Unraveling the Mystery: What Does Sase Mean?

When it comes to breaking down tech siloes and simplifying networking and security chores, SASE is a game-changer. It combines SD-WAN with zero trust networking and CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker).

That means you can securely connect users directly to their local applications without pining traffic back and forth through the data center.

What is SASE?

What does SASE meaning?SASE stands for Secure Access Service Edge. It combines network and security functions into a single service that it can deploy to end users through cloud-based management platforms. It provides centralized control for in-house operations and scalability for those who require it without purchasing hardware appliances for every branch office.

It incorporates a range of network and security capabilities, including firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS), zero-trust network access (ZTNA), and CASBs. IT teams can deliver networking functionality to branch offices, remote workers, and mobile devices incompatible with traditional hub-and-spoke architectures.

It helps enterprises break down tech siloes and eliminate outdated technologies that threaten sensitive data, and it provides the flexibility needed in today’s work-from-anywhere culture. It also reduces costs by eliminating the need for physical and virtual branch office hardware appliances and software agents. As a result, IT staff can focus on higher-level tasks and deliver more value to business users. Intel’s broad expertise in everything cloud, from the enterprise data center to edge computing, enables customers to create a cohesive infrastructure that maximizes performance and minimizes risk.

What is SD-WAN?

Converged cloud networking and security for simplicity, scalability, flexibility, and pervasive security. SASE combines network security and connectivity functions into one platform, eliminating deploying multiple-point solutions such as firewalls, secure web gateways (SWG), and zero trust networking (ZTNA).

Instead of relying on inspection engines in data centers, SASE uses globally distributed points of presence (PoP) that inspect traffic closer to the edge. By deploying SASE services at the edge, you can reduce latency and save bandwidth by processing real-time data close to users.

A SASE provider uses a private global backbone to avoid internet latency and routing issues, connecting the PoPs with a low-latency link that can scale and deliver superior network performance over the public Internet. It enables SD-WAN to bypass network congestion and deliver high network reliability. SASE is also an excellent fit for remote locations and branch offices because it eliminates the need for costly MPLS infrastructure. It is a perfect solution for organizations with a remote workforce, complex edges, and hybrid/multi-cloud applications. It also provides the agility and security businesses need to support their digital transformation initiatives.

What is Zero Trust?

Zero Trust refers to a network security strategy that eliminates the need for a traditional firewall and provides access based on identity. Zero trust policies evaluate user and device attributes, application, data location, and environmental conditions to ensure only legitimate traffic gets through. Unusual or risky activities are escalated for additional authentication and possible revoking of privileges.

Traditionally, security teams had to deploy multiple-point solutions to implement this type of network architecture, according to Valenzuela. It could include web gateways to provide more trusted access points into servers and applications, firewalls that detect intrusion and prevent lateral movement on the system, and ZTNA that controls cloud access, SaaS, and enterprise applications regardless of user location or device.

IT teams can consolidate these functions with SASE and implement consistent policy enforcement. This approach allows for more agile deployment, reduces complexity, and improves security through the ability to control the entire network infrastructure from the cloud. It is also a cost-saving opportunity by reducing the need for hardware or software purchases and maintenance. It is also easier to scale up or down for network or security capabilities changes as SASE is a cloud-delivery model that uses distributed PoPs to deliver services closer to users.

What is Edge Computing?

With users connecting to a network from anywhere at any time, legacy security architectures can’t handle the demand. SASE provides a new solution by merging SD-WAN with security functions into a single cloud-based platform. The result is reduced complexity, improved performance, and consistent policy enforcement.

By bringing computing power to the edge, companies can process data closer to its source. For example, raw data from IoT sensors on a factory floor, security cameras, or even an internet-connected microwave oven in the office break room can be analyzed locally for real-time business insights, equipment maintenance predictions, or other actionable answers that could be sent back to the primary data center.

The advantage of this approach is that it significantly reduces latency. Think about it – each time two coworkers in the same building chat over an internal IM platform, the message has to leave the building, travel across the world, and then be returned for the users to see it. This process can cause a noticeable delay. By processing the data close to the users, SASE eliminates this problem.

What is Edge Security?

Existing security architectures can’t deliver the access control, visibility, and performance required to support digital organizations. With work-from-anywhere employees, increased traffic to cloud services, software-as-a-service applications, and data hosted in distributed locations, current networking and security technologies like VPNs aren’t up for the task.

Traditionally, these organizations have used a variety of point solutions or WAN security platforms to protect remote users and devices. But this approach is a significant risk in a post-COVID world, where we see more of our business apps, data, and even endpoints (like automobiles, refrigerators, web cameras, or IoT devices on industrial product lines) connecting to enterprise networks, and often without security or access control.

To address these concerns, SASE combines SD-WAN and network security into a single solution that runs both in the cloud and on your existing infrastructure. It provides a new, more secure way to give users direct and secure access while reducing latency for everyone on your network. When purchased as a unified service, SASE reduces complexity and cuts costs by eliminating the need to deal with multiple vendors or manage individual systems in branch offices or remote locations. It also delivers inline visibility, granular control of data, and preventative measures through advanced analytics capabilities.