The Pros and Cons of SASE
As businesses continue to transition their operations to the cloud, more and more users, applications, devices, and services are connecting remotely with their corporate networks. In many cases this connection is initiated via inefficient technologies, which opens up the network to external threats from malicious actors. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) was developed as a countermeasure to these vulnerabilities. In this article we discuss SASE, why it is gaining so much attention, and the pros and cons of employing this new technology.
What is SASE?
SASE is a security architecture for integrating security and network connection technologies into a single cloud-delivered solution, which allows secure and efficient cloud transition. The difficulties of digital corporate transition, edge computing, and workforce mobility are reduced by SASE’s integrated network security.
Regardless of the organization’s location or network requirements, the SASE architecture allows for the adaptive development of policy-based, secure-access service edges. It provides a converged security service with comprehensive threat and data protection. This convergent service is built on a low-latency, pervasive infrastructure that is always close to the user, no matter where they are.
SASE Architecture Pros
SASE can provide numerous benefits to business organizations. Here are some of the most important.
Improved Security: SASE combines multiple security features to deliver the highest-quality cloud-native security. Zero Trust Network Access, for example, constantly requests verification from users who seek access and only grants them the bare minimum. It allows for network separation while also preventing lateral network migration.
It also keeps track of users’ actions and habits, giving the entire organization a better picture of what’s going on. This provides the capability to deny access to those who exhibit questionable behavior.
Reduced Costs: SASE decreases the number of providers involved in the business cybersecurity processes, which can be more cost effective. Prior to SASE, organizations had to deploy a combination of cybersecurity components to provide maximum security and secure access to cloud-native resources. They also had to establish agreements with a variety of merchants. Since SASE combines both security and networking into a single service, it can provide considerable cost savings.
Increased Efficiency: The SASE structure allows organizations and their branch sites to connect to the network considerably more efficiently. Its goal is to deliver the highest access performance while increasing security. Businesses and their clients can easily access cloud apps with less risk of data loss, allowing them to be more productive and efficient in their work.
Increased Flexibility and Simplicity: Security solutions such as web filtering, threat prevention, sandboxing, credential theft prevention, DNS security, next-generation firewalls, and data loss prevention can all be implemented and delivered using a SASE architecture. What’s more, businesses can simplify their IT infrastructure by reducing the number of security products their IT staff needs to manage, update, and maintain the network.
Constant Network Surveillance: SASE delivers continuous network monitoring, displaying data flow performance, including distant data streams spread across virtualized cloud environments and data centers. In a single portal or network interface, efficient monitoring gives a real-time view of all inbound and outgoing process connections.
As networks spread into more remote places, they connect via an ever-increasing number of communications methods. SASE makes it possible for more individuals to connect to the network in a safe and reliable manner. Business organizations can now allow connections from users who were more difficult to monitor and control in the past. These users will experience a much faster network with little to no delay imposed by network monitoring.
SASE Architecture Cons
While SASE is a great solution for most businesses, it does have its drawbacks.
Insufficient Security Features for Remote Work: A number of information security experts argue that the fundamental capabilities of SASE are insufficient in light of the security requirements of remote work. These experts feel that SASE doesn’t always meet their needs in terms of 24×7 threat detection and response, cloud security, endpoint security, and AI-based analytics. They also point out that some SASE systems only check the necessary criteria once, whereas they may prefer to check more than once when an organization needs in-depth protection.
Limited Flexibility: The versatility of cloud-only products can be limited, leaving organizations and IT professionals with minimal options. This can raise issues in major corporations that put a premium on low ownership costs and great performance. Security teams in these corporations may be more likely to choose on-premises next-generation firewalls in conjunction with secure web gateway equipment in several scenarios.
These types of equipment are usually cloud-managed, despite the dependence on local hardware. As a result, they can offer cloud benefits while providing the flexibility and high performance of on-premises hardware.Â
Determining if SASE is the Right Fit
SASE is gaining popularity as a very good solution for safeguarding remote connections. Businesses looking to solidify remote work can benefit from the safe access and security SASE can provide. However, SASE, like any new technology, still has some shortcomings. As it is an all-in-one solution, it may not be suitable for businesses requiring more advanced IT security functionality.
To find out if SASE is right for your business organization, look no further than Outsource IT. With our years of experience providing comprehensive IT security solutions to businesses of all types and sizes, in various industries, we can help you find the right fit for your needs. Contact an Outsource IT account manager to learn more.
