The First 90 Days of a Successful SASE/SSE Rollout—What Great Teams Do Differently

The first 90 days of a SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) or SSE (Security Service Edge) rollout can determine the long-term success or failure of the entire initiative. This early window sets the tone, pace, and perception of the transformation across your organization. Get it right, and you’ll build momentum, win stakeholder support, and start realizing measurable business and security outcomes. Get it wrong, and you risk delays, user pushback, and strategic derailment that can take months to correct.

The urgency and complexity of today’s hybrid environments—where users, apps, and data are everywhere—make the stakes higher than ever. SASE and SSE are not simply new tools. They’re foundational shifts in how organizations deliver security and networking in a unified, cloud-delivered model. This model is designed to support a world where traditional perimeters no longer exist, remote and hybrid work is the norm, and users expect seamless, secure access from any device or location.

That’s why leadership teams are turning to SASE and SSE to consolidate legacy tools, reduce costs, and simplify operations. But these benefits don’t happen automatically. In fact, without a clear plan, the early days of a rollout can feel like chaos. Teams may struggle to align on priorities, users can experience degraded performance, and legacy dependencies often surface at the worst possible time.

The High Stakes of a SASE/SSE Rollout

Unlike isolated security or networking upgrades, a SASE/SSE rollout touches nearly every corner of the organization. It affects how users connect, how policies are enforced, how visibility is gained, and how performance is measured. These are foundational elements that, when disrupted, can slow down business and erode trust—especially if stakeholders aren’t prepared for what’s coming.

The early phase of any transformation tends to amplify organizational strengths and weaknesses. If there are silos between the networking and security teams, they’ll show up. If the organization lacks clear ownership or decision-making processes, those gaps will become painfully visible. If end users are accustomed to old access models and aren’t properly onboarded, they’ll push back. Fast.

And while a poorly executed rollout can shake confidence, the reverse is also true. A well-run first 90 days builds credibility and gets the entire business bought into the vision. Stakeholders begin to trust the plan. Users start to notice better performance and more seamless access. The security team sees improvements in visibility and control. These are not just technical wins—they’re cultural and organizational ones too.

Common Missteps During Early Execution

Most rollout failures don’t stem from bad technology—they stem from bad execution. Great teams understand this. They know that early mistakes compound quickly and that avoiding them requires a mix of clarity, communication, and discipline. Let’s break down a few of the most common pitfalls:

1. Treating it like a technology upgrade, not a transformation.
Too many organizations approach SASE/SSE as a product deployment. But it’s a strategic shift that requires rethinking architecture, identity, policy, and user experience. This narrow view leads to superficial wins but long-term fragility.

2. Lack of internal alignment.
SASE and SSE blur traditional boundaries between network, security, and identity teams. Without alignment across these domains, teams end up working at cross-purposes. Projects stall. Blame gets passed around. And early momentum disappears.

3. Overpromising and under-delivering.
Executives want results, but setting unrealistic expectations in the first 90 days is a recipe for frustration. If users experience latency, outages, or access issues without proper explanation, trust can erode fast. And it’s hard to win back.

4. Forgetting the user experience.
Security and performance must go hand in hand. If users feel slowed down, interrupted, or forced to jump through hoops to access basic tools, they’ll resist the rollout. Worse, they may look for workarounds that undermine security goals.

5. Measuring the wrong things—or nothing at all.
If teams don’t define what success looks like and track the right metrics early, it becomes difficult to show value or course correct. Too often, technical teams wait too long to measure user experience, security coverage, or operational improvements.

6. Neglecting change management and communication.
A successful rollout isn’t just about software—it’s about people. Users need to be informed, trained, and supported. Stakeholders need to be updated on progress and wins. Silence or ambiguity in this phase breeds confusion.

These early mistakes are avoidable. But they require focus, intentional planning, and a willingness to break from legacy habits that no longer serve the business.

What Sets Great Teams Apart

So what do great teams do differently in those first 90 days?

First, they get aligned fast. They bring together key stakeholders from across IT, security, and operations to establish clear ownership and shared objectives. Everyone knows what success looks like and how they’re contributing to it.

They start small and scale smart. Rather than trying to “boil the ocean,” they identify strategic quick wins that prove value fast—like securing remote users or optimizing access to high-priority SaaS apps. These wins generate momentum and help build confidence across the organization.

Great teams also obsess over user experience. They realize that performance and simplicity are table stakes. They invest in real-time monitoring and ensure that access policies are not only secure but also user-friendly.

Crucially, they measure progress in real terms. Instead of generic status updates, they use KPIs that actually matter—like latency improvements, reduction in security incidents, or lower ticket volumes. And they share those metrics in ways that resonate with both technical and business audiences.

Finally, they don’t just avoid mistakes—they anticipate them. They know where the usual cracks appear, and they put guardrails in place to stay ahead of them.

What’s Next

In the sections that follow, we’ll dive deeper into exactly what great teams do differently during a SASE/SSE rollout—and how your organization can apply those same practices to build early wins and long-term success.

1. Get Aligned Fast: Establish Internal Clarity and Ownership

The foundation of a successful SASE/SSE rollout isn’t built on technology—it’s built on alignment. Before a single packet flows through a new secure edge, before any policy is applied or user onboarded, successful organizations ensure that everyone involved is on the same page. That starts with establishing internal clarity and ownership across stakeholders. Without it, even the best technology choices can get buried under confusion, delays, and miscommunication.

Secure Executive Sponsorship and Cross-Functional Buy-In

SASE and SSE aren’t point solutions—they represent a fundamental shift in how your organization handles networking and security. This level of change requires strong sponsorship at the executive level. Great teams ensure that business and technical leaders alike understand the vision, support the strategy, and are committed to helping drive adoption.

Executive sponsorship isn’t just about approving budget or resources—it’s about setting a tone. It signals that the rollout is a strategic priority, not just an IT project. When business leaders advocate for the initiative, it helps break down resistance, align teams, and secure the focus needed to move quickly. It also provides critical air cover when teams face inevitable friction during the transition.

But leadership support alone isn’t enough. Buy-in must also come from the teams doing the work—network operations, security, identity, endpoint, and application teams all need to be engaged early. SASE/SSE spans traditional boundaries, and trying to implement it in silos is a recipe for conflict. Cross-functional alignment ensures that no one team is working at cross-purposes, and that everyone has a stake in the outcome.

Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities

One of the most common issues that derails early momentum is ambiguity around who owns what. A successful SASE/SSE rollout depends on coordinated action across multiple domains—identity and access, traffic routing, policy enforcement, device posture, user onboarding, and more. If responsibilities aren’t clearly defined, tasks get duplicated or dropped, handoffs break down, and timelines slip.

Great teams proactively map out the roles and responsibilities across IT, security, networking, and operations. For example:

• Security teams are typically responsible for defining policies, enforcing controls, monitoring threats, and integrating with SOC workflows.
• Networking teams own connectivity and performance, working to optimize routing, redundancy, and end-user experience.
• Identity and access teams focus on authentication, user provisioning, directory integration, and conditional access policies.
• IT operations manage endpoint readiness, change control, incident response, and help desk readiness.

While responsibilities may vary by organization, the principle is the same: eliminate guesswork. Clear accountability enables faster execution, better collaboration, and more efficient decision-making.

This clarity should also extend to governance. Set up a steering committee or working group to oversee the rollout, track progress, escalate roadblocks, and ensure alignment to business goals. This body becomes the connective tissue between stakeholders and serves as a single source of truth for the initiative.

Align on Desired Outcomes: Business Goals + Technical Goals

Technology doesn’t matter if it doesn’t drive meaningful results. That’s why great teams align early on what success looks like—both from a business and technical perspective. These goals become the North Star that guides the rollout and shapes how progress is measured and communicated.

Start with business outcomes. What are the broader goals behind the SASE/SSE shift?

• Enabling hybrid work with secure, seamless access from anywhere
• Reducing operational overhead by consolidating vendors and toolsets
• Improving agility to support cloud-first and mobile-first initiatives
• Meeting compliance requirements with centralized policy enforcement

Then tie these to measurable technical goals, such as:

• Reducing average login times by X%
• Achieving 100% policy coverage across remote users
• Increasing visibility into user traffic across all apps and devices
• Decommissioning X number of legacy appliances or VPN gateways

When business and technical goals are aligned, stakeholders stay engaged and teams are better able to prioritize features, tradeoffs, and implementation choices. It also helps reduce tension when problems arise—because everyone understands the bigger picture and why certain compromises might be necessary.

Build a Shared Language and Vision

One subtle but powerful differentiator for great teams is that they speak the same language. That may sound trivial, but in the fast-moving world of SASE/SSE, miscommunication is a silent killer. Terms like “policy enforcement,” “zero trust,” or even “secure access” can mean different things to different teams. If those differences aren’t reconciled early, they become barriers to progress.

To avoid this, great teams establish a shared vocabulary. They define key terms, document goals, and communicate the vision in clear, consistent ways. This helps everyone—from frontline engineers to senior executives—stay aligned and avoid the trap of talking past one another.

It also makes the rollout easier to explain to end users, who are often the ones most affected by the changes. When the messaging is coherent and consistent across the organization, it builds trust and reduces pushback.

Empower the Right People

Alignment doesn’t just happen at the leadership level. Day-to-day execution depends on empowering the right individuals across the organization to act decisively. This means giving implementation leads real authority to make decisions, allocate resources, and solve problems on the fly. It also means clearing the runway so they’re not constantly bogged down in bureaucracy.

The teams that move fastest are the ones with clearly defined decision-makers, fast feedback loops, and a bias for action. They document decisions, escalate blockers quickly, and stay focused on outcomes instead of internal politics.

Make Alignment a Living Process

Finally, alignment isn’t a one-time event. It has to be maintained throughout the rollout. Goals may shift, teams may change, and priorities may evolve. Great teams hold regular syncs to revisit ownership, recalibrate plans, and surface new issues early. They use these check-ins not just to update status—but to reinforce clarity, collaboration, and momentum.

2. Build a 90-Day Roadmap with Strategic Quick Wins

SASE/SSE rollouts can quickly lose steam without a focused, short-term roadmap that balances long-term vision with immediate results. That’s why the best teams always come out of the gate with a 90-day plan—a tactical, achievable roadmap that aligns technical execution with business impact and builds confidence through visible progress. The difference between a rollout that stalls and one that accelerates often comes down to how well those first 90 days are mapped, executed, and communicated.

Why Early Wins Matter for Momentum and Credibility

No matter how well-planned your strategy is, it won’t survive the rollout phase unless you can show quick, tangible wins. Early results are essential for building momentum, securing trust from stakeholders, and validating that your architectural and policy decisions are on the right track.

But this isn’t just about checking boxes. Early wins reinforce buy-in from executives and cross-functional teams by proving the value of the initiative. They show that the transition to SASE/SSE isn’t just theoretical—it delivers real benefits: faster access, improved security, simpler management, and happier users. These are the signals that drive continued support and investment.

Credibility is also at stake. Rollouts without near-term outcomes can feel abstract or disruptive. Teams may question the timeline, end users may resist the change, and leadership may begin to doubt the strategic value. On the other hand, early wins build a narrative of success—one that you can use to carry support into more complex phases of the rollout.

Identify Low-Risk, High-Reward Projects

The first step to building a 90-day roadmap is identifying where you can drive the most value with the least risk. Great teams don’t start by overhauling their entire environment. Instead, they select projects that are:

• Self-contained, with minimal dependencies
• Impactful, with visible benefits to users or the business
• Low-risk, with fallback options or contained blast radius
• Aligned with long-term SASE/SSE strategy

Some common examples of strategic quick wins include:

• Remote workforce protection: Secure remote access with ZTNA (zero trust network access) for a specific business unit or region. This can deliver immediate security and performance gains while reducing reliance on legacy VPN infrastructure.
• SaaS access optimization: Route traffic for popular SaaS apps (e.g., Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday) through the SSE platform with real-time policy enforcement and user-level visibility. This showcases performance improvements and enhanced security without touching on-prem resources.
• Branch office rollout: Migrate one or two branch locations to a cloud-based secure edge using SD-WAN + SSE. This demonstrates end-to-end value across networking and security while avoiding high-risk central infrastructure changes.
• Legacy VPN replacement (pilot): Transition a small, willing user group off the VPN using identity-aware access policies and endpoint posture checks. Early feedback here can be invaluable for tuning policy enforcement and educating end users.

By starting with scoped, manageable wins, you set the tone for how the broader rollout will unfold—and you give yourself the space to learn, iterate, and build internal confidence.

Set Milestones for Each 30-Day Phase

The most effective 90-day roadmaps break the rollout into three clear phases. Each has a distinct purpose, set of deliverables, and feedback loop.

Days 1–30: Planning and PoC

The first month is about tightening alignment and validating assumptions. Key goals include:

• Finalizing the implementation team, owners, and escalation paths
• Selecting target users, apps, and sites for initial rollout
• Validating policy sets and identity integrations
• Running limited PoC (proof-of-concept) tests to prove interoperability and performance
• Establishing a communications plan for stakeholders and users

At this stage, your focus is laying the groundwork—getting visibility into current state, identifying friction points, and confirming that your tools and architecture behave as expected. This is where you debug policy issues, review logs, and refine configurations in a test-friendly environment.

Days 31–60: Initial Deployments and Feedback

The second phase moves from planning into execution. This is where you start to see—and deliver—real value. Key actions include:

• Deploying the chosen quick-win use case(s), such as remote access or SaaS optimization
• Monitoring user behavior, access patterns, and experience
• Collecting qualitative feedback from pilot users and frontline teams
• Adjusting enforcement levels based on risk appetite and usability
• Reporting progress to sponsors with early metrics and insights

The goal here is to deliver a real-world experience that feels stable, secure, and performant. You’re not trying to scale yet—you’re proving the model works and identifying what needs refinement before expanding. Make sure the feedback loop is tight: daily standups, fast support channels, and visible reporting help teams iterate rapidly.

Days 61–90: Expand Reach and Optimize

Now that you’ve proven your first use cases, it’s time to scale them out—intelligently. In this phase, you’re working to expand reach without introducing chaos.

Key activities include:

• Rolling out to additional user groups, branch sites, or cloud workloads
• Formalizing operational workflows (incident response, ticket handling, access requests)
• Starting decommissioning of legacy tools or redundant configurations
• Launching real-time dashboards to track KPIs across performance, security, and user experience
• Hosting demos, internal success stories, or knowledge-sharing sessions to build enthusiasm

During this phase, great teams begin to institutionalize what works. They take learnings from pilot projects and build them into repeatable templates, deployment scripts, or runbooks. This reduces friction in future phases and helps scale the strategy across the rest of the enterprise.

By the end of 90 days, your SASE/SSE initiative should have:

• Proven architectural viability
• At least one real-world win that matters to users or the business
• Stakeholder confidence and buy-in to move forward
• A clear, validated path to expand and scale

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

A 90-day roadmap only works if it’s visible. Great teams make sure every milestone is communicated—up, down, and across the organization. They provide regular updates to sponsors, highlight successes to build excitement, and keep technical teams aligned through clear project tracking and shared visibility.

This is especially important in the early stages. Wins that go unshared can lead to the perception that “nothing’s happening.” Frequent, focused updates counter that narrative, reinforcing that the rollout is under control and delivering real value.

3. Create a Phased Migration Strategy That Scales

A successful SASE/SSE rollout is not a “one and done” migration—it’s a journey. A phased migration strategy is critical for ensuring the transition is smooth, scalable, and resilient. The most successful teams recognize that large-scale transformation requires a thoughtful, methodical approach that accommodates complexity while mitigating risk.

By developing a well-planned phased migration, organizations can adapt to changes in real-time, minimize disruption, and ensure long-term success.

Inventory and Prioritize Apps, Users, and Locations

Before migrating anything, great teams begin by taking a complete inventory. Understanding the organization’s digital landscape is a vital first step in defining what needs to be migrated, when, and how. This inventory includes:

• Applications: Not all applications need to be treated the same way. High-priority apps such as SaaS applications (e.g., Office 365, Salesforce, Google Workspace) should likely be prioritized for migration, as they offer the potential for quick wins and immediate improvements in performance and security. Similarly, legacy applications or on-premises resources that are often used by a dispersed user base should be carefully considered.
• Users: Every user in the organization has different access needs. Segmenting users based on risk level, location, and behavior patterns is crucial for determining who should be migrated first. Remote workers, for instance, are ideal candidates for early migration, as they are typically underserved by traditional security tools like VPNs.
• Locations: Geographic dispersion also plays a significant role. Branch offices and remote locations that rely heavily on VPN technology are often good candidates for early migration. Once these users experience the benefits of SASE/SSE—secure access with minimal latency—it builds momentum for the transition.

By taking inventory across these categories and understanding where the highest value can be gained with the least disruption, great teams can develop a migration plan that delivers results at every stage.

Decide What Moves First: Remote Users, SaaS, Branches

With the inventory in hand, it’s time to prioritize what moves first. The decision should be based on business value, ease of migration, and risk tolerance.

• Remote users: One of the first groups to migrate should be remote workers. These users rely heavily on VPNs and often experience issues with connectivity, security, and performance. By moving them to a secure, identity-driven access model, you can immediately improve user experience and strengthen security, all while reducing the operational overhead of maintaining legacy VPN systems.
• SaaS applications: Another early candidate for migration is SaaS applications, which are typically cloud-hosted and already designed with scalability in mind. Migrating to an SSE platform allows organizations to improve performance, visibility, and security across critical business applications without major infrastructure changes.
• Branch offices: Branches are also prime candidates for early migration, especially if they rely on outdated hardware-based security appliances or legacy VPNs. By implementing SD-WAN and integrating it with SSE, branch offices can experience improved security and connectivity, even when dealing with large-scale remote workforces or cloud-hosted resources.

Ensure Rollback and Contingency Planning

While it’s tempting to rush into migration, the best teams take a more cautious approach and plan for potential setbacks. A successful phased migration strategy includes clear rollback and contingency plans. These plans outline how to quickly revert any changes that disrupt user access, break security policies, or introduce unforeseen risks.

Rollback plans should be defined for each migration phase, including:

• Clear exit strategies: What systems or services need to be reverted back to their previous state in case of failure? For example, if there’s an issue with remote access, the organization should be able to quickly restore access via traditional VPNs without leaving users stranded.
• Backup configurations: Any migration should be supported by secure backups of existing configurations and policies, ensuring that if something goes wrong, configurations can be rolled back to a safe state. This includes access control lists, VPN settings, network configurations, and security rules.
• Monitoring tools: Proactive monitoring tools are essential in catching issues before they affect end users. Having the right diagnostic tools in place ensures that performance metrics are monitored throughout the migration process, and issues can be detected and resolved before they become major disruptions.

By proactively planning for rollback and creating contingency procedures, great teams ensure that even if the migration hits roadblocks, the impact is minimized and the process remains agile.

Integrate with Existing Security Controls and Identity Systems

Another critical aspect of a phased migration strategy is ensuring that new SASE/SSE systems integrate smoothly with existing security controls and identity systems. For organizations with established IT and security frameworks, this integration can be challenging but is vital for maintaining business continuity and minimizing risk.

• Identity systems: SASE/SSE systems are highly dependent on identity-based access control. Whether using an existing single sign-on (SSO) solution, identity federation, or multi-factor authentication (MFA) protocols, it’s crucial to ensure that your identity systems are integrated from day one. Early testing and validation are necessary to ensure that policies are enforced correctly based on user identity, role, and behavior.
• Network security infrastructure: Integration with existing network security tools is equally important. For example, some organizations may already use firewalls, web proxies, or intrusion detection/prevention systems. Ensuring that these legacy systems can work in concert with your SASE/SSE platform will prevent gaps in security and ensure compliance with internal policies.
• Endpoint management tools: Migration should also include integration with endpoint protection and device posture management tools. By verifying that all devices meet security standards before allowing access to corporate resources, organizations can reduce their attack surface and improve compliance with security frameworks.

These integrations not only help smooth the migration process but also ensure that security is continuous across all parts of the infrastructure, whether users are accessing on-premises or cloud resources.

Monitor and Optimize Continuously

Once the migration phases are underway, the work is far from finished. A great team understands that SASE/SSE implementations are dynamic, and their environments will continue to evolve. Continuous monitoring is key to ensuring that performance, security, and user experience remain optimized.

• Real-time analytics: Leveraging analytics from SASE/SSE tools allows teams to track the performance of user access, application use, and security incidents. This provides valuable insights that can help adjust policies or optimize configurations to meet changing demands.
• Security and compliance validation: Continuously assess the security and compliance posture by reviewing policy enforcement, traffic inspection, and threat detection mechanisms. Regularly auditing the environment ensures that security gaps are quickly identified and addressed.
• User feedback: Another aspect of optimization is gathering ongoing feedback from end users. They are the ones who experience the real-world impact of your SASE/SSE migration. By establishing an open feedback loop, you can ensure that their concerns are addressed and make adjustments where necessary.

Keep the Bigger Picture in Mind

Ultimately, a phased migration strategy is about balancing ambition with realism. While SASE/SSE offers significant benefits, it’s important to move at a pace that allows for testing, optimization, and learning. Great teams start with manageable, high-value migrations and gradually expand to other areas once they’ve gained experience. The goal is not just to “finish” but to build a scalable, adaptable strategy that aligns with the organization’s long-term goals.

4. Focus on User Experience from Day One

A successful SASE/SSE rollout is ultimately defined by the experience of its end users. No matter how secure or high-performing a system is, if it disrupts users’ workflows or creates frustration, it will fail to gain traction. Great teams understand that from the very first day of implementation, user experience (UX) needs to be front and center. The best SASE/SSE strategies prioritize seamless transitions, minimal disruption, and user-centric solutions that ensure adoption and ongoing success.

Minimize Disruption and Downtime

One of the most critical factors in ensuring a smooth rollout is minimizing disruption and downtime for users. This is particularly important when migrating from legacy systems that users are accustomed to, such as traditional VPNs or on-premises firewalls. The disruption associated with switching to new tools and technologies can be significant if not managed carefully.

Great teams begin by ensuring that there is no downtime during the transition. This involves thorough planning, testing, and validation of all configurations before migrating users to the new SASE/SSE environment. Specifically:

• Testing in isolation: Before migrating users, test the SASE/SSE platform in a controlled, isolated environment to ensure that it integrates with all essential applications and services without causing performance bottlenecks or access issues.
• Staged rollouts: Instead of migrating everyone at once, break the migration into smaller, more manageable groups. This staged approach allows you to monitor real-time performance and address issues on a smaller scale before scaling further.
• Redundancy and failover systems: Building redundancy into the rollout process ensures that if there is an issue with the new system, users can fall back to the previous infrastructure until the issue is resolved. This failover system minimizes disruption and ensures continuity of service.

By prioritizing minimal disruption, users are more likely to have a positive experience, which is crucial for buy-in and long-term adoption.

Use Identity-Driven Policies to Personalize Access

One of the core advantages of a SASE/SSE framework is its ability to use identity-driven access policies to personalize the user experience. Great teams leverage these capabilities to ensure that users have seamless, context-aware access to applications and data without compromising security.

Identity-driven policies allow you to:

• Apply context-aware controls: Rather than applying blanket security policies across all users, identity-based access allows policies to be tailored based on the user’s role, location, device, and even their behavior. For example, remote workers can have access to critical applications, but their access might be restricted based on device health or risk level. Similarly, office-based employees may have different policies depending on whether they are accessing the network from a corporate or personal device.
• Implement single sign-on (SSO): Simplify user access by enabling single sign-on (SSO) across cloud applications, reducing password fatigue and improving user satisfaction. SSO improves both security (by reducing the likelihood of password-related breaches) and convenience (by minimizing the number of login prompts a user must encounter).
• Provide least-privilege access: By aligning access controls with identity, teams can ensure that users have just the right level of access—no more, no less. This reduces friction for users, who don’t have to navigate overly complex authentication or permission requests, while also enhancing security by minimizing the attack surface.

Personalizing access not only simplifies the user experience but also strengthens security by ensuring that only authorized users are granted appropriate levels of access. It makes security feel less like an obstacle and more like an integrated part of the user’s daily workflow.

Monitor Digital Experience with Real User Monitoring (RUM) and Synthetic Testing

A great user experience doesn’t just happen—it’s continuously managed and improved through data and feedback. Real User Monitoring (RUM) and synthetic testing are two powerful tools that help teams assess and optimize the digital experience during a SASE/SSE rollout.

• Real User Monitoring (RUM): RUM tracks the actual user experience by monitoring how users interact with applications and services in real-time. By collecting data on load times, connection speeds, and error rates, RUM provides invaluable insights into how the SASE/SSE implementation is performing from the user’s perspective. This data can be used to identify bottlenecks or areas of concern and help prioritize performance improvements.
• Synthetic testing: Synthetic testing involves simulating user interactions to test the performance of applications and network services. It helps identify issues that might not be visible in RUM data, such as latency caused by routing or security policies. By running synthetic tests before and after the migration, you can ensure that the system’s performance is optimal and that it meets the organization’s KPIs for speed and reliability.

Both RUM and synthetic testing allow teams to proactively monitor and optimize user experience, making it easier to detect and address issues before they become widespread.

Provide Self-Help Tools and Education to Ease Transitions

Another key factor in improving the user experience during a SASE/SSE rollout is ensuring that users have the resources they need to succeed. Transitioning to a new security and network model can be challenging, especially if users are unfamiliar with the concepts of zero-trust access or cloud-based security.

Great teams take the time to build comprehensive self-help resources and educational materials, including:

• Guided training: Offer interactive training sessions or webinars that walk users through new features, how to use them, and what to expect from the new system. Ensure that these sessions are user-friendly and tailored to different levels of technical expertise.
• Knowledge base: Develop a self-service knowledge base that includes FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and step-by-step instructions. This empowers users to resolve common issues on their own and reduces the strain on IT support teams.
• On-demand support: In addition to knowledge resources, ensure that users have access to on-demand support channels, such as a dedicated helpdesk, live chat, or ticketing system. This allows users to get assistance when they need it, while also preventing bottlenecks that could delay resolution times.

By empowering users with self-help tools and educational resources, you not only ease the transition but also foster a sense of ownership and competence. This leads to higher adoption rates, as users feel more confident in using the new system.

User Feedback is Critical for Continuous Improvement

Finally, great teams understand that a successful SASE/SSE rollout doesn’t end after the first 90 days. To maintain a positive user experience, continuous feedback is crucial. Teams should actively seek input from end users to gauge their satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. This feedback can come in the form of surveys, focus groups, or regular check-ins with key user representatives.

Based on this feedback, teams can make data-driven adjustments to policies, performance, and even training materials. A continuous feedback loop ensures that the system evolves to meet user needs, helping to drive long-term adoption and user satisfaction.

5. Measure What Matters: Define and Track KPIs Early

Measuring the success of a SASE/SSE rollout isn’t just about tracking technical metrics—it’s about evaluating how well the new system aligns with business goals, improves security, and enhances user experience.

Defining and tracking the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from the outset is critical for understanding the impact of the implementation, making informed adjustments, and demonstrating success to stakeholders. Great teams know that performance measurement should be both comprehensive and actionable, ensuring that the data gathered can drive continuous improvement and guide decision-making.

Key Metrics to Track

In the early stages of a SASE/SSE rollout, several key metrics should be prioritized to assess the system’s effectiveness. These metrics span multiple domains, including performance, security, user experience, and cost efficiency. By focusing on the most important KPIs, great teams can ensure that they are moving the needle in the right direction across the entire organization.

Performance Metrics: Latency, Availability, Throughput

Performance is one of the most visible aspects of a SASE/SSE rollout, as it directly impacts end users and the overall business. High-performance metrics ensure that users have a fast, seamless experience when accessing applications, regardless of their location or device. Some key performance metrics to track include:

• Latency: Latency measures the delay between a user’s request and the response from the system. Low latency is essential for a smooth user experience, especially for critical applications such as video conferencing or cloud-based collaboration tools. Monitoring latency across different locations and user groups helps identify any performance bottlenecks or areas that need optimization.
• Availability: Availability tracks the uptime of the SASE/SSE system and the applications it supports. High availability is a must for ensuring that users can always access the tools and resources they need, without experiencing interruptions. Tracking system uptime during the initial deployment and throughout the migration is crucial for ensuring business continuity.
• Throughput: Throughput measures the amount of data that can be processed over a certain period. In a SASE/SSE rollout, it’s essential to monitor throughput to ensure that the network and security systems are capable of handling the volume of traffic generated by remote workers, branch offices, and cloud-based applications.

By focusing on performance metrics like latency, availability, and throughput, teams can ensure that the system is working efficiently and providing users with the performance they need to stay productive.

Security Metrics: Policy Coverage, Threat Detection, Compliance

For SASE/SSE systems, security is paramount. The system must not only protect user data but also safeguard the organization’s critical assets from emerging threats. To track security effectiveness, great teams focus on the following security metrics:

• Policy coverage: This metric tracks how effectively security policies are being enforced across the organization. A key goal of SASE/SSE is to implement zero-trust security models that limit access based on user identity, device health, and behavior. Ensuring that policies are applied consistently across all users and devices is a critical part of measuring the success of the deployment.
• Threat detection: This metric tracks the system’s ability to detect and respond to security incidents, such as malware, phishing attempts, or insider threats. The effectiveness of the threat detection system should be regularly evaluated by monitoring the number of alerts generated, the accuracy of threat identification, and how quickly incidents are addressed.
• Compliance: Many organizations are subject to regulatory requirements, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS. Compliance metrics track how well the SASE/SSE platform ensures that the organization adheres to these regulations. This includes monitoring data protection, access controls, and audit trails to ensure that sensitive data is properly secured and handled according to industry standards.

By closely monitoring security metrics, teams can quickly identify vulnerabilities, ensure compliance, and maintain a robust defense against emerging cyber threats.

User Experience Metrics: Login Times, Complaints, Satisfaction

User experience is an essential KPI for any SASE/SSE rollout. A system that improves security but frustrates users is unlikely to succeed. Great teams focus on the following user experience metrics to gauge the impact of their deployment:

• Login times: Slow logins can significantly hinder user productivity, especially for remote workers who need to access cloud-based applications quickly. Tracking login times for different user groups (e.g., remote users, office workers, branch employees) helps identify any delays or issues caused by the SASE/SSE platform. Ensuring fast login times across all locations is a key factor in improving user satisfaction.
• User complaints: User complaints provide direct feedback about the usability of the new system. By tracking and categorizing user complaints—whether they are related to performance, access issues, or security-related concerns—teams can quickly identify areas that need improvement and take proactive steps to address these issues.
• Satisfaction surveys: Regularly surveying users about their satisfaction with the new system is a powerful way to assess the overall user experience. These surveys can cover various aspects of the system, including ease of use, performance, security, and reliability. High user satisfaction scores are an indicator that the rollout is proceeding smoothly and that users are adopting the system with confidence.

By focusing on user experience metrics like login times, complaints, and satisfaction, teams can ensure that the SASE/SSE solution is not only secure but also easy to use and well-received by employees.

Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency

While performance, security, and user experience are essential KPIs, great teams also track the financial impact of their SASE/SSE rollout. One of the primary reasons organizations adopt SASE/SSE solutions is to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs over time. Some key metrics to monitor in this area include:

• Cost savings: SASE/SSE solutions help organizations reduce the costs associated with maintaining traditional on-premises security infrastructure, such as firewalls, VPNs, and appliances. Tracking these savings is essential for justifying the investment in the SASE/SSE platform and demonstrating its long-term financial benefits.
• Operational efficiency: SASE/SSE can streamline IT operations by consolidating security and networking functions into a unified cloud-native solution. Metrics related to operational efficiency, such as the time saved on security management, reduced hardware costs, or simplified policy enforcement, help illustrate the efficiency gains that come with the new platform.

Tracking cost savings and operational efficiency ensures that the financial objectives of the SASE/SSE deployment are met and helps organizations understand the return on investment (ROI) over time.

Building an Executive Dashboard for Regular Reporting

With so many KPIs to track, it’s crucial to centralize this data into an executive dashboard that provides an at-a-glance view of the deployment’s success. Great teams create dashboards that offer clear, actionable insights into performance, security, user experience, and costs. These dashboards should be designed for different stakeholders:

• Executive leadership: High-level metrics, such as overall system uptime, threat detection accuracy, cost savings, and user satisfaction, should be presented in a simple, visual format that allows executives to make informed decisions.
• IT and security teams: More detailed metrics, such as policy coverage, latency, and individual user feedback, can be included for IT and security teams, enabling them to track day-to-day operations and make adjustments as needed.

Regular reporting on these KPIs, with a cadence that matches the pace of the rollout (e.g., weekly or monthly), ensures that progress is tracked and that stakeholders remain informed and aligned throughout the deployment process.

6. Learn from Mistakes: Common Pitfalls to Avoid

While the first 90 days of a SASE/SSE rollout are crucial for establishing momentum and setting the foundation for long-term success, it’s equally important to acknowledge the potential pitfalls that could derail progress. Many organizations face challenges during the early stages of SASE/SSE adoption, often due to missteps in planning, execution, or communication.

Great teams not only focus on achieving success but also actively learn from their mistakes, making adjustments that allow them to overcome obstacles and keep the rollout on track. Below are some of the most common pitfalls organizations face during SASE/SSE rollouts and how to avoid them.

1. Going Too Fast Without Foundational Readiness

One of the most common mistakes made during a SASE/SSE rollout is rushing into deployment without adequately preparing the necessary foundational elements. SASE/SSE involves significant changes to an organization’s network and security infrastructure, and a successful deployment requires careful planning and readiness in multiple areas. A rushed approach can lead to performance issues, security gaps, and disruptions for users.

What to Avoid:

• Skipping proper assessment and planning: Some teams try to accelerate the timeline by skipping critical steps, such as assessing their current infrastructure, understanding the needs of different user groups, and creating a solid migration plan. Without this groundwork, the system may be ill-suited for the organization’s unique needs, leading to frustration and inefficiencies.
• Neglecting the integration of legacy systems: Many organizations have complex, hybrid environments that include a mix of on-premises and cloud systems. Going too fast can lead to a failure to integrate these systems properly, resulting in inconsistent security policies or performance degradation. SASE/SSE deployments must consider these legacy systems and design a migration path that allows for seamless integration.

How to Avoid It: Great teams take the time to carefully evaluate their existing infrastructure, ensure that all stakeholders are aligned, and build a realistic timeline based on the complexity of their environment. Proper planning, including early testing and piloting, is key to avoiding a rushed deployment that could lead to system failures.

2. Underestimating the Importance of Change Management

SASE/SSE rollouts involve not just new technologies, but also a cultural shift in how organizations manage security, access, and networking. Change management is a critical element of the rollout, but many organizations underestimate its importance. Without proper change management, employees may struggle to adopt the new system, leading to resistance, confusion, and slower adoption rates.

What to Avoid:

• Lack of training and support: If employees are not adequately trained on how to use the new system, they may face difficulties in transitioning. This lack of education can lead to frustration, errors, and resistance to the new platform. Additionally, without proper support channels in place, users may feel abandoned when issues arise.
• Failure to engage key stakeholders: Change management isn’t just about user training. It’s about ensuring that all stakeholders, including IT, security, HR, and senior leadership, are on board with the new system. If these groups aren’t aligned on the benefits of SASE/SSE or aren’t actively engaged in the rollout, the transition can encounter significant hurdles.

How to Avoid It: Great teams prioritize change management by developing a robust training plan that includes hands-on sessions, resources for self-help, and clear communication about the benefits of the new system. They also ensure that all stakeholders are engaged early in the process and that communication about the rollout is consistent and transparent.

3. Neglecting Stakeholder Communication

Clear and ongoing communication with stakeholders is essential throughout the entire SASE/SSE rollout. Poor communication can lead to confusion, misalignment, and even resistance to the changes being made. Whether it’s IT teams, security personnel, business leaders, or end-users, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and informed about the progress of the rollout is essential for success.

What to Avoid:

• One-time communication: Sending out a single email or holding a single meeting at the start of the project is not enough. Effective communication should be continuous, providing stakeholders with regular updates on progress, challenges, and changes in the timeline. This helps to manage expectations and fosters trust throughout the organization.
• Ignoring the user perspective: While it’s important to communicate with senior stakeholders, neglecting the feedback and concerns of end-users can lead to dissatisfaction and a lack of buy-in. If employees feel like they are being kept in the dark or are not given an opportunity to voice their opinions, they may resist the new system, even if it’s ultimately beneficial.

How to Avoid It: Great teams maintain clear, ongoing communication with all stakeholders. They provide regular updates on the rollout’s status and openly address any challenges or setbacks. Additionally, they actively solicit feedback from users and other stakeholders to ensure that concerns are addressed in a timely manner.

4. Failing to Validate Performance and Security Post-Migration

Once the SASE/SSE system is deployed, the work is far from over. A common mistake is failing to validate the performance and security of the system after migration, which can lead to unresolved issues that negatively impact users and the organization’s overall security posture. Without validation, teams may overlook critical flaws that can compromise the effectiveness of the rollout.

What to Avoid:

• Skipping post-deployment testing: After migration, it’s essential to validate the system through rigorous testing, including performance validation (e.g., latency and availability checks) and security audits (e.g., vulnerability scans and policy enforcement checks). Skipping these tests can leave the system exposed to risks and degrade user experience.
• Lack of ongoing monitoring: A successful rollout is not a “set it and forget it” process. Great teams continuously monitor the system to detect performance issues, security breaches, or any other problems that may arise over time. By neglecting this step, organizations may miss the opportunity to fine-tune their system based on real-world data.

How to Avoid It: Great teams take a proactive approach by implementing monitoring tools, running performance and security validations after deployment, and quickly addressing any issues that arise. Regular audits and updates to security policies ensure that the system stays secure and continues to meet the organization’s evolving needs.

5. Overlooking Scalability and Future Growth

SASE/SSE solutions should be designed with scalability in mind, allowing the system to grow and adapt as the organization expands. However, many teams focus solely on the initial deployment and fail to plan for future scalability, which can lead to bottlenecks or performance degradation as the user base or infrastructure grows.

What to Avoid:

• Ignoring future scalability requirements: As organizations grow, the number of users, locations, and applications will increase. If the SASE/SSE system isn’t built to scale, it can become overwhelmed, leading to performance issues and security gaps.
• Failing to plan for new use cases: As new business requirements emerge, such as supporting additional remote workers, cloud applications, or IoT devices, the system may need to be adjusted to accommodate these changes. Not planning for these new use cases from the start can create problems down the road.

How to Avoid It: Great teams ensure that scalability is a key consideration throughout the rollout. They design the system to handle future growth and continuously evaluate the performance and security needs as the organization expands. Additionally, they remain flexible, making adjustments as new requirements emerge.

7. Set the Stage for Long-Term Success

The first 90 days of a SASE/SSE rollout are critical for laying the groundwork, establishing operational momentum, and addressing initial challenges. However, to truly reap the long-term benefits of a SASE/SSE solution, organizations must shift their focus beyond the immediate deployment phase.

Setting the stage for ongoing success involves creating a sustainable framework that fosters continuous improvement, scalability, and resilience. Great teams recognize that the first 90 days are only the beginning, and they proactively establish mechanisms to ensure long-term success, growth, and adaptation to emerging business needs.

1. Establish a Center of Excellence or Dedicated SASE/SSE Team

One of the key differentiators of great teams is their commitment to ongoing management and continuous improvement. After the initial rollout, organizations should create a Center of Excellence (CoE) or a dedicated SASE/SSE team responsible for managing the platform, refining security policies, and ensuring that the system evolves in line with business and security needs.

A CoE or dedicated team acts as a centralized authority that oversees the integration and optimization of SASE/SSE systems across the organization. This team plays a crucial role in standardizing processes, setting best practices, and maintaining a focus on security and performance metrics. It’s also responsible for coordinating across different business units, ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned and that any new use cases or requirements are addressed.

Why it matters:

• Continuous focus: Having a dedicated team ensures that the organization is not only reactive to issues but also proactively optimizing and evolving the system over time.
• Knowledge sharing: A CoE can create a knowledge-sharing hub, where lessons learned, troubleshooting strategies, and best practices are shared across the organization.
• Ongoing innovation: With a dedicated team in place, organizations can more easily adopt new technologies, security protocols, and cloud architectures, ensuring that their SASE/SSE solution remains cutting-edge.

2. Plan for Continuous Improvement and Automation

SASE/SSE deployments shouldn’t be seen as a one-off event but as part of an ongoing improvement cycle. One of the hallmarks of great teams is their ability to continuously optimize their systems based on real-world performance, security data, and user feedback. This mindset of constant refinement is critical for long-term success.

Great teams take a structured approach to continuous improvement, using feedback loops to make adjustments and enhancements. This might include refining security policies, improving user experience, optimizing performance, and reducing costs.

Key areas to focus on for continuous improvement:

• Security policy refinement: As the threat landscape evolves, so too must an organization’s security policies. Great teams regularly review and update their security policies to adapt to new attack vectors, emerging vulnerabilities, and compliance requirements.
• Performance tuning: Over time, as user patterns change and more data is processed, performance tuning becomes crucial. Regularly monitoring latency, throughput, and availability helps identify any degradation in performance that needs to be addressed.
• Automated remediation: One of the benefits of SASE/SSE is the ability to leverage automation to enforce policies, detect anomalies, and mitigate threats. Building automation into security workflows helps reduce manual intervention, increase response speed, and enhance consistency across the organization.

Why it matters:

• Sustained optimization: Continuous improvement ensures that the system remains aligned with business objectives and user needs over time.
• Adaptability: Regular improvements allow organizations to adjust to new technologies, changing business needs, and evolving threats.
• Efficiency gains: Automation reduces the manual effort required for monitoring and remediation, freeing up valuable resources for strategic initiatives.

3. Evolve Policies and Architecture Based on Real-World Data and Threat Trends

While the first 90 days of a SASE/SSE rollout focus on initial deployment and getting the system up and running, long-term success hinges on the ability to adapt policies and architecture based on data and evolving threat trends. Organizations must remain vigilant and responsive to changes in both the business environment and the cyber threat landscape.

Key areas to evolve based on data and trends:

• User access policies: As new applications and user behaviors emerge, policies should be updated to reflect changes in access requirements. This includes adjusting identity-driven policies, implementing more granular access controls, and integrating new authentication methods such as multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Network architecture: As more users and applications are onboarded to the SASE/SSE platform, the underlying network architecture may need to evolve to ensure that traffic is being routed efficiently and securely. This could involve optimizing traffic flows, introducing new security inspection points, or upgrading cloud infrastructure to meet scalability demands.
• Threat detection and response capabilities: Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and organizations need to stay ahead of attackers by refining threat detection capabilities and response protocols. Great teams continuously adjust security controls based on the latest threat intelligence and attack patterns, ensuring that they can quickly identify and mitigate risks.

Why it matters:

• Proactive security: By continuously adapting to new threats and evolving business needs, organizations can stay ahead of cybercriminals and avoid vulnerabilities.
• Business agility: Evolving policies and architecture in response to new data and trends helps organizations remain agile and able to scale securely as they grow.
• Resilience: Continuously refining the architecture and security posture ensures that the system is robust, resilient, and capable of handling the complexities of the modern enterprise.

4. Maintain a Strong Focus on Compliance and Governance

As organizations scale their use of SASE/SSE, compliance and governance become even more critical. SASE/SSE systems often span multiple regions, locations, and regulatory environments, making it essential to continuously monitor and manage compliance.

Great teams are proactive about compliance, regularly reviewing and updating their policies to ensure that they align with the latest regulatory requirements. This includes ensuring that all data is protected according to relevant laws, such as GDPR or HIPAA, and that audit logs are maintained for reporting and oversight.

Why it matters:

• Avoiding regulatory fines: Regularly reviewing and updating policies to ensure compliance with evolving regulations helps avoid costly fines and reputational damage.
• Transparency and accountability: Maintaining clear governance structures and audit trails ensures transparency and accountability, which is important for both internal stakeholders and external auditors.
• Security posture: Governance and compliance efforts often strengthen security posture, as they encourage organizations to implement best practices for data protection and access controls.

5. Build an Innovation Framework to Stay Ahead of Emerging Technologies

SASE/SSE is a dynamic, evolving field that is constantly incorporating new technologies and methodologies. To ensure long-term success, organizations need to stay ahead of emerging trends and innovations that could further enhance their security posture, network performance, and user experience.

Key areas for innovation:

• Zero Trust models: As part of an ongoing commitment to improving security, organizations can expand and refine their use of zero-trust security models, integrating more advanced identity and access management (IAM) techniques.
• AI and machine learning: As AI and machine learning capabilities continue to improve, integrating these technologies into threat detection, network traffic analysis, and security policy enforcement will help enhance automation and reduce human error.
• Cloud-native security: With the growing adoption of cloud-first strategies, organizations can explore ways to further integrate cloud-native security tools into their SASE/SSE systems to boost scalability and reduce complexity.

Why it matters:

• Competitive advantage: By staying at the forefront of technology, organizations can gain a competitive advantage by leveraging cutting-edge solutions that enhance security and performance.
• Continuous security enhancement: Incorporating the latest innovations ensures that security is always evolving to meet new challenges.
• Adaptability: An innovation framework allows organizations to adapt quickly to new technologies and trends without having to overhaul their entire infrastructure.

Conclusion: Turning the First 90 Days Into a Springboard

The first 90 days of a SASE/SSE rollout are undeniably critical for setting the foundation of a secure, high-performing, and scalable infrastructure. During this period, the groundwork is laid not only for technology deployment but for organizational alignment, cross-functional collaboration, and user adoption.

But the truth is, success in the initial phase is only a stepping stone. It is what an organization does after those first three months that determines whether their SASE/SSE rollout will evolve into a long-term, sustainable success.

Great teams understand this dynamic. They see the first 90 days not as the end of the journey but as the springboard to a much larger transformation. They focus on continuous improvement, long-term scalability, and refining their approach based on real-world data and user feedback. They have a mindset that blends a sense of urgency with patience, knowing that the most significant benefits of SASE/SSE adoption will manifest as the system matures and integrates deeper into the organization’s operations.

In this final section, we’ll revisit the core principles that make great teams stand out, recap how they turn the first 90 days into a successful launchpad, and encourage organizations to adopt a mindset of both method and resilience as they move forward.

Great Teams Define Success with Mindset + Method

While technology is the backbone of any successful SASE/SSE rollout, the true differentiators are the mindset and method employed by the team. It’s not enough to simply implement a solution and expect results; the most successful teams maintain a focused, agile mindset that is coupled with a clear, methodical approach.

The Mindset: Great teams possess a growth-oriented mindset—one that values learning from mistakes and consistently seeks improvement. They approach the first 90 days with a mix of anticipation, adaptability, and an understanding that early challenges will be encountered. When things don’t go as planned, they pivot quickly, adjust expectations, and continue forward with confidence. The success of the rollout isn’t seen as a single, static event but as a continuous journey of refinement.

The Method: A structured approach is equally essential. Great teams know that success comes through careful planning, phased deployment, and data-driven decision-making. They prioritize alignment, quick wins, and early feedback loops. They also maintain a disciplined focus on long-term success, even during the initial deployment phase. Whether it’s defining clear roles and responsibilities, establishing KPIs, or optimizing user experience, methodical execution in the first 90 days creates a solid foundation for scaling and refinement down the line.

Together, mindset and method empower great teams to transform what could have been a series of disjointed or failed initiatives into a unified, scalable, and adaptive SASE/SSE deployment.

Turning the First 90 Days Into a Launchpad for Long-Term Success

The early stages of a SASE/SSE rollout are undeniably important, but they should be viewed as the beginning of a process rather than the culmination of it. When organizations succeed in their first 90 days, they don’t stop there—they build on that initial success to achieve lasting benefits. Here are some key ways that great teams turn those first 90 days into a springboard for future success:

1. Establishing Momentum Through Early Wins

Momentum is a powerful driver of success, and great teams know that securing early wins is critical for keeping the rollout on track. Quick wins—such as successfully migrating a remote workforce, protecting branch sites, or securing a few key applications—build confidence, demonstrate the effectiveness of the new system, and make it easier to scale. These early victories act as proof points for the organization, showing that the SASE/SSE system can deliver value immediately.

But even more importantly, these early wins create momentum that propels the team forward. They create a sense of accomplishment that can be leveraged to maintain focus and overcome challenges in later stages of deployment.

2. Planning for Continuous Improvement

As we discussed earlier, SASE/SSE isn’t a “set it and forget it” solution. Even in the first 90 days, great teams are already planning for continuous improvement. They actively monitor performance, security metrics, and user experience data, using this information to make informed adjustments to the system. These improvements might include fine-tuning policies, optimizing network architecture, or addressing feedback from users who may experience challenges during the early stages of deployment.

The key takeaway here is that the first 90 days should set the tone for an ongoing commitment to improvement. Rather than settling for a “good enough” deployment, great teams continuously evolve their SASE/SSE environment to better align with business goals, emerging threats, and user expectations.

3. Building Long-Term Scalability and Adaptability

The ability to scale and adapt is essential for any organization undergoing a SASE/SSE transformation. As the organization grows, its security and network requirements will likely evolve, whether due to increased remote work, expanding cloud adoption, or changes in regulatory compliance. Great teams use the initial 90 days to set up the foundational elements that will enable the system to scale efficiently.

This includes focusing on scalability from the outset—whether it’s ensuring that the SASE/SSE platform can accommodate additional users, apps, or locations, or ensuring that performance is optimized as the system expands. In addition to scalability, adaptability is crucial. Great teams prioritize a flexible architecture that allows for easy updates, integrations with new technologies, and adjustments to security policies as new threats emerge.

By thinking ahead and planning for growth and change, great teams avoid common pitfalls that arise when systems are not designed with long-term needs in mind.

4. Strengthening Cross-Functional Collaboration

The success of a SASE/SSE rollout doesn’t just depend on the technical team—it requires strong collaboration across IT, security, networking, operations, and business leadership. Great teams know that success comes when all functional areas are aligned, with clear ownership of roles and responsibilities.

In the first 90 days, teams work closely together to share knowledge, address challenges, and ensure that each stakeholder’s needs are met. Moving forward, this cross-functional collaboration continues to be a key driver of success. Teams that maintain open communication channels, cross-team accountability, and shared goals are much more likely to achieve long-term success in their SASE/SSE initiatives.

5. Fostering a Security-First Culture

Finally, great teams know that security isn’t just a technical issue—it’s a cultural one. During the first 90 days, teams work hard to integrate security into the heart of the organization’s culture. This includes continuously refining security policies, educating users on best practices, and ensuring that security is baked into every layer of the SASE/SSE architecture.

By fostering a security-first mindset from the beginning, great teams ensure that security isn’t just a box to tick off—it becomes an ongoing priority that guides decision-making, operations, and governance.

Encouraging Action: Start Smart, But Keep Evolving

The first 90 days of a SASE/SSE rollout are about building a strong foundation, generating quick wins, and addressing challenges early. But to turn those first three months into a springboard for success, organizations must maintain momentum, continuously refine their approach, and stay adaptable to both business needs and emerging threats.

Great teams understand that SASE/SSE is an ongoing journey—not a one-time project—and they stay committed to learning, improving, and scaling. If your organization is ready to embark on this transformation, remember that the first 90 days are just the beginning. Approach this journey with a growth mindset, a methodical approach, and an eye toward long-term success.