What is SASE Security & How it Protects Your Business

Keeping up with the latest technologies to secure your business is a daunting task, but there are some buzzwords that cannot be overlooked. When it comes to protecting your mission-critical data, networks, and devices, you may have heard of SASE as the new go-to solution. But what exactly is SASE and how does it protect you? 

What is SASE Security? 

SASE, an acronym for Secure Access Service Edge, is a cloud-based network architecture that combines both networking and security into a single service. Rather than sourcing and integrating the various technologies needed to secure your business, SASE provides all the essential tools in one seamless stack. It also takes network security a step further with cutting-edge technologies like Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to protect your business from threats coming from any access point. ZTNA is one of the key SASE components increasingly in-demand for businesses with remote employees. 

How Does SASE Work? 

To address the frustrating disorganization of getting each individual network and security solution from different vendors with different management requirements, SASE allows businesses to simplify their security with an all-inclusive platform of fully integrated services. This provides “single pane of glass” oversight of the business network, users, devices, traffic, and data, plus ease of use for IT with just one platform to manage. SASE addresses the challenges of traditional network and security solutions by upgrading complex, rigid architecture into a seamless, agile, and scalable platform that’s adapted to modern cloud-based business workflows and distributed workforces. 

SASE Components: Comprehensive Business Security 

The technologies that make up SASE are designed to streamline all access points and network pathways, ensuring your business enjoys a seamless, secure, and optimized experience. These components are fully integrated to ensure every aspect of your business network is protected from threats and keeps business workflows running smoothly with enhanced network processes. SASE technologies include: 

Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) 

Serving as the foundation for SASE, SD-WAN delivers intelligent routing and optimal performance for cloud-based and on-premises resources. Features include sub-second packet steering, packet loss reduction, and packet replication.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) 

ZTNA authenticates remote users and connects them to apps or private networks quickly, easily, and securely using advanced context and role-based identity with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). 

Next Generation Firewall as a Service (NGFWaaS) 

NGFWaaS upgrades traditional firewall services with application-aware threat protection, Unified Threat Management (UTM) features for comprehensive protection, malware detection, and intrusion prevention. 

Secure Web Gateway (SWG) 

Secure web gateways provide web Content Filtering to ensure corporate and regulatory policy compliance for remote users without backhauling traffic to a data center. SASE SWG protects user devices from being infected and helps control data flow by enforcing DNS, HTTP, network, and browser isolation rules. 

Application-Aware Routing 

SASE continuously monitors links, transport paths, and application performance to ensure that mission-critical workflows are routed on the most optimal connection at any given time. Every business application receives the bandwidth it needs to perform effectively. 

Granular Analytics 

SASE provides real-time and historical visibility of applications, users, workloads, databases, web servers, and security policy violations. Businesses can monitor and manage security policies through a single, centralized portal, block attacks with a single click, and get granular insights into the attack. 

Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) 

RBI protects against browser-based security exploits and enables users to connect to the Internet securely. By running browser activity on a remote server, RBI constrains attacks to the virtual environment and prevents them from reaching other systems. 

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) 

CASB secures user access to cloud-based resources, whether they connect from within or outside of the traditional network perimeter, protecting data in transit and in the cloud. 

How SASE Protects Your Business 

With everything you need in one platform, SASE is the ultimate networking and security solution! It provides several key benefits for your security and peace of mind, including: 

• Security from the Outside In: SASE is cloud-native, meaning it’s built for the modern business utilizing cloud resources and managing a remote, distributed workforce. SASE allows you to ensure your network is protected without needing access to physical endpoints and regardless of how employees access mission-critical resources. 
• Encryption of Sensitive Data: Unlike other solutions that force network traffic through a specific location before allowing it to connect to its destination, SASE encrypts data in transit ensuring security without compromising connectivity and speed. 
• Customized Security: SASE allows you to establish role-based access by users, devices, and locations, further protecting and customizing your internal resources. With the ability to oversee your entire network, you can also customize which applications get priority for bandwidth, and effortlessly deploy security policies across the entire network with just a few clicks.  
• Streamlined IT workflows. Thanks to its “single pane of glass” approach, SASE simplifies your IT team’s to-do lists, automates tasks, and provides the insights you need to make strategic, data-driven decisions. It also keeps business running and ensures ongoing security without disrupting business workflows, 
• Risk-free integrations. With all the essential technologies fully integrated out of the box, SASE eliminates the need for integrating different tools, and protects you from unintentional loopholes in your network. 
• Single Vendor Solution: SASE is designed to simplify your network and security, so that you can source just one vendor for all the technologies you need. This reduces both the cost and the complexity of your network and security solutions, as well as frustrations when you choose a vendor that will manage and oversee your SASE solution for you! 

Sourcing a SASE Vendor 

When choosing a SASE vendor, it’s essential to do your research and remember that not all SASE providers are made equal. If you want to learn more about how S-NET provides the ultimate seamless experience with tailored-fit, fully managed SASE solutions, contact us today! Our team will walk you through our state-of-the-art SASE platform and how we tailor it to your business needs and goals.