNet communications, including those facilitated by SAG.
