SASE – Take security to users, not make them come to you

As businesses across Australia emerged from the long shadow of the pandemic, many of them discovered they'd become a digital business. Some intentionally, some out of necessity, but wherever they were along the road, the chances are that they'd made the trip sooner and probably faster than planned.

Moving into 2023, many of these businesses have continued their digital journeys, embracing the public cloud, hybrid working, automation, connected IoT systems, and more. As a result, the company is more productive, efficient and competitive. It's also less secure.

The more digital assets you have, the broader the potential attack surface. Attackers can target emails, applications, cloud services, dispersed employees, devices, networks, your supply chain and all the traffic across a network that is creaking under the weight of connectivity. Sometimes they attack several fronts at once or jump around if one approach doesn't work.

Your security needs to adapt. Keeping doors and windows locked doesn't work when many users, devices, applications, and data are in the garden. Securing everything independently doesn't work either. Siloed security measures or a range of point solutions from multiple vendors increase cost and complexity, and you don't have a complete picture of what is going on.

It's time to consider 'Secure Access Service Edge' or SASE

In an industry full of acronyms, SASE may be the only one you need in 2023. 

SASE is a cloud-based service or platform that combines networking and network security. First, it relies on SD-WAN networking to optimise network traffic and reliability; second, it relies on advanced integrated technologies (a whole raft of acronyms you won't need anymore) to effectively secure users, sites, and things regardless of location.

One platform with a single pane of glass provides secure access for users to the services they need or want, when they want them, wherever they are.

SASE offers a way for organisations to connect directly to the cloud efficiently and securely - by routing traffic based on the user's intention and the specific requirements of the application they're looking for, rather than always sending the traffic back through the data centre for security checks. This is achieved by harnessing advanced features such as Firewall-as-a-Service and Secure Web Gateways (FWaaS and SWG). Additional security inspection by SASE gateways can be applied where necessary.

The business benefits of SASE

Implementing a SASE platform increases integration, visibility, and security while reducing complexity and minimizing the attack surface. Second, SASE enables businesses to consolidate their list of security vendors; vendor consolidation helps further reduce complexity and cost for organisations.

Third, SASE provides powerful, secure access tools. Every user in SASE has an "identity", whether they are a person, an application or a device. They also all have "context" – based on where they are, the time of day, the device's security features, such as whether the software is up to date and has security installed etc., and the application or service they are using or would like to have access to.

SASE security policies are based on Zero Trust and look at identity and context – and the policy can change as the context changes. For example, the security requirements may be different if you want to access an application using your work computer while in the office or when you try to connect via your mobile phone in an airport departure lounge.

Why SASE? Why now?

Implementing a SASE solution – ours at Barracuda is called SecureEdge – helps organisations secure their users and operations in a digital world where everything and everybody is connected and on the move – a world that cyber threats and cyber attackers have quickly adapted to.

Of course, the business landscape and cyberthreat ecosystem will continue to evolve. Keeping security simple, scalable and integrated will help organisations and security vendors to be ready to adapt to whatever comes next.

If you'd like to know more about what SASE could do for you and your business – please get in touch and email us at ANZSales_Team@barracuda.com.