SASE Explained: How SD-WAN & Security Converge at the Edge
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) revolutionizes enterprise networking by unifying SD-WAN capabilities with cloud-native security functions—including Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)—into a single, agile service. This architecture eliminates backhauling traffic to centralized data centers, instead connecting remote users directly to nearby cloud gateways.
Key Benefits of SASE:
✅ Simplified Management: Consolidates fragmented security tools into one cloud-delivered solution.
✅ Enhanced Security: Enforces consistent policies, full traffic visibility, and inspection across all ports and protocols.
✅ Optimized Performance: Dynamically adapts to evolving threats, hybrid workforces, and business needs.
✅ Edge-Centric Design: Replaces rigid data center perimeters with scalable, cloud-based security deployed where needed.
By converging networking and security at the edge, SASE reduces complexity while enabling faster, more secure access to applications—anytime, anywhere.
✅ Enhanced Security: Enforces consistent policies, full traffic visibility, and inspection across all ports and protocols.
✅ Optimized Performance: Dynamically adapts to evolving threats, hybrid workforces, and business needs.
✅ Edge-Centric Design: Replaces rigid data center perimeters with scalable, cloud-based security deployed where needed.
By converging networking and security at the edge, SASE reduces complexity while enabling faster, more secure access to applications—anytime, anywhere.
SASE Architecture
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A SASE (secure access service edge) architecture combines networking and security as a service functions into a single cloud-delivered service at the network edge. This enables an organization to support dispersed remote and hybrid users automatically by connecting them to nearby cloud gateways as opposed to backhauling traffic to corporate data centers. It also provides consistent secure access to all applications while maintaining full visibility and inspection of traffic across all ports and protocols.
The model radically simplifies management and reduces complexity, which are two of the main goals of SASE. It transforms the perimeter into a consistent set of cloud-based capabilities that can be deployed where and when they’re needed. This is a more streamlined alternative to establishing a perimeter around the data center using a collection of disparate, point-product security appliances.
Because it’s cloud-based, secure access service edge enables a more dynamic and high-performing network that adapts to changing business requirements, an evolving threat landscape, and the new innovations that will shape the future of your network.
SASE Components
The SASE framework aims to consolidate various functions and capabilities into minimal products or services from a limited number of vendors. This approach enhances operational speed and simplifies management. Five essential technologies are fundamental to secure access service edge deployments.
SWG
The secure web gateway (SWG) provides URL filtering, SSL decryption, application control, and threat detection and prevention for user web sessions.
Firewall as a Service (FWaaS)
FWaaS delivers a cloud-native, next-generation firewall, providing advanced Layer 7 inspection, access control, threat detection and prevention, and other security services.
CASB
A cloud-access security broker (CASB) oversees sanctioned and unsanctioned SaaS applications and offers malware and threat detection. As part of a DLP solution, it ensures visibility and control of sensitive data in SaaS repositories.
ZTNA
Zero Trust network access (ZTNA) enables continuous verification and inspection capabilities. It delivers identity-based and application-based policy enforcement for access to an organization’s sensitive data and applications.
SD-WAN
An SD-WAN provides an overlay network decoupled from the underlying hardware, providing flexible, secure traffic between sites and direct to the internet.
SASE Use Cases
Powering Hybrid Workforces
For the hybrid workforce, a cohesive approach to network performance and security is essential. A secure access service edge architecture emphasizes scalability, elasticity, and low latency, catering directly to this need. Its cloud-based framework is optimized to deliver application-specific performance, while integrated digital experience monitoring offers precise visibility for everything affecting user performance. The key advantage of SASE lies in the fusion of networking and security. This combination enhances threat monitoring and detection while filling in security gaps. The result is a streamlined network governance and simplified management, making SASE a foundational tool for supporting a hybrid work environment.
