Private SASE – For Those Who Need to Build Their Own!
February 15, 2024
Introduction:
Interest in SASE has exploded with CIOs and CISOs alike. The promise of dramatic cost reductions, security improvements and improved agility delivered by a converged networking (SD-WAN) and security (SSE) infrastructure is compelling. However, today’s SASE solutions are commonly delivered on a shared global infrastructure of PoPs provisioned by a handful of technology vendors. This approach doesn’t always meet everyone’s requirements.
A “shared” SASE approach is generally good enough for many companies, delivering unified networking and security capabilities with fast time to market and cloud/SaaS economics. But because these shared services lack any ability to control and manage service delivery, it can create challenges for organizations who need to deliver an assured user-experience, or have compliance, regulatory and security requirements to address. The level of scrutiny faced by many regulated organizations translates to many additional compliance requirements to meet the expanded infosec, privacy, operations and data residency policies. For many such organizations, this additional risk combined with the sheer size and distribution of the infrastructure has traditionally made it easier to build and operate their own infrastructure.
As a result, we see growing demand for a different SASE model – a model that delivers a dedicated SASE infrastructure and operations that align with the diverse and evolving needs of regulated businesses, government entities and Service Providers. We call this “Private SASE”.
Considerations when using Shared SASE architectures
The shared SASE model presents certain challenges, particularly when it comes to hosting services in the cloud. One issue is the reliance on deploying individual proxies or virtual machines (VMs), which can lead to increased costs and potentially degrade application performance. And, the configuration and software components are isolated within the cloud service provider’s infrastructure, limiting the ability for detailed troubleshooting and management for both customers and service provider engineers. Notably, there is often no differentiation in traffic prioritization, with business-critical applications receiving the same level of service as general Internet traffic, which may affect the efficiency and performance of key business operations.
And for Service Providers and shared services in an organization, it introduces the business limitations when you can’t oversubscribe users or using existing network assets and data centers.
- Data sovereignty and compliance – One of the key tenets of a shared cloud infrastructure is to deliver economies of scale by aggregating data storage and management in one or a handful of physical locations. For organizations subject to strict regulatory requirements, using this approach might pose challenges in proving compliance. This is particularly relevant when it comes to data residency and sovereignty issues, as data might be processed or stored in locations not compliant with certain regulations.
- Limited customization – Shared services often come with standardized policies and configurations that may not fit every organization’s unique requirements. This can limit the ability to customize security policies and network configurations to meet specific business needs or compliance requirements.
- Inflexible pricing models – most SASE vendors price their shared services on a “per user” basis that doesn’t provide the business flexibility needed by large, complex organizations that may need the ability to offer SASE services to their end customers on a different basis.
The rise of Private SASE
The value of SASE is embraced well by all. There’s a growing segment of organizations wanting to build and manage their own dedicated SASE infrastructure. Such Private SASE deployments allow these organizations to have increased control and flexibility to operate their own air-gapped infrastructure isolated from others. These organizations are building their infrastructure often leveraging their existing assets and customize their network, security, and data residency policies. This offers tremendous benefits in terms of enhanced data control, optimized performance, and cost savings for organizations that have existing infrastructure they can deploy on. Here is a summary of the key benefits that make private SASE a valuable option for organizations looking to adopt SASE in their own way:
- Meet Data Sovereignty and Compliance Requirements. Private SASE offers an approach that can be tailored to meet specific compliance regulations and industry standards. Avoid issues of data residency based on where the logs are being stored. Organizations and service providers handling sensitive data, like those in healthcare, finance, or government sectors, benefit from the ability to implement strict security protocols and compliance measures. These requirements often stem from standards and regulations that include PCI, HIPAA, GDPR and federal regulations including critical infrastructure.
- Leverage Existing Infrastructure. Private SASE enables enterprises to use existing infrastructure investments and their existing infrastructure teams to manage it. Avoid the complexity and cost of migration. Leverage existing infrastructure and achieve your target SASE architecture through an evolutionary approach. How? Deploy it as an extension of your existing network footprint. Add the security capabilities where you need today and grow as you need. For example, you can keep the existing routers, firewalls, SD-WAN in place but security centralized; add ZTNA and SWG for hybrid workforce and remote offices; advanced security services can be adopted as you need. Migrate at your own pace while converging network and security policies.
- Scale and customize a SASE footprint that aligns with your business footprint. Shared SASE PoPs are optimized to serve the needs of many; but these PoPs may not be optimally located near your offices and employees. Why not leverage your own facilities or footprint to host SASE gateway? Why not use your own underlay to connect these gateways to build your own middle mile? With Private SASE, you can do all this and more.
- Be in Control. Private SASE networks dedicate the entire infrastructure for one organization – aligning scalability with business growth and changing needs. Organizations can have better control, flexibility, scale up or down without the constraints of shared infrastructure, ensuring that their network infrastructure evolves in tandem with their business. Private SASE also enables organizations to have finer control over the user experience and network policies.
- Service Providers get New Revenue Opportunities. For Service Providers offering a commercial SASE service to their customers leveraging a shared SASE infrastructure makes them a reseller. The margin expectations for SPs makes it challenging for them to compete in reselling shared SASE services.Private SASE empowers service providers to design and build the infrastructure – using their own network assets, their own facilities – doing so with a lowered cost structure. They then offer value added sovereign SASE services to all of their target customers – in SMB, Commercial and Enterprise segments. They can create their own pricing packages and unique value propositions that SASE technology providers are unable to. This can include flexibility between user-based or bandwidth-based pricing and capturing economies of scale.
Private SASE is not for all, it’s only for those for whom shared infrastructure just won’t work. Unlike the ‘as-a-service’ model in a shared SASE architecture, Private SASE requires investment in infrastructure and a team with the necessary expertise to operate and maintain it effectively. It’s a complex undertaking, not suited for every organization, but rather for those prepared to invest in the required resources and ongoing day-to-day management. This approach to Private SASE is not a limitation, but rather a strategic decision and organizations should carefully evaluate their readiness for this level of commitment, ensuring they can successfully harness the full potential of a private, tailored network solution.
Conclusion
At Versa, we offer you choices.
In today’s dynamic landscape, businesses need to grow their top line but must do so while controlling costs. For them to deliver connectivity and security in a simple, scalable while meeting regulatory, compliance and data sovereignty needs requires choices of building and operating their network and security infrastructure. Every organization must assess their unique requirements, considering factors such as operational scale, security needs, regulatory compliance, and budget constraints. This assessment guides you in making an informed decision between leveraging shared SASE for its cost-effectiveness and scalability, or opting for private SASE for its customization, scale and performance.
Versa Networks recognizes this critical need for flexibility and choice. By offering both shared and private SASE solutions, Versa empowers organizations to select the option that best aligns with their specific operational needs and strategic goals. This approach ensures that organizations are not constrained by a one-size-fits-all solution but are equipped with the right tools and infrastructure to thrive in an increasingly complex and evolving digital environment.
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