What is SASE, and How Can It Improve Security for Your Remote Team?

Working remotely is a huge perk, but does it leave your business open to cyber threats? Traditional network infrastructure, legacy VPN solutions, and on-premises firewalls were designed to protect employees and servers in centralized office locations. However, cloud-based models are intended to protect distributed teams while maintaining the performance and scalability that today's businesses demand.

You might be asking yourself, "What is SASE?". SASE stands for Secure Access Service Edge. And it's no wonder newer models like this are gaining traction, with 32% of companies using SASE and 24% intending on doing so within the next 12 months. SASE adapts to the challenges of remote work, providing unified security policies and seamless scalability. 

So, What is SASE?

SASE is the junction where networking and security meet. Rather than relying on multiple perimeter-based security tools, SASE security merges with networking functions into a unified service that workers can use, no matter where they are working from.

SASE security uses four basic principles. 

1. SD-WAN: Your network becomes faster and safer as the most secure route is chosen for your data to travel between offices or remote locations through the internet.

2. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Each employee must pass security measures before they can access company systems.

3. Cloud Security Services: Stay protected from advanced threats in real time, no matter where you work.

4. Firewall as a Service (FWaaS): Provides network protection without the complexity of managing physical appliances.

This approach closes the security gaps that are usually found when organizations attempt to cobble together multiple solutions from different vendors.

What's Wrong with Traditional Security Solutions?

Legacy VPN technology slows down security and performance. Remote users connect through centralized data centers, creating latency issues and making a less pleasant user experience. Scaling VPN infrastructure for growing remote teams requires a significant investment in hardware and IT resources.

On-premises firewalls create single points of failure and make it hard to track remote user activities. With employees working from different locations, traditional infrastructure struggles to maintain consistent security.

Will My Remote Team Be More Secure with SASE?

SASE's unified security approach transforms remote work as it removes the complexity of managing multiple security tools. Organizations gain protection through a single cloud-delivered platform that evolves with your business needs.

Zero Trust Security is the heart of SASE's security model. Every user and device must authenticate before accessing any corporate resources, regardless of their location. This approach reduces the attack surface and prevents lateral movement within the network if a breach occurs.

Continuous monitoring and threat protection ensure that security teams maintain real-time visibility into all network activities. Advanced threat detection identifies and neutralizes sophisticated attacks, including malware, phishing attempts, and zero-day exploits, before they can impact business operations.

The cloud-based architecture ensures consistent use of SASE security policies across all users and locations, ensuring that remote workers receive the same level of protection as office-based employees.

How Can SASE Help My Company?

Here are the key benefits of SASE:

• Complete Protection: Adapts to specific security needs and maintains compliance.

• Improved Performance: SD-WAN ensures remote teams remain productive, reducing delays and improving user experience.

• Seamless Scalability: Cloud-native architecture supports growing remote teams without additional hardware or complex infrastructure upgrades.

• Cost Efficiency: Joins multiple security tools into a single platform, reducing licensing costs, simplifying vendor management, and decreasing total cost of ownership.

How to Get Started with SASE

To begin, evaluate your current network and security infrastructure to identify any gaps and determine integration requirements with existing systems. This assessment helps pinpoint specific remote access and cloud security needs, ensuring that the SASE solution is tailored to your organization. Collaborating with an experienced IT provider, such as Integrated Computer Services, can simplify this process and guarantee optimal configuration for your environment.

Scale Up Your Security with SASE

"What is SASE?" is likely no longer your question; rather, you're probably wondering, "How do I get it?" Traditional cybersecurity is no longer enough for remote teams. At Integrated Computer Services, we provide the latest cloud-based SASE model, offering enhanced connectivity and protection from cyber threats in a cost-efficient and accessible manner.

Contact us to discover how we can strengthen your business's defences.