Many companies looked at where companies are on their way to adopting SASE. The study compares countries, industries, and trends. From the results, organizations has now derived recommendations for action to introduce SASE for secure remote computing.
According to companies, one thing stands out from the survey results carried out in January 2021: Although IT experts claim to know what SASE is, global acceptance in companies lags, especially in the public sector. When asked whether SASE had been introduced across the company’s entire technology stack, only twelve percent said that the philosophy had been fully implemented, and 26 percent did not use SASE at all. This result was a bit surprising, but it may show the genuine question of timing.
Table of Contents
If Not Now, Then When?
Most IT teams would know about SASE by now and seriously consider implementing the framework into their network infrastructure strategy. Many are likely trying to find out what exactly that will mean. In addition to the question of what SASE is and how it should be implemented, the question of when it is often ignored.
There is no doubt that companies face far greater pressures to modernize than they would have been without the pandemic. The term SASE has been around since 2019. However, the enormous and unexpected increase in the distributed workforce would have put pressure on IT companies everywhere to look for more practical alternatives for remote access.
Why Do Companies Need SASE?
The time for SASE’s big appearance was perfect. According to Gartner, SASE is the convergence of several existing network and security solutions that organizations may already be using. These include SD-WAN, zero-trust network access or software-defined perimeter solutions, cloud access security brokers (CASB) and Firewall as a service, all of which are now brought together in a single fabric provided from the cloud become.
Gartner is not the only one talking about the transition to a more robust model for security and networks. Forrester coined the term “Zero Trust Edge” (ZTE), which is the same concept as the SASE philosophy, but strongly emphasizes Zero Trust.
Most organizations today still host at least a minimal amount of data and a few applications on their systems, according to experts. However, if you look at the actual workflow of an employee, various Internet and cloud-based services determine the majority of the working day. Access to the primary office or special company data centers is often no longer necessary.
If only 20 percent of an employee’s requirements are “internal,” it makes little sense to force this data through the company’s network infrastructure. This obsolete arrangement adds unnecessary strain and creates further potential bottlenecks, not to mention the added cost of maintaining capacity needs and maintenance.
SASE Building Blocks
A typical SASE framework comprises three essential building blocks: network, security and identity. Not a single provider is an expert in all three areas. The key to a successful implementation is, therefore solutions that complement each other, such as:
- Networking: SD-WAN,
- Security: Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Firewall as a Service (FWaaS),
- Identity and Access: Zero Trust, SDP, Remote Access Enterprise VPN.
Practical Steps
What might a SASE deployment look like for an enterprise? According to experts, it can take up to five years to fully implement SASE. There are several steps along the way, as every company switches from obsolete or obsolete equipment.
In the first year, a company could optimize the existing VPN to be better able to handle mobility and deal with a highly dispersed workforce. The next step could be to consider adopting a cloud strategy to consider integrating a cloud-based VPN in year two.
Slowly, if the IT department can get used to the concept of Zero Trust, additional solutions such as SDP would offer themselves to support more applications and employees. The VPNs are still available but are only needed occasionally and can be switched on or off purely based on guidelines.
It’s Okay To Take Your Time.
The key is avoiding the knee-jerk reactions of the past year and taking the time to design an architecture that genuinely meets the company’s current and future needs, according to experts. This should bring the costs in line with agility and reliability. If that only lasts two or three years in the end, that’s great. But those responsible shouldn’t be surprised if this trip lasts more than four or even five years.
Also Read: VPN, Remote Desktop & Co. – That’s How We Work Today
