Enterprises have a lot on their plates. Of course, running a massive business has its challenges. But not nearly enough focus is put on what it takes to actually run that business—the network infrastructure. Fortunately, there is a new way for organizations to optimize and secure network assets.
These are among the key benefits of secure access service edge products.
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What Is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)?
Few things are more essential than network reliability and security in contemporary business. Vulnerabilities in enterprise applications are the most common ways criminals and other malicious actors exploit or tamper with data. All kinds of negative outcomes can come from a data breach. Meanwhile, keeping networks secure is only getting more complicated.
Another challenge facing enterprise across the industry spectrum is how to modernize network infrastructure. In the past, on-premise systems were the only option for organizations. These are still viable in some cases today, but they’re incompatible with many cloud applications and edge devices.
This is where Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) comes into play.
There are two main ways SASE changes how enterprises can monitor and control their networks. The first is a through integration of on-premise and cloud applications. Previously, organizations have been required to have separate applications and network systems to facilitate both cloud and on-premise. This is solved with SASE, thanks to its utilization of SD-WAN (software-defined wide-area-network). With the software-defined nature of this tech, both on-premise and cloud/edge nodes can be run through the same infrastructure.
Security is the other differentiating aspect of SASE. When an enterprise signs up for SASE offerings, they’re going to get an array of cloud-based security tools to back it up. Clearly, SASE as a product category is set to reimagine how enterprises build their networks.
What Are the Main Benefits of SASE?
Now that you understand the basics of SASE, it’s time to dig a bit deeper into understanding how it can directly benefit enterprises.
These are some of the top benefits of SASE:
- Cost-effectiveness. It’s always important to find ways to reduce overhead costs and recurring expenses. SASE can be an effective measure for this, as its purpose is to replace the need for running a whole team of applications in order to do the same job. Many enterprises will also find SASE helps their migration from on-premise to cloud networking.
- Security. As noted in the previous section, security is basically half of the equation when you’re purchasing a SASE product. By combining SD-WAN with cloud security tools, enterprises get a powerful tool with security built right into the design. This is only going to become even more important as businesses continue moving to the cloud.
- Higher performance. IT teams at enterprises across the globe have been doing their best to patch together workable solutions for creating a reliable network experience. But this is a lot easier said than done when you’re dealing with multiple offices, edge devices, and ever-present security threats lurking in the shadows. Consolidating all of this into a single product results in a much higher performing network.
- Timesavings. SASE as a product category was created to solve a unique problem within enterprise organizations. By addressing this, IT teams will be able to totally redefine how they allocate their time.
There are, of course, some other things worth thinking about before your organization runs off and signs up for SASE applications. One thing to note is you’re putting a lot of trust into one third-party organization with SASE. While this is still better than putting together a patchwork of third-party tools, it’s something to consider. You only want to sign up for SASE services if you have a high degree of confidence in the vendor.
