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Choosing A SASE Vendor
Choosing the right SASE vendor for your business is crucial for network security. In this article, we lay out important considerations for you to evaluate in order to choose the best implementation partner for your network. If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to check out the SASE services available from Versa Networks.
Understanding SASE
Secure access service edge, or SASE, refers to a framework for a network architecture that leverages wide area network (WAN) capabilities with cloud-based security solutions.
SASE securely connects users, systems, and endpoints to various applications and services using CASB, ZTNA, and FWaaS together with WAN functions. Since SASE frameworks are managed centrally from the cloud, they are an effective solution for fast-paced organizations.
SASE simplifies WAN management by eliminating the need for multiple applications that require complicated integration. With the help of SASE, an organization’s IT professionals can focus on core business functions and troubleshoot any errors instead of performing routine maintenance on network infrastructure.
What to look for in a SASE Implementation Partner
Switching to a SASE framework from a legacy solution is an effective way to provide organizations with scalable network and security services. SASE can reduce costs and uncomplicate network functions while increasing overall performance across the enterprise’s network. However, you must ensure that the SASE vendor you choose can supply you with key benefits that unlock the potential of having a SASE framework. Learn more about these criteria below.
Integration
Zero Trust Network Access, or ZTNA, integration is imperative for SASE implementation. ZTNA gives enterprises an identity-driven and contextually aware approach to securing their networks. Outdated network security solutions that rely on a VPN or firewall appliance made it simple for intruders to gain network access once those safeguards were breached. Thankfully, ZTNA corrects those issues of the past by enabling organizations to grant network access based on applications and user identities for cloud, mobile, and on-site resources.
Network Performance and Scalability
An optimal SASE framework should offer a fluid experience anywhere in the world. The most effective way to ensure that a SASE framework correctly addresses potential fundamental problems with internet routing, such as latency issues, is to seek vendors that provide global service level agreement (SLA) backed private backbones. Using SLA-backed SASE vendors ensures that enterprises have excellent network performance on a wide scale.
Cloud-native Approach
To reap the full benefits of implementing a SASE model, vendors must take a cloud-native approach. SASE demands an identity-centered approach to account for all edges of the network. These network edges include on-site, mobile, and cloud-based. When consulting with a SASE vendor, ensure they use a converged cloud-native software stack in their model, as SD-WAN appliances and other point solutions cannot.
Interface
SASE platforms should make day-to-day network security and management streamlined. When looking into SASE vendors, make sure to find one that offers an easy-to-use interface. SASE should remove the complexity and enable an organization’s IT professionals to focus more on business functions and troubleshooting errors and less on managing the network’s infrastructure.
10 Key Features Your SASE Solution Should Have
- A complete solution offering software-defined WAN (SD-WAN), network firewall (FWaaS), zero-trust network access (ZTNA), secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), data loss prevention (DLP), sensitive data and malware inspection, line rate operation, remote browser isolation (RBI), and user entity behavior analytics.
- An integrated offering that delivers all these capabilities as a fully converged and integrated software stack, not loosely coupled independent modules.
- Segmentation and IT/OT capabilities to isolate resources and converge user/device identification and authentication with policy management and enforcement for users, as well as for both client and clientless devices.
- An elastic and scalable architecture that uses single-pass scanning for all services per flow and has the dynamic scale-out capability for high performance to avoid inefficiencies of a multi-product or multi-OS architecture.
- Consolidated Analytics and data lake with a unified data model for logs and events and an ability to store data regionally for compliance.
- Single pane-of-glass management that unifies user, device, network, and security policy definition and management to ease configuration and deliver real-time as well as historical insights with AI/ML-based tools for faster correlation and troubleshooting.
- Delivery options including fully managed, co-managed, or self-managed; also cloud-delivered or on-premises to meet regulatory and compliance needs.
- A global footprint of distributed Points of Presence (PoPs) for policy enforcement to be conducted closer to the remote workforce and branches.
- Application Aware connectivity in access between remote branches or users/devices and cloud gateways, as well as in the backbone for delivering an optimal user experience based on dynamic network conditions.
- Seamless integration into a brownfield environment of other and existing architecture, technologies, and tools.
Why Choose Versa Networks As Your SASE Implementation Partner
Versa provides an end-to-end solution that both simplifies and secures the modern network. Versa SASE, based on VOS™, delivers an array of useful capabilities through the cloud and on-premises for building agile and secure enterprise networks, as well as highly efficient managed service offerings.
With our multi-layered network security and software-based approach, trust Versa Networks as your SASE implementation partner. If you want to find out if Versa Networks’ SASE platform is right for you and your business, schedule a demo today.