Secure access service edge (SASE) has gained traction as networks have become increasingly fluid – the moat and castle approach to securing the organization is no longer feasible in the era of remote work.

SASE combines network connectivity with network security into one platform that can be centrally controlled, usually via the cloud, to improve visibility, bolster policy controls and enhance overall user experience across all applications. Essentially, SASE is a single corporate network that reduces the need for various point solutions.

By converging networking and security-as-a-service functions into a single cloud platform, you can support distribute hybrid and remote workers, who all connect to nearly cloud gateways rather than a central corporate data center. SASE eliminates the need for every user, office, and application to your data center via a private network or secondary network, a model which can no longer support today’s reality of dispersed, remote workers.

With SASE, network controls are moved out of the data center to the cloud edge, with all network and security services using a single control plane. By using identity management and Zero Trust security policies, SASE enables to you to extend network access to all your remote workers, regional offices, applications, and endpoints.

SASE Components

SASE encompasses many security elements you may already be familiar with:

• A next-generation firewall (NGFW), which inspects data at a deep level and provides intrusion prevention, application awareness and control, and threat intelligence.
• A secure web gateway (SWG), which protects data and thwarts cyber threats by filtering out unwanted web traffic content and blocking risky or unauthorized user behavior.
• A Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), a model that assumes security threats are present inside and outside a network and ensures that users only access data and applications they need to do their job.
• A cloud access security broker (CASB), which provides security controls and additional visibility for your cloud applications and services.
• A Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) or WANaaS, which helps scale connectivity and operations across large distances to branch offices and data centers.

SASE Benefits

Because SASE relies heavily on the Zero Trust model, it not only ensures that the right users have access to data and applications through robust verification processes, but it also takes into account other factors such as device status and geographic location, while continually evaluating risk.

SASE also reduces your overall security costs because it combines many point solutions into a single cloud platform, which also reduces the amount of time IT teams spend managing security tools and simplifies integration. Fewer point solutions also lead to increased agility and operational efficiency.

Aside from security, SASE also helps to improve the user experience for remote and hybrid workers by more efficiently routing traffic across the edge network, enabling it to be processed as close to the user as possible.

Organizations of all sizes must accept that there’s no longer a single route into their enterprise network. SASE enables you to combine network connectivity and security into one platform to support your distributed workers while protecting your data.