Companies looking to unify their network and security functions as an upgrade from software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) are turning to secure access service edge (SASE), which combines SD-WAN with several security tools.
SASE may seem like the answer to the complex problems your company is facing with cumbersome network and security tools. But before you invest in SASE, there are four areas of consideration you should take into account:
Your Current WAN Situation: If you have already invested in multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) and SD-WAN, you may be reluctant to explore SASE unless your current architecture becomes too costly. It’s a good solution when cost and complexity make WAN management difficult. But the switch could be premature if companies depend on SASE for single-pane-of-glass management because it is rarely the reality.
Work-From-Home: The post-pandemic work environment often includes permanently remote or hybrid teams. SASE allows companies to extend security and connectivity to where workers are located with the ability to apply security policies and authenticate users to provide a consistent work experience.
Best of Breed vs. Consolidated Tools: SASE offers a consolidated solution that replaces multiple tools through a unified cloud offering. But some large enterprises prefer a best-of-breed approach. And some SASE solutions sold as a consolidated product are actually a collection of tools from different vendors, but it takes a bit of investigating to learn this. It’s a good idea to be aware of this because some features may not be as integrated as your network team would like.
Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Challenges: If your company is investing in cloud resources, your network likely needs to equip users with access to cloud-native resources. Data access is also changing, breaking data out of silos and sharing it across your organization and from cloud to cloud. SD-WAN is great for managing bandwidth and traffic prioritization, but SASE can prevent compliance problems and other security gaps that can occur with widespread data access.
When making a decision about SASE, it’s a good idea to assess your network edge and determine whether it has become too complicated for your existing WAN architecture. If you support a distributed workforce and a hybrid or multi-cloud environment, your edge may have become complex, requiring the simplicity SASE introduces.
Determining your path forward for network management doesn’t have to be confusing. When you partner with Cloud Source, we can help you decide whether SASE is the right fit for your company and where your technology is headed. Contact us to get started with an evaluation of your current WAN environment and recommendations for improving connectivity and security.