Security in the Cloud

What is SASE? 

SASE, short for Secure Access Service Edge, is an emerging security and networking architecture model first proposed by Gartner in 2019. It recommends building a converged networking and security architecture that brings together a wide range of essential capabilities for connecting and protecting users wherever they work—at home, in an office, at remote locations, or on the road. It is built around the use of unified, cloud-native services that makes it easier and less expensive for enterprises to deliver reliable, seamless security everywhere. SASE is not a product, but a comprehensive architecture reference model to help enterprises take a fresh approach to securing edge connectivity. 

Why Do We Need SASE?

The need for SASE emerged as security evolved to meet the needs of digital transformation:

• People now work remotely from more places outside of traditional workspaces than ever before.
• Business data, and applications using that data, are rapidly moving to or are already in the cloud, changing how people connect to them.
• To maintain performance, many organizations with multiple sites and remote users are connecting directly to the internet and cloud apps using technologies like SD-WAN, bypassing centralized premises-based security gateways.
• As a result, more business now happens outside the boundaries of the traditional enterprise rather than inside, shifting the focal point of networking and security from the data center to the cloud.Security must follow people and data to protect them wherever they are. SASE offers security and IT leaders a way to reduce complexity in their environments while ensuring that access and data remains safe.

Where should you seek SASE buy-in? 

In most organizations, the key audiences for SASE solutions can be broken into two camps: network security buyers and data security buyers. Network security buyers are concerned with challenges like securely keeping remote workers productive and safely adding new branch offices to the network. Data security buyers are interested in goals like improving data loss prevention to protect against external attacks and internal threats that can lead to breaches, as well as complying with governmental regulations and industry standards. 

To develop your SASE roadmap and identify the correct people to involve first, determine whether securing network connectivity or protecting data is your greatest need.

Four Pillars of SASE 

1. Protecting User Access Against Advanced Threats
2. Enabling Reliable and Secure Connectivity
3. Protecting Data Access Everywhere
4. Continuously Assessing User Risk & Connected Trust  

 

Drilling Down Deeper in SASE Conversations 

SASE is geared towards platform-based solutions that unify web, network, and app security. Solutions like Forcepoint Dynamic Edge Protection (DEP) implement the SASE model, weaving together advanced security capabilities such as firewalling, intrusion prevention, web content inspection, malware scanning, and more into a single, unified cloud service. This converged approach eliminates gaps and redundancies to stop attackers from breaking into your enterprise from the internet, web content, or cloud apps—consistently, no matter where your people work.