As businesses evolve, legacy cyber security systems can not provide the level of security and access control that organizations need. Today, 85% of organizations see data as their most valuable asset.1 Consequently, businesses seek new, more effective cyber security frameworks to counter increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks.
Since the pandemic, there has been a steep rise in the number of software as a service (SaaS) applications and remote users. As a result, more and more data is moving towards the cloud, and more traffic is directed towards the public cloud and branch offices compared to data centers. Therefore, modern cloud-centric businesses looking to secure their enterprise must focus more on individual user identity, devices, and assessors rather than data center security. Secure access service edge (SASE) is precisely a step in this direction.
SASE is an emerging cyber security concept that inspects traffic from user devices at a nearby point of presence and sends it to its destination. It eliminates data center security reliance and enables immediate and uninterrupted access to enterprise resources with utmost security. This makes a SASE solution a better option for protecting distributed workforces and data in the cloud. Gartner defines it as a cyber security solution with “comprehensive WAN capabilities with comprehensive network security functions (such as SWG, CASB, FWaaS, and ZTNA) to support the dynamic, secure access needs of digital enterprises.”2
Here are five components of SASE solutions that make the technology a robust and dependable cloud-delivered platform for growing businesses.
5 Key Elements of SASE for Safe Networking
1. SD-WAN
Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) is a virtual architecture that enables threat protection, routing, and simplified WAN network management for distributed hybrid IT environments. One of its key features includes managing and optimizing performance across multiple connection types, ranging from broadband to LTE to even MPLS.
SD-WAN helps with network security by increasing the performance of on-premise services with direct access to cloud platforms and offering administrators granular network management opportunities.
2. FWaaS
Firewall as a service (FWaaS) with next generation firewall capabilities (NGFW) provides advanced threat protection by combining traffic inspection and threat prevention. It helps organizations simplify their architecture and block unauthorized users from accessing the network.
IT administrators can set custom access criteria and implement very specific security policies. For example, they can set up different access rules for those inside and outside the network and allow or block URLs, IP addresses, or even geographical areas.
FWaaS is different from a physical firewall because it works seamlessly with other cloud applications, making it an essential addition to a custom, cloud-friendly enterprise security system.
3. Zero-Trust Network Access
ZTNA is a holistic approach to network security. It works on several principles and technologies to provide remote users seamless and secure access to internal applications. The zero-trust framework eliminates intrinsic trust, grants least privileged access, and maintains granular policies. It enables secure access without placing users on the network or exposing enterprise applications on the internet. It minimizes the attack surface on a network by maintaining strict access policies and constantly monitoring and validating the devices on the network.
4. CASB
A cloud access security broker (CASB) is an on-premise or cloud-based gatekeeper that sits between the cloud service consumer and provider. A CASB ensures that the network traffic complies with the company policies and data privacy regulations whenever cloud-residing data is accessed.
In addition, the CASB also conducts comprehensive threat and risk assessments to prevent malware, bad actors, and external determinants from exploiting enterprise resources. It serves as a policy enforcement center and secures cloud applications hosted in public clouds (IaaS), private clouds, and software as a service (SaaS).
5. SWG
Secure web gateway (SWG) filters internet-bound traffic to protect an organization’s internal data. It provides advanced network protection by using web traffic inspection to keep users away from malicious web content and applications, internet-borne viruses, vulnerable websites, malware, and similar cyber threats.
SWG has a multi-layered architecture comprising many essential security features, including app control, URL filtration, HTTPS inspection, DLP, and antivirus. It allows users to connect wherever they may be while enforcing company security policies simultaneously.
SASE Secures Your Enterprise Networks
Digital transformation requires businesses to incorporate agile solutions with greater scope for scalability. SASE consists of all the necessary tools and features you need for secure access and seamless networking. With all these appliances combined into a single solution and centralized control, you can ensure the usability and integrity of your data and networks like never before.
CommQuotes helps you determine the optimal way to implement a complete SASE solution – and will help you find the best-fit solution for your unique business. With our vendor-agnostic approach, we’ll help you source only the most applicable, impactful, and feasible integrations to your IT infrastructure. Our expert insights are based on deep industry experience, so you can rest assured the SASE solution you choose will give you everything you need to ensure network security – and nothing you don’t.
Reach out to us for expert, agnostic advice on finding the perfect SASE solution for your business.
Sources:
- https://blog.hubspot.com/website/value-of-big-data
- https://assets-powerstores-com.s3.amazonaws.com/data/org/20033/media/doc/the_future_of_network_security_is_in_the_cloud_int_1599852842797001fko4_(1)-9fb8d55d823780b55988b056046fbc1b.pdf
