Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a buzzword created by Gartner to cover hardware and services responsible for ensuring and managing edge security, delivered largely via a cloud-delivered service model.
With enterprises across the world increasingly relying on the cloud, edge applications, and mobile devices for access to networks, SASE and similar edge security solutions have emerged to manage the more complex security challenges compared to securing more traditional on-premises data and applications.
What Exactly Is SASE?
Pronounced sassy, SASE offerings deliver comprehensive WAN capabilities with advanced network security functions like secure web gateways (SWG), firewalls-as-a-service (FWaaS), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to facilitate the dynamic secure access needs of edge security.
SASE Image Source: Cato Networks
Gartner coined SASE in an August 2019 report titled The Future of Network Security in the Cloud and defined SASE as security technology offerings that include SD-WAN, SWG, CASB, ZTNA, and FWaaS as core abilities, with the ability to identify sensitive data or malware and the ability to decrypt content at line speed, with continuous monitoring of sessions for risk and trust levels.
Gartner forecasts that by 2024 more than 40% of enterprises will have defined strategies in place to adopt SASE. And while the market is a nascent one, security vendors like Cisco, Cato, VMware, Palo Alto Networks, VMware, Zscaler, and Perimeter 81 are quickly ramping up comprehensive SASE solutions to meet enterprise needs.
