Sheldon Anthony IO

SASE, which is short for Secure Access Service Edge and pronounced "sassy", is a cloud-based service that combines various network security functions like SWG, CASB, FWaaS, and ZTNA, along with WAN capabilities like SDWAN. It helps to secure your network by offering all these features in a single service. Instead of relying on your data center security to protect traffic from your users' devices, SASE allows your enterprise to inspect the traffic at the nearest enforcement point. By 2025, 65% of enterprises will have consolidated individual SASE components into one or two explicitly partnered SASE vendors, up from 15% in 2021. ^[1]  This approach is more efficient and effective in protecting a distributed workforce and cloud-based data, as it provides better access to data and applications.

The traditional approach to network security relies on a perimeter-based model. This means that users and devices are authenticated and authorized based on their location and network access. However, this approach no longer works in the age of mobile, edge, and cloud computing. Users and devices can now access applications and data from anywhere, anytime, and on any device, which means that everything inside the network can no longer be considered trusted and everything outside it untrusted. Business owners must therefore make a trade-off between security and performance when enabling remote and mobile access to cloud-based applications and data. They face the risk of cyberattacks that can compromise their data and applications in cloud and edge environments. Unfortunately, many businesses lack the resources and expertise to defend against such attacks. They also need help to maintain consistent security policies and visibility across different networks, devices, and locations due to the diverse and dynamic nature of network environments.

Primetals Technologies develops advanced systems for metal producers and offers services such as the digitalization of production-related processes, concepts for interlinked casting and rolling, and process analysis and optimization. It operates in 26 countries and has more than 7,500 employees. To lay the groundwork for a hybrid environment, the company moved to SaaS applications like Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365. With more employees accessing the network remotely, traditional VPN connectivity caused high levels of backhauling traffic and bottlenecks in the central internet connections. The IT team knew they needed to find a way to prevent spikes in bandwidth and meet user demand for seamless connectivity to resources. Their challenge was to replace their hub-and-spoke architecture with SD-WAN and provide decentralized security for the hybrid workplace. They simplified their infrastructure with SD-WAN and direct-to-internet connectivity. They reduced the number of global data centers to save up to 35% in infrastructure costs and increased their productivity through faster troubleshooting.^[2] 

The goal of SASE is to improve performance and user experience by deploying a small number of apps and agents on a device. As opposed to legacy VPN and SDP solutions that don't support the entire organization, SASE's cloud-scale platform optimizes home traffic for thousands of users and continuously checks traffic for threats and access control, using a global private backbone. This provides a consistent user experience, no matter where they are or what they're accessing. Instead of relying on multiple technologies, appliances, and carriers, SASE offers organizations a cloud-native, agile solution to address various digital transformation use cases. Digital business transformation now focuses on the identity of users and/or devices, which means network and security service design patterns must be inverted. This requires converged cloud-delivered secure access services at the edge for security and risk management leaders. SASE is a vision and framework for the future of network security in the cloud, not a product or vendor. Businesses interested in implementing SASE must evaluate their current network and security infrastructure, identify gaps and requirements, and choose a SASE provider that can meet their needs. SASE is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a journey that requires continuous adaptation and innovation.

The focus of digital business transformation shifts from the data center to the identity of the user and/or device, inverting network and security service design patterns. This shift requires converged cloud-delivered secure access services at the edge for security and risk management leaders. SASE is not a product or a vendor, but a vision and a framework for the future of network security in the cloud. Businesses that want to implement SASE need to assess their current network and security infrastructure, identify their gaps and requirements, and choose a SASE provider that can meet their needs. SASE is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a journey that requires continuous adaptation and innovation.