The pandemic has had a profound impact on our lives. This has led to increased remote work opportunities for both employees and employers. It seems that hybrid work models, which combine working in an office and working remotely, will be more popular than remote work. We will see more of this shift in work patterns in 2022, which is the first year after the pandemic. Companies will need to ask themselves the fundamental question: “How can we bring together and maintain a safe work environment on one screen while our employees are scattered around?”
We have seen companies adapt faster to changes in the aftermath of the pandemic. This is regardless of their industry or size. The trend of work-from-anywhere will likely continue. Companies that haven’t already done so must redesign how employees work and make it easy to access the corporate network. Both remote work locations, as well as the office must protect data.
We can see that the transition towards the secure access service edge model (SASE), which provides a framework for institutions focused on digital transformation, has accelerated. Gartner analysts predict that by 2024, 40% of enterprises will have a strategy to adopt SASE. This is an increase from the 1% reported at the end of 2018.
SASE is a term that Gartner experts first used to describe a holistic framework that combines security and network functions in the cloud. It allows users seamless and secure access from any location to company applications. SASE comprises a software-defined vast area network (SDWAN), secure Web Gateway (SWG), firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS), cloud security broker (CASB), and zero-trust network access and (ZTNA). These functions are combined into one cloud service by the SASE model.
SASE provides flexibility and protection for companies to move to the cloud at their speed. It also brings best-in-class networking and security functions under one roof. SASE offers scalable performance and cloud-based architecture. It allows for savings on both hardware and human resources. SASE can reduce cost and complexity, enhancing operations and providing complete security via ZTNA. SASE can often improve the performance of latency-sensitive applications, which results in better overall performance.
Is it simple to move to the SASE framework? SASE adaptation can seem complicated at first, bringing together many cybersecurity and network applications. SASE must be applied over time. The company must have a solid organizational structure that incorporates technology solutions, employee participation, and constant supervision to be successful.
How can IT and security professionals prepare their organizations to meet the SASE future of solid cybersecurity?
1. Evaluate the infrastructure and your human capital.
Before you embark on the SASE journey, identify your company’s security requirements. Analyze the infrastructure to determine what you have and what you don’t. This is an excellent opportunity to maximize your human resources. As you develop the architecture, determine which roles your employees will play based on their abilities and create a roadmap.
2. Before you start planning, ensure that you have met the SASE architectural requirements.
SASE architecture comprises four components: SDA, CASB, and SWG. These safety measures must be taken before you can begin. SASE can be described as the framework for the future because it brings together all of these solutions. These elements are essential for ensuring that your architecture complies with data protection regulations.
It would help if you had a strategic plan to execute SASE effectively. This plan should identify your targets, the security requirements, and the actions that you want to take. To avoid mishaps, you can create hypothetical crisis scenarios. This is not the end goal but a journey that involves many steps. It is possible to get into trouble, so be ready.
3. Design and classify users.
You can organize and personalize the SASE architecture design to suit your needs. What users have access to what services? What application is located where? How can users access the applications the fastest way possible? Multicloud environments require companies to be able to identify what belongs where. These questions will help you organize your user types and applications.
After creating your SASE architecture, ensure that security functions and procedures are correctly implemented. You can test the architecture by performing the necessary checks. Testing is crucial for detecting any gaps.
