Understanding SASE – The Key to Securing Global Networks

Deploying SASE requires the collaboration of networking and security teams to ensure the selected platform caters to networking and cybersecurity needs. However, the vendor landscape offers many choices, and navigating this ecosystem can be overwhelming.

SASE combines multiple-point solutions into a single platform, eliminating challenges like blind spots, policy inconsistencies, and shadow IT. Learn how this model can improve performance for latency-sensitive apps, reduce costs through platform consolidation, and enable operational efficiency and agility.

Zero Trust Network Access

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) is a security concept that eliminates trusting any user or device until proven otherwise. This is a fundamental change from the old models, in which firewalls and other perimeter systems trusted people and devices and allowed them unrestricted access once inside the network, leaving the company vulnerable to insider assaults or compromised credentials used by bad actors.

A successful ZTNA strategy requires a combination of risk-based multi-factor authentication, next-generation endpoint protection, and robust cloud workload technology to verify identity and assess the integrity of any device connecting to the network. It also needs to implement the principle of least privilege, ensuring that each authorized user only has the minimum permissions required to carry out their duties. It must also be able to monitor post-connection behavior to prevent unauthorized access and mitigate the impact of a compromise.

The best way to achieve a fully comprehensive Zero Trust security solution is through a single unified network security platform. This converges SD-WAN, NGFW, and other point solutions into a cloud-native service. One example is CylanceGATEWAY, an AI-empowered SASE that provides secure remote access to private applications for your remote workforce while hiding critical assets and minimizing the attack surface. This solution combines ZTNA, micro-segmentation, and other networking capabilities to create a seamless zero-trust experience that delivers the needed performance without sacrificing security.

Scalability

SASE solutions for worldwide cybersecurity offer a revolutionary shift from fragmented security to unified protection. Unlike traditional point solutions, SASE consolidates network and security capabilities into a single, cloud-delivered platform. This eliminates the need for managing multiple vendors and streamlines IT operations. With everything on one platform, implementing consistent security policies and identifying anomalies across the organization becomes effortless, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in safeguarding your global operations.

As a cloud-native solution, SASE leverages the benefits of the cloud to provide easy scalability. This allows organizations to scale up or down, depending on the current needs of the business. The platform also offers various services to optimize performance, such as intelligent routing and traffic management techniques. Additionally, SASE supports a zero-trust approach that adapts to how connections are made. This means that enforcing security closer to the user is more efficient instead of sending all connections to the company servers.

This is done using the nearest point of presence (PoP) for inspection. This eliminates latency caused by routing all traffic back and forth between the user’s computer and company systems. It also improves security by examining the entire context of each request rather than just its identity. This includes the device, connection type, encryption, and other factors. This makes it possible to prevent lateral movement in the network and provides more protection against cyberattacks.

Cost-Effectiveness

SASE leverages a software-defined network (SD-WAN) and unified security capabilities to reduce costs. Providing security through the same portal employees use to access corporate systems eliminates the need for a separate cloud-access security broker (CASB). It also allows traffic to be routed within the system instead of out to a service that might not have up-to-date threat intelligence. A single platform makes it easier for IT and security administrators to set uniform policies and spot anomalies.

It also reduces the cost of integrating multiple cybersecurity systems that usually overlap in functionality. Instead, a unified platform provides an all-in-one solution that dynamically activates functionalities. The result is reduced costs and complexity while ensuring enterprises deliver the performance and security their users demand.

The SASE infrastructure uses a private backbone to avoid the latency issues caused by routing traffic over the internet. The global SD-WAN service ensures that slow connections don’t hinder employees’ productivity from remote locations.

The key to SASE’s success is its ability to bring together a diverse set of networking and security technologies typically delivered through multiple vendors. These include SD-WAN, WAN optimization, content delivery networks, CDN, CASBs, and bandwidth aggregation. Ideally, the same vendor offers these services as a unified SASE service. This approach helps to eliminate costs, complexity, and integration challenges and ensures that all aspects of the solution are tested, monitored, and supported as a unified whole.

Performance

With more and more employees working remotely, more applications moving to the cloud and edge, a more significant number of software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions in use, and increasing data rerouting from the corporate network to SaaS providers, security is more important than ever. However, existing security architectures and technologies may no longer provide the access control digital organizations require.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) enables organizations to secure their applications, data, and systems with granular visibility and control, even in the cloud or remote locations. While ZTNA is a foundational component of SASE, it also requires a network with global points of presence and extensive peering relationships to ensure high performance wherever users are located.

Because SASE offers many capabilities under a single, unified service, it reduces complexity, cuts costs, and eliminates the need for hardware in branch offices, edge networks, or end-user devices. In turn, it lowers operating expenses (OPEX) and capital expenditures (CAPEX) while freeing IT staff from tasks related to deployment, monitoring, and maintenance so they can focus on higher-level tasks. However, it’s critical to choose the right SASE provider. An enterprise must evaluate the vendor’s ability to provide a complete set of security services, including those required for a practical SASE framework. It’s also a good idea to consider phasing in your SASE implementation to ensure a smooth, successful transition.