SASE converges networking and security services into a single platform to strengthen remote access and security posture. Its architecture eliminates the need for disjointed physical and virtual appliances from multiple vendors, reducing upfront costs and ongoing management overhead.
This reduces complexity for IT teams and frees them up to focus on strategic projects that support business growth. It also enables better performance and consistent application experience through performance optimization and latency-optimized routing.
Meaning
Your business grows and evolves, and so should your security. SASE meaning security is adaptable. It automatically scales and adjusts to your changing needs, shielding you from emerging threats and ensuring your data remains safe, no matter where the digital highway takes you. SASE combines SD-WAN with modern, cloud-based network security functions like secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), and zero trust networking (ZTNA). These capabilities are delivered as a unified service to cut complexity and cost. As a result, organizations deal with fewer vendors, and the hardware required in remote sites and other WAN links declines.
An effective SASE platform delivers an enhanced network security experience that cuts across networking, security, and operations to unlock new top-line possibilities. For example, users can work from anywhere with SASE security because policies follow them instead of forcing them to access cloud or enterprise apps and services through the DMZ or VPN.
An authentic SASE architecture also addresses scalability, reliability, and performance challenges.
When choosing a SASE solution, prioritize vendors that offer a unified dashboard for network, security, and operations. This eliminates the need for multiple platforms that require repeated authentication. Also, consider piloting a solution before full-scale deployment to ensure it integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure. This will help you minimize risk and reduce time to value.
Benefits
Using SASE, IT teams can address the goals of improving user experience and security by eliminating network latency for employees and customers. They can also improve performance visibility and identify bottlenecks, enabling them to fix issues faster and ensure that end-users get the quality of service they’ve signed up for. Finally, they can improve network reliability by routing traffic based on SLA and application profiles to ensure critical applications have reliable connections to the cloud.
SASE architecture helps organizations reduce their risk by moving away from a network-centric approach to one that’s based on identity, context, and security policies. It shifts control to distributed points of presence (PoPs) close to users and makes it easier for them to access data, applications, and services without hardware like VPNs and DMZs.
A good SASE solution provides centralized management that makes it easy to implement and manage network and security capabilities, reducing operational overheads and freeing IT staff to focus on responding to business challenges. It can also deliver varying service levels to support applications, ensuring that all users – remote workers, mobile customers, and business partners – get the network responsiveness they expect.
When selecting a SASE provider, look for one with a track record of providing high-quality security, reliable performance, and scalability. And be sure to test the SASE solution in a pilot environment before it’s deployed for full-scale use.
Challenges
Many organizations need help navigating the complex SASE maze. It’s like playing 4D chess; a good strategy is critical to success.
A common challenge is overemphasizing security at the expense of performance. But while security is non-negotiable, so is performance. A SASE solution that provides fast, consistent network performance for all users is critical to delivering a great user experience.
Another challenge is ensuring that SASE integrates with SD-WAN seamlessly. This is essential for delivering complete benefits, including distributed inspection and policy enforcement, granular-level control over authenticated users, and a zero trust model with dynamically adaptive access controls (ZTNA).
Sometimes, the best way to overcome these challenges is to opt for integrated solutions from vendors offering networking functions and security capabilities. This helps to reduce complexity and the costs of integration.
Other issues that can arise include the difficulty of combining networking and security skills within a team. This requires a significant shift in organizational structure to break down silos and collaborate effectively, especially when dealing with emerging digital technologies such as SASE. Additionally, SASE requires specialized skills that may be hard to find in your staff. Organizations can use training programs to combat these challenges and build the necessary skills. Alternatively, they can use a managed service with the skills and expertise to handle SASE.
Conclusions
As with any technology adoption, there are potential challenges that can make the journey to SASE more complicated than it needs to be. One major challenge is identifying your security requirements and ensuring the SASE network you build includes built-in compliance measures. This is a critical step because if you fail to identify your unique security requirements, the architecture won’t fully meet them, and you could run into issues.
Another challenge is ensuring that your selected SASE network can integrate seamlessly with your existing infrastructure. It’s essential to test out SASE before making a full-scale investment to ensure it will work well with your existing systems and handle the load of any applications you may need to add.
Finally, the SASE market is still maturing, and many vendors approach the space differently. Some prioritize their network and security capabilities, while others focus more on delivering a holistic digital experience. This can lead to a lack of integration between features, and it can also be challenging for IT teams to determine which vendors have the best solution for their networking and security needs. To overcome this challenge, it’s essential to prioritize your goals and priorities when evaluating SASE solutions. You can also look for providers that offer AIOps and automation to simplify troubleshooting and lighten the workload for IT teams.
