Modern digital business requires networks and security architectures that move at the speed of business. But this demands a change from traditional solutions, which can introduce heart-stopping hidden costs. Hardware-based point solutions require recurring expenses for installation, maintenance, and support. SASE eliminates these costs by consolidating network and security services on a single cloud platform.
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Security
As networks become more distributed, security tools must be implemented at the edge to protect data and applications. SASE integrates networking and security, minimizing the number of hardware devices businesses must invest in and maintaining reliable performance. This can lower costs and add efficiencies. A SASE architecture, such as the one by Versa Networks, consolidates network and security tools into a unified cloud service, replacing many legacy options that can create silos within the organization. This can help streamline change management, eliminating the need to manage multiple tools and allowing quick changes without isolating individual components to resolve issues. A centralized cloud instance also provides consistent enforcement policy across the network, protecting users and devices no matter where they are located or what services they connect to. This is particularly important in today’s work-from-anywhere environment, when many employees use their devices to access business software and services outside the office. In addition, SASE implements the Zero Trust security model to ensure only fully authenticated connections are allowed into a company’s internal systems. This is a crucial protection against advanced, targeted cyber-attacks and threats.
Scalability
As a cloud-native platform, SASE can scale to meet business needs. Whether it’s an unexpected increase in remote work, the addition of new locations, or an expansion into additional markets, SASE can adapt. SASE also eliminates the need for costly MPLS lines and network infrastructure by leveraging existing cellular and broadband connectivity. This can dramatically reduce upfront capital expenditures, allowing enterprises to reap the benefits of SASE much sooner. Rather than routing traffic to the corporate data center for inspection and verification, SASE focuses security closer to users. It does this by utilizing points of presence (PoPs) close to the end-user, enabling SASE to apply security policies to local traffic without requiring it to go back to the central office for evaluation. This helps reduce latency, enhancing productivity and user experience. It also helps protect against various security threats, including man-in-the-middle attacks and spoofing. Leading SASE services can also incorporate CASB and Zero Trust Networking Access capabilities to enhance network security further. This makes SASE an attractive option for businesses looking to boost performance and security across the entire enterprise.
Flexibility
With its integrated architecture, SASE offers considerable flexibility in how and where enterprises use it. It delivers a seamless experience for remote users and branch offices across the network edge when combined with SD-WAN. It can also support WAN optimization, eliminate traffic backhauling, and deliver low latency over the Internet. In turn, that lowers operational costs by leveraging a cloud service model. This makes SASE a cost-effective choice for businesses to consider as part of an OPEX instead of a CAPEX strategy for their IT infrastructure. SASE solutions can be cloud-based or appliance-based and offer a wide range of services, including CASB, zero trust networking access, firewall as a service, and secure web gateways. That means a single-managed provider can deliver a complete SASE solution that is easy to deploy, manage, and scale. SASE benefits enterprises that want to respond more quickly to competitive changes with the flexibility of a software-defined and cloud-based platform. It’s a highly effective solution for protecting work-from-home (WFH) employees, providing better sensitive data awareness and threat protection explicitly designed for remote users.
Reliability
SASE solutions are built on a global fabric of points of presence (PoPs) to provide low latency wherever users are. This enables them to connect to applications and cloud services quickly. SASE providers also offer a secure tunnel between their PoPs and the enterprise network to ensure that data is never exposed to the public Internet, reducing the risk of data leaks or cyberattacks. Legacy security models rely on multiple-point solutions from different vendors, leading to complex configuration procedures and constant patching. SASE combines networking and security functions into a single solution, eliminating complexity and cutting costs. In addition to simplifying network and security architecture, SASE accelerates connections and provides consistent policy enforcement by bringing security closer to users. Combined with SD-WAN, SASE helps organizations to make work-from-anywhere work possible for their distributed workforce. A pure, cloud-delivered SASE solution with per-user pricing makes it affordable for even the smallest businesses to protect their networks against hackers. By eliminating expensive hardware and enabling centralized visibility, SASE turns IT into a business enabler instead of a bottleneck.
Cost
With security and network operations consolidated on one platform, businesses can eliminate expensive hardware costs and avoid maintenance overhead. The elasticity of the cloud-based SASE solution also allows organizations to pay for what they use, shifting from CAPEX to OPEX and lowering overall infrastructure costs. IT teams can also reduce support tickets, freeing staff to work on other strategic projects. By replacing unreliable and latency-heavy remote access tools with SASE, IT can get new users online and work in minutes rather than the weeks that can sometimes be required to implement traditional WAN solutions The SASE architecture combines network and security point solutions (such as SD-WAN, an NGFW, and a cloud-access security broker) into a single service that provides comprehensive, holistic protection for all endpoints. IT doesn’t have to manage multiple vendors and platforms, which can often increase the number of maintenance and management tasks for IT teams. With a single-pane-of-glass management application, enterprise IT can control the entire SASE solution from a central location. This simplifies management and reduces hardware maintenance responsibilities, helping IT departments focus on more value-added services for the business.