Companies are seeking cloud solutions basically because of increasing security issues in cyberspace. They are constantly deploying strategies to reduce operating costs and
complexities while still upholding a solid defense against data threats and attacks. And with the increasing necessity for the remote and hybrid systems in a post-pandemic era, companies are now beginning to implement a promising technology that’s high on the hype cycle for
organizational Security is known as SASE.
The SASE benefits are outstanding as it incorporates diverse networking security concepts such as Zero Trust, VPN, and SD-WAN. It is instead a goal or concept for most
organizations than a product, and it has proven to be a reliable approach to
modern threats and attacks on the enterprise network.
What is SASE?
SASE means Secure Access Service Edge is a framework for a network architecture that utilizes largely cloud-native security technology such as SD-WAN, Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), and Zero
Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a single service for users in diverse locations.
How Does SASE Architecture Work?
A SASE architecture integrates SD-WAN and other WAN with different security capabilities such as CASB, SWG, FWaaS and Zero Trust in a single framework to solve challenges as regards
network security.
Legacy strategy for inspecting and verifying access requests, including forwarding traffic through a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) service to firewalls in your data center is beneficial
if it depends on your users’ location. But then an increasing need for remote solutions for users in home offices, remote areas, and so on. Sending user traffic to your data center, assessing the traffic, and then forwarding it back reduces productivity and affects the user experience.
SASE stands out from other point solutions and secure networking strategies as a more secure and direct solution. Instead of relying on your data center security, user traffic is inspected at a close point of presence and delivered to a destination. This implies a more valuable path to the application and data access, a much-preferred alternative for securing distributed workforces and data in the cloud.
Challenges of SASE Deployment
1. Developing Nature of the SASE Market
One of the major challenge of the adoption of SASE is the developing nature of the Network as a service (NaaS) and Security as a Service (SECaaS). There is still a lot being unfolded about SASE, and while the program is already being adopted by diverse organizations, a lot is still developing gradually. Hence, every adoption process should consider this.
2. Lack of Complete Trust in the Model
Instilling trust in SASE is a significant issue for many professionals in the traditional network security system, especially when embracing the SASE approach for hybrid cloud environments. Since the features and functions are merged from different security solutions, companies and business owners have to hand over huge trust in SASE providers when providing network and security solutions for them. Therefore, every organization must do whatever it takes to ensure that they work with trustworthy and reputable partners, have defined service level agreements, and have expanded adoption in the market.
3. Making a Choice of SASE Vendor
Since SASE integrates multiple cloud security solutions, it is essential to have well-matched results from a vendor. Ensure to understand the key components most critical for your business. These components should not be negotiable and are required to tie everything together. A timely and concrete understanding of these components will keep IT professionals ahead in their projects with no barriers.
4. Distinct Vendor Offerings
There are disparate offerings among SASE vendors. In addition, the area of service delivery from vendors and specialties appears to vary. So, just because a vendor has proven satisfactory physical load-balancing devices doesn’t mean they will offer the best choice for service-based cloud components. Therefore, teams must learn about vendors’ capabilities and roadmaps in this area to understand the best approach to dive toward a service-based world.
5. Tracking the Right Set of Tools to Integrate
Another potential SASE adoption challenge is navigating the tool landscape and related ecosystem. Since SASE incorporates tools and methodologies, it generates a confusing and compounded vendor ecosystem for several organizations to navigate. A situation results from a persistent onslaught of vendor marketing and the vast array of integration capabilities and tools.
And even when a company decides on a particular set of tools to employ, they need to consider their active tech stack. A process that also means analyzing duplicative capabilities that can be phased out as the company dives into the more recent cloud-driven SASE tool paradigm. Without properly consolidating your tools can result in a confusing organizational structure, tool sprawl, and incoherent capabilities.
Research also reveals how security teams are combating the ripple effects of tool sprawl in an organization. They could generate products such as burnout, fatigue, and frustration, resulting in a critical security risk falling off the radar as IT teams struggle to sustain the system. This situation is escalated due to legacy security tooling, which is usually not ideal or helpful for offering to grant top-level Security for cloud environments.
Organizations must identify extra tools to protect their cloud environments and combine them with active devices and practices.
6. SASE Implementation Requires High-level Integration
Regardless of what several vendors promote while putting out their products, achieving SASE poses a significant challenge to businesses, especially small organizations since they lack substantial resources to implement it even when they already have some required components.
Large corporations may struggle too. They may have difficulty in ensuring that the total cloud management products and network and security tools can effectively transmit information from point to point and be managed to utilize a single interface. While you can implement SASE without having a single pane of glass console or universal plane, what the cost means is reflected in the people, skills acquired, and time spent, unlike a single management interface. In addition, issues may quickly arise due to a lack of visibility when non-compatible systems are managed manually.
Many companies find it easier to use SASE by finding an integrator that can manage the daily functionalities of implementing the SASE architecture, aside from the required tools. However, employers should be aware that SASE is still a developing architecture, and not all companies have all the components. And even those still have to implement needed changes and upgrades to their infrastructure when necessary.
In Conclusion
SASE adoption can be accompanied by its challenges, but the payoff can be immense for organizations implementing it. IT resource centralization in the headquarters data center is no longer a considerable approach to absolute network security. And it poses a lot of downsides for companies that are slow to embrace change.
Organizations kicking off their transformation towards this agile and flexible method of operation will see the security architecture become increasingly prominent.