How Does SASE Actually Work?

Millions of businesses today rely heavily on cloud services, remote work, and mobile devices. Because of this, traditional network and security architectures are struggling to keep pace with increasing demands. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is starting to gain a lot of traction as an exceptional approach that combines network security functions with wide-area networking (WAN) capabilities to create a comprehensive, cloud-native solution. In this article, we’ll discuss the workings of SASE, and explore its key components, benefits, challenges, and real-world applications.

SASE

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a concept introduced by Gartner in 2019 to address the changing landscape of network and security requirements. SASE converges wide-area networking (WAN) capabilities with network security functions to provide a comprehensive, cloud-native solution.

The goal of SASE is to enable organizations to securely connect users to applications and services, regardless of their location or device.

Key Components of SASE

1. Identity-Driven Policies: SASE uses user and resource identities to determine access levels, networking experiences, and quality of service. This approach ensures that the right users have access to the right resources, based on organizational policies.
2. Cloud-Native Infrastructure: SASE is built on a cloud-native architecture, which means it is elastic, self-healing, and self-maintaining. This allows it to rapidly adapt to changing business needs and make network services available from any location.
3. Support for All Edges: SASE can provide networking and security services to various edges, including on-premise data centers, branch offices, cloud resources, and mobile users. This ensures that all users, regardless of their location or device, have secure access to the network.
4. Global Distribution: SASE operates on a global scale, delivering networking and security capabilities with high performance and low latency for all edges. This ensures that users have a seamless experience, no matter where they are located.

Identity-Driven Policies

One of the key features of SASE is its use of identity-driven policies to determine access levels, networking experiences, and quality of service for every network connection. This means that access to resources is based on the identity of the user and the resource, rather than just the location of the user or the resource.

For example, a user accessing a sensitive database from a corporate office may have a different access level than the same user accessing the same database from a coffee shop. This granularity allows organizations to tailor access policies to their specific security needs and ensure that only authorized users have access to sensitive resources.

Cloud-Native Infrastructure

SASE is built on a cloud-native infrastructure, which means it is designed to take advantage of the scalability, flexibility, and resilience of cloud computing. This allows SASE to quickly adapt to changing business needs and provide consistent performance across a distributed network.

One of the key benefits of a cloud-native infrastructure is its ability to automatically scale resources up or down based on demand. This means that organizations can easily handle spikes in traffic without having to manually adjust their infrastructure. Additionally, the self-healing nature of a cloud-native infrastructure means that SASE can automatically recover from failures without any human intervention, ensuring high availability and reliability.

Support for All Edges

SASE is designed to support all edges, including on-premise data centers, branch offices, cloud resources, and mobile users. This means that regardless of where a user is located or what device they are using, they can securely access the network and resources they need.

For example, a remote employee working from home can access the corporate network and applications just as easily as an employee working from a branch office. This flexibility is key in today’s distributed workforce, where employees may be located anywhere in the world.

Global Distribution

SASE operates on a global scale, providing networking and security capabilities with high performance and low latency for all edges. This means that regardless of where a user is located, they can access the network and resources they need quickly and efficiently.

For example, a user in Europe accessing a cloud application hosted in the United States would experience the same level of performance as a user located in the same country as the application. This global distribution ensures that users have a consistent experience no matter where they are located.

Benefits of SASE

1. Improved Security: By combining network security functions with WAN capabilities, SASE provides a comprehensive security solution that protects against a wide range of threats, including malware, phishing, and data breaches.
2. Reduced Complexity: SASE simplifies network and security management by consolidating multiple functions into a single solution. This reduces the need for multiple point solutions and streamlines operations.
3. Enhanced User Experience: SASE provides users with secure, high-performance access to applications and services, regardless of their location or device. This improves productivity and satisfaction among employees.
4. Scalability: SASE offers scalable solutions, allowing organizations to easily adjust their network and security capabilities based on evolving business needs without the need for costly hardware upgrades or changes.
5. Cost-Effectiveness: By consolidating network and security functions into a single cloud-native solution, SASE can reduce overall costs associated with hardware, maintenance, and management of multiple point solutions.
6. Improved Performance: SASE optimizes network performance by providing users with direct access to cloud services and applications, reducing latency and improving overall user experience.
7. Flexibility: SASE offers flexible deployment options, allowing organizations to choose between cloud-based, on-premise, or hybrid solutions based on their specific requirements and preferences.
8. Comprehensive Security: SASE provides a comprehensive security solution that covers all edges, including on-premise, branch offices, cloud resources, and mobile devices, ensuring consistent security across the entire network.
9. Enhanced Visibility and Control: SASE provides organizations with greater visibility and control over their network and security infrastructure, allowing them to monitor and manage traffic, applications, and users more effectively.
10. Compliance: SASE helps organizations meet compliance requirements by providing a secure and compliant infrastructure that includes encryption, data loss prevention, and access control.
11. Business Continuity: SASE ensures business continuity by providing secure access to applications and services during disruptions or disasters, allowing employees to continue working without interruption.
12. Improved Collaboration: SASE enables secure and seamless collaboration among employees, partners, and customers, regardless of their location or device, enhancing productivity and innovation.
13. Future-Proofing: SASE helps organizations future-proof their network and security infrastructure by providing a scalable and adaptable solution that can easily integrate new technologies and services as they emerge.

SASE Use Cases

Organizations across various industries are adopting SASE to transform their network and security architectures. Some common use cases include:

1. Branch Office Connectivity: SASE allows organizations to securely connect branch offices to the corporate network without the need for dedicated hardware or complex configurations.
2. Remote Worker Support: SASE provides remote workers with secure access to corporate resources, ensuring that they can work efficiently from anywhere in the world.
3. Cloud Application Security: SASE protects cloud applications from a wide range of threats, including DDoS attacks, data breaches, and malware.
4. Mobile Workforce Enablement: SASE enables organizations to support a mobile workforce by providing secure access to corporate resources from any location, ensuring employees can work efficiently and securely on the go.
5. Data Center Consolidation: By using SASE, organizations can consolidate their data centers without compromising security or performance, reducing costs and complexity.
6. IoT Security: SASE can secure Internet of Things (IoT) devices by providing secure connectivity and protection against cyber threats, ensuring the integrity and availability of IoT data.
7. Supply Chain Security: SASE can enhance supply chain security by providing secure access to suppliers and partners, ensuring that sensitive information is protected throughout the supply chain.
8. Zero Trust Security Model: SASE enables organizations to implement a Zero Trust security model by providing granular control over access to resources based on user identity and device posture, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
9. Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: SASE helps organizations meet compliance and regulatory requirements by providing a comprehensive security solution that includes encryption, data loss prevention, and access control.
10. Digital Transformation Initiatives: SASE supports digital transformation initiatives by providing a secure and scalable infrastructure that can adapt to changing business needs, enabling organizations to innovate and grow.
11. Mergers and Acquisitions: SASE can simplify network integration during mergers and acquisitions by providing a unified security and networking solution that can quickly integrate new networks and users.
12. Cloud Migration: SASE can facilitate cloud migration by providing secure connectivity to cloud services and applications, ensuring a smooth transition to the cloud while maintaining security and compliance.

SASE: Challenges and Considerations

While SASE offers many benefits, there are also challenges and considerations that organizations should keep in mind when implementing a SASE architecture. Some of these include:

1. Integration with Existing Systems: Integrating SASE with existing network and security infrastructure can be complex and may require significant planning and coordination.
2. Compliance with Regulations: Organizations must ensure that their SASE architecture complies with relevant regulations and standards, such as GDPR and HIPAA, to avoid potential legal issues.
3. Cost: While SASE can reduce overall costs by simplifying network and security management, the initial implementation costs can be significant.

SASE represents a significant shift in how organizations approach network and security architectures. By combining network security functions with WAN capabilities, SASE provides a comprehensive, cloud-native solution that improves security, reduces complexity, and enhances user experience. While there are challenges and considerations to be aware of, the benefits of SASE make it a compelling choice for organizations looking to modernize their network and security infrastructure.