What is SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)?
SASE and SSE Adoption Growing Fast
Gartner’s 2023 Market Guide for Security Service Edge (SSE) reveals that over one-third of enterprises will have adopted a strategy to unify access to web, cloud services, and private applications deploy Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) by the end of 2022, increasing to 75% by 2024, and 80% by 2025. In their 2022 SSE Magic Quadrant.
As a result, the SASE market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32%, escalating to an approximate $15 billion value by 2025, while the broader Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) market will experience an annual growth rate of upwards of 60% during the same period.
A complementary study conducted by Axis in 2023 reported that 43% of organizations planned to implement a SSE solution by the end of 2023 as a top strategic initiative. Two-thirds of the survey respondents (67%) indicated that they would start their SASE strategy with an SSE implementation, while 33% preferred adding SSE capabilities to SD WAN.
What is the Driving Adoption of SASE?
The transition to remote work and the emergence of a cloud-first culture are having a major impact on enterprise networks and information security. Networking patterns have changed, and organizations need to deploy new services and cater to new requirements faster than ever before.
A SASE architecture provides the agility and flexibility needed in this new environment. SASE makes it possible to deploy new branches remotely with low overheads. It also provides a security stack to ensure employees and contractors can access systems securely from anywhere.
As a result, Gartner predicts that 20% of organizations will soon use SWG, ZTNA, and FWaas from the same vendor (learn more about SASE components below). By 2024, at lease 40% of organizations will have an official SASE adoption strategy.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a transformative architecture that merges networking and security services into a unified, cloud-based platform. Introduced by Gartner in 2019, SASE addresses the challenges posed by modern enterprise needs, such as the shift to remote work, cloud adoption, and the increasing number of edge devices. By integrating network connectivity and security functions into a single service, SASE simplifies management, reduces costs, and enhances security for organizations.
The Evolution of SASE
Traditional network and security models often separate network access (managed by technologies like Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) or software-defined WAN (SD-WAN)) from security functions (like firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and secure web gateways). These disparate systems are challenging to integrate, especially when scaling to accommodate remote users, multiple cloud environments, and numerous branch locations.
The shift toward cloud computing, increased use of mobile devices, and the need for remote access necessitated a new approach that combines these services into a cohesive solution. This led to the emergence of SASE, which converges networking and security into a single cloud-delivered service model.
Core Components of SASE
SASE integrates various networking and security services to provide comprehensive protection and connectivity. Here are the core components:
1. SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network):
SD-WAN is a network technology that simplifies network management and enhances user experience by choosing the best route for data traffic to travel across multiple internet connections, whether it’s across the internet, to cloud applications, or between data centers. This optimization ensures smooth and reliable connections for your users, no matter their location. Traditional WANs often require manual configuration of network devices at each location, which can be time consuming and difficult to maintain across multiple locations. With SD-WAN, deploying new applications and services across multiple locations becomes a breeze. SD-WAN allows centralized policy management and reduces the need for individual configuration at each site, saving time and resources. Provides intelligent and dynamic traffic management across WAN links, optimizing application performance and reducing reliance on costly MPLS circuits. Enables centralized management and control of network traffic, which is critical for ensuring consistent performance and security.
SD WAN is often part of the “Secure Access (SA)” part of a SASE platform, where SSE + SD WAN = SASE. By consolidating networking and security functions into a cloud-based service, SASE enables secure access from anywhere for remote workforces and cloud-based infrastructures. SD WAN can be combined with SASE to provide seamless connectivity and unified security across users, optimizing WAN performance and reducing costs.
2. Secure Service Edge (SSE)
According to Gartner, SSE is a collection of integrated, cloud-centric security capabilities that facilitates safe access to websites, software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications and private applications.
SSE is a subset of SASE functionality that focuses on security enforcement capabilities. It secures access to web, cloud services, and private applications through access control, threat protection, data security, security monitoring, and acceptable-use control. SSE is primarily delivered as a cloud-based service and includes elements such as Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), ZTNA, CASB, and SWG. Simply put, SSE = CASB + SWG + ZTNA + FWAAS.
A.) Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB):
- Think of a CASB as a cloud security guard. It keeps an eye on all the cloud applications and services your employees use, making sure they are safe and secure. It helps prevent data leaks, malware infections, and even regulatory violations.
- CASBs work across different cloud environments, whether it’s a public cloud, private cloud, or software-as-a-service (SaaS). They also help you see everything that’s happening in your cloud applications, eliminating any “blind spots.” This allows you to enforce security policies, detect suspicious activity, and make sure everything complies with regulations. Ultimately, CASBs keep your sensitive data protected and your cloud environments secure.
- CASBs work across different cloud environments, whether it’s a public cloud, private cloud, or software-as-a-service (SaaS). They also help you see everything that’s happening in your cloud applications, eliminating any “blind spots.” This allows you to enforce security policies, detect suspicious activity, and make sure everything complies with regulations. Ultimately, CASBs keep your sensitive data protected and your cloud environments secure.
- CASBs work across different cloud environments, whether it’s a public cloud, private cloud, or software-as-a-service (SaaS). They also help you see everything that’s happening in your cloud applications, eliminating any “blind spots.” This allows you to enforce security policies, detect suspicious activity, and make sure everything complies with regulations. Ultimately, CASBs keep your sensitive data protected and your cloud environments secure.
B.) Secure Web Gateway (SWG):
- A Secure Web Gateway (SWG) is a security solution that filters all incoming internet traffic for malware, phishing attempts, and inappropriate content. It prevents your employees and network users from accessing malicious websites or downloading harmful software. This ensures that only safe and secure internet traffic is allowed into the organization’s internal systems.
- Protects against web-based threats by filtering web traffic for malware, phishing attempts, and other harmful content.
- Protects against web-based threats by filtering web traffic for malware, phishing attempts, and other harmful content.
C.) Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA):
- ZTNA grants remote users secure access to internal applications. Unlike traditional network access methods, it does not assume any user is trustworthy by default. Instead, it continuously verifies every user and device attempting to access internal resources.
- ZTNA operates on the principle of least privilege, ensuring that users are granted only the minimal level of access necessary for their tasks. This reduces the attack surface and prevents unauthorized lateral movement within the network.
- A security framework that restricts access to applications and data based on the principle of least privilege.
- Assumes that no user or device is inherently trusted, requiring continuous verification of identity and context for access.
D.) Firewall as a Service (FWaaS):
- FWaaS replaces traditional physical firewalls with cloud-based firewalls that provide advanced security features. These include next-generation firewall capabilities like Layer 7 filtering, URL filtering, threat prevention, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and DNS security. This makes FWaaS a great option for businesses because it provides strong security without the hassle of physical hardware. It’s flexible, easy to manage, and keeps your network safe from evolving threats.
- Delivers firewall capabilities via the cloud, including traffic inspection, threat detection, and policy enforcement.
- Offers consistent security policies across all locations and users, whether on-premises or remote.
E.) Centralized Management
This involves managing your entire network and security from a single control center. It replaces the scattered approach of managing different network and security tools from various consoles. This simplifies tasks like policy enforcement, patch management, change control, and coordination of outage windows. It ensures consistent security policies across all locations and user devices. Centralized management allows organizations to streamline operations, reduce administrative overhead, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their security and network management practices.
These components work together seamlessly in the cloud to provide secure and optimized access for users, devices, and applications regardless of location. They offer a more flexible and scalable security approach compared to traditional on-premises solutions.
How SASE Works
SASE's architecture allows for the consolidation of networking and security services into a cloud-native framework. Here's a simplified explanation of how SASE functions:
- User or Device Connection: Whether a user is at the corporate office, a branch, or a remote location, they connect to the nearest SASE point of presence (PoP). This PoP is a cloud-based gateway providing low-latency access and high-speed connectivity.
- Traffic Inspection and Policy Enforcement: As data travels through the SASE PoP, the integrated security services (FWaaS, SWG, ZTNA, CASB) inspect the traffic for threats, enforce policies, and ensure secure access. Data is encrypted and monitored for any signs of compromise or unauthorized activity.
- Optimized Traffic Routing: SASE dynamically routes traffic to the appropriate destination (e.g., a cloud service, data center, or branch office) based on performance requirements and security policies. The use of SD-WAN ensures optimal performance by selecting the best available network path.
- Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation: SASE solutions continuously monitor traffic patterns and adapt to changing conditions, such as varying user locations, application performance demands, or newly identified threats.
The Advantages of SASE
SASE offers several benefits for organizations looking to enhance their security posture and streamline network operations. Here are some of the key advantages:
Enhanced Security
- Secure Access Service Edge is a robust security framework that integrates threat prevention, data loss prevention, and secure access policies. This comprehensive approach helps organizations protect against a wide range of cyber threats.
- Advanced threat protection mechanisms reduce the risk of data breaches and cyber Attacks.
Improved Network Performance
By utilizing SD-WAN technology, SASE optimizes the routing of traffic, reducing latency and improving application performance. This is particularly beneficial for organizations with employees spread across various locations.
Improved User Experience:
- The use of SD-WAN for intelligent traffic routing ensures better application performance, reducing latency and increasing reliability.
- Users receive consistent access experiences, regardless of their location.
Flexibility and Scalability
- SASE can easily accommodate new users, devices, and locations without requiring major infrastructure changes.
- Cloud-native architecture supports rapid deployment and scaling to meet evolving business requirements.
Simplified Management
SASE consolidates multiple security and networking functions into a single platform, simplifying management. This unified approach reduces operational complexity and can result in cost savings.
- Managing security policies and network configurations becomes easier with a single, centralized platform.
- Reduces the complexity associated with integrating multiple standalone security products.
Remote Work Enablement
With the increase in remote work, SASE provides secure and reliable access to corporate resources for employees working from any location. This ensures consistent security policies regardless of where users are connecting from.
Cost Savings:
- SASE eliminates the need for costly MPLS circuits and hardware-based security appliances.
- Cloud-based services allow organizations to pay for what they use, scaling as their needs change.
The Disadvantages of SASE
While SASE offers compelling advantages, there are a few potential drawbacks to consider:
Implementation Complexity
Transitioning to a Secure Access Service Edge architecture can be complex and time consuming. Organizations need to carefully plan the migration process, ensuring minimal disruption to existing services.
Dependency on Cloud Providers
SASE relies on cloud infrastructure, so an organization’s network and security operations could be impacted by issues with the cloud service provider. However, well-designed SASE solutions often have features like redundancy and failover mechanisms to minimize downtime.
Cost Considerations
While SASE can offer cost savings in the long run, it requires the initial investment and migration costs. Organizations should assess the total cost of ownership to determine the financial viability. This involves calculating not just the subscription fees, but also the migration costs and any ongoing maintenance costs.
Integration Challenges
Integrating Secure Access Service Edge with existing legacy systems can be challenging. Compatibility issues may arise, requiring additional resources to resolve these integration problems.
Vendor Lock-In
Should Organizations Use SASE in 2024?
The decision to adopt Secure Access Service Edge architecture depends on your organization’s specific needs and security posture. Here are some factors to consider when evaluating SASE solutions:
- The size and complexity of your network infrastructure.
- Your existing security tools and their compatibility with SASE.
- Are you comfortable with relying on a single vendor for both networking and security?
- The cost of implementing and maintaining SASE and your organization’s long-term cloud adoption strategy.
SASE is a good fit if:
- Your business depends on cloud resources and needs secure access.
- You have a geographically distributed workforce and need to optimize application access.
- You manage a complex network that demands centralized control.
- The benefits like enhanced security, improved network performance, and simplified management justify the investment.
Use Cases for SASE
SASE is versatile and can be applied to various scenarios:
- Secure Remote Access: As remote work becomes the norm, SASE provides a secure way for employees to connect to corporate resources from any location, without relying on traditional VPNs.
- Cloud Migration: Organizations migrating applications and workloads to the cloud can use SASE to ensure secure access and data protection across multi-cloud environments.
- Branch Office Connectivity: SASE simplifies branch office connectivity by integrating networking and security, making it easier to deploy and manage secure connections for multiple locations.
- IoT and Edge Computing: As IoT devices proliferate and edge computing becomes more prevalent, SASE can provide the necessary security and connectivity for these distributed environments.
Secure Access Service Edge Solution
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Traditional network security has often been described as a castle-and-moat system – the moat was a VPN, and everyone who made it across the drawbridge was considered safe. This approach was fine...but you may have noticed, things have changed a bit. Remote work, BYOD, IoT...it’s obvious the old castle-and-moat is not cutting it. Modern security problems require modern security solutions – like Inventiv Technology SASE
Inventiv Technology Secure Edge is your ultimate cloud-managed secure access solution, crafted for the expanding remote and hybrid workforce. Designed to simplify network access, our platform improves security, extends policy enforcement and provides a superior alternative to traditional VPN solutions, all while giving users a better networking experience.
Conclusion
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a major advancement in network security. By carefully weighing the pros and cons of SASE and considering the above factors, businesses can make an informed decision about whether it is the right fit.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) represents a significant shift in how organizations approach networking and security. By converging these functions into a unified, cloud-delivered service, SASE addresses the challenges of modern IT environments, providing enhanced security, simplified management, and cost efficiency. Although there are some hurdles to consider, the benefits make SASE an attractive option for organizations looking to future-proof their network and security strategies. As technology continues to evolve, SASE is poised to become the cornerstone of secure, agile, and scalable IT infrastructure.
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