A complete guide to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), explaining what it is, its core components, and how it secures modern, cloud-based networks.
In the digital world we live in today, most companies have turned to remote workforces and cloud-based applications, making the traditional network security model—which was focused on securing the physical office perimeter—obsolete. With the networks evolving to be more dynamic and distributed, businesses need to adopt a new approach to provide secure, seamless access.
The new solution is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). SASE is a cloud-delivered, security framework that combines networking and security features into a single service. SASE is a platform that provides secure access to resources, no matter where users are or what devices they are using.
The term SASE was introduced by Gartner in 2019 to describe a transformative security model. At its core, SASE is a cloud-based framework that brings together a wide range of network and security functions.
The traditional approach to network security required an organization's remote users to connect to a central data center via a VPN to access applications and data. This created significant security gaps and performance issues. SASE solves this by converging all networking and security services into a single, unified, cloud-native platform, making security a global, decentralized service.
A complete SASE architecture consists of several key technologies that combine together to securely connect and protect access.
Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN): This is the networking component of SASE. SD-WAN provides intelligent services to determine how to route traffic among the multiple links, improve application performance, and to offer an incredibly flexible, low-cost, or free, method to replace existing network hardware.
Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Protects the user from the threats of the web, through a layer of filtering and inspecting all Internet traffic with intent to stop, malware from the web, phishing, and data exfiltration before it reaches the end of their network.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): A security paradigm that assumes that no user, and no device, can be inherently trusted. ZTNA performs user verification based on identity, device health and a summary of other useful user identity verification factors in order to proactively reduce access from unauthorized end-users and proprietary threats.
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): Visibility and control of cloud applications, the CASB allows organizations to create and enforce security policies to protect sensitive data as it travels out to or into sanctioned cloud services.
Cloud Firewall (FWaaS): This is the cloud-based firewall that inspects and controls all network traffic regardless of location. The cloud firewall provides user and application protections independent of a hardware on-premise.
SASE's cloud-native service model means all security and networking functions are delivered as a service rather than in on-premises hardware.
User Attempts to Connect: A user, at a cafe or a branch office, attempts to access a resource (for example, a corporate application).
Traffic is Forwarded to a SASE Point of Presence (PoP): The user's traffic is automatically forwarded to the nearest SASE PoP, which serves as a globally-distributed, cloud-based gateway.
User Identity and Context are Verified: The SASE platform uses Zero Trust principles to verify the user's identity (using multifactor authentication), their device's security posture, location and everything else available in the context.
Applicable Security Policies are Enforced: The SASE platform enforces a single set of unified security policies via SWG and FWaaS rules corresponding to the verified user identity and contextual information.
Access is Granted or Denied: If the user and their traffic meet all security requirements, they have secure access to the resource. If not, the SASE system denies access for any policy violations, threats, or combinations thereof and logs the incident.
Better Security: SASE's unified, cloud-based architecture, coupled with Zero Trust design principles, enables deep, direct protection of users, applications, and data consistently throughout each environment.
Reduced Complexity: When multiple security and network functions converge onto a single cloud-native offering like SASE, the burden of managing multiple, disparate on-premises and cloud solutions has minimal complexity.
Decreased Cost: SASE can alleviate the expense of on-premises hardware and its management, labor and overhead, resulting in potential long-term savings.
Better User Experience: SD-WAN and global PoP network minimize latency and enhance performance providing a quick and seamless experience for remote users.
Greater Scale: As a cloud-native solution, SASE can just as easily scale up or scale down to accommodate new employees, new branch offices or an expanding cloud footprint without any hardware upgrades.
While SASE offers significant advantages, its implementation can present challenges.
Complexity of Integration: Merging SASE with existing network infrastructure (e.g., traditional firewalls, MPLS networks) can be complex and time-consuming.
Vendor Selection: The SASE market is still evolving and selecting the right vendor requires careful evaluation to ensure they can provide a truly integrated and comprehensive solution.
Organizational Resistance: Implementing SASE often requires a cultural shift where network and security teams, traditionally siloed, must work together as one cohesive unit.
By carefully planning the integration, addressing legacy systems and fostering cross-departmental collaboration, organizations can overcome these hurdles and fully realize the benefits of SASE.
SASE is a game changer in the world of cybersecurity and networking. It’s the modern way to secure today’s distributed IT environments. By combining networking and security into one cloud native framework, SASE is scalable, flexible and secure. For companies that are embracing remote work and cloud services, SASE is becoming a key part of their strategic planning to protect sensitive data and applications, all while improving performance and simplifying management.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a cloud-based framework that combines networking and security services, including SD-WAN, ZTNA, and secure web gateways, into a unified service to protect remote users and cloud applications.
The core components of SASE include:
SASE enhances security by integrating multiple security layers, including Zero Trust, secure web gateways, and cloud firewalls, ensuring that users and devices are continuously authenticated and monitored, regardless of location.
Unlike traditional perimeter-based security models, which trust users inside the network, SASE uses a Zero Trust approach and secures data and applications based on user identity and context, no matter where they are located.
Key benefits of SASE include improved security, scalability, simplified network architecture, better performance, and cost savings. It also supports remote work and cloud adoption while reducing reliance on traditional hardware.
Yes, SASE is scalable and adaptable to businesses of all sizes. Small businesses can benefit from its cloud-native model, which provides enterprise-level security and networking without the complexity and cost of traditional infrastructures.
Challenges in adopting SASE include the complexity of migration from traditional security models, selecting the right vendors, and training staff to manage the new system. However, the long-term benefits often outweigh these initial hurdles.