SASE and Network Architecture: What's the Deal?
SASE certifications: what to expect
SD-WAN and security are combined into a single, centrally managed cloud service called Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) that delivers simplified WAN deployment, improved security, and faster performance.
Gartner notes that SASE can speed up the implementation of new users, locations, applications, and devices, as well as reduce attack surfaces and shorten remediation times by as much as 95%.
The adoption of SASE has increased since the pandemic. In a June report from Sapio Research commissioned by Versa Networks, 34% of companies have already implemented SASE, and another 30% intend to do so within the next six to 12 months.
Currently, Gartner places SASE at the peak of its hype cycle, saying it will be mainstream within two to five years. Given that Gartner coined the term only in 2019, it’s quite astounding how rapidly the term has risen.
Is it too early to expect networking professionals to obtain certifications in this technology? Does this moment represent the perfect opportunity?
After launching Level 1 last November, SASE provider Cato Networks released Level II last week.
People want to know what SASE is, sift through all the noise, and determine what value SASE can bring to their enterprise IT.
SASE Implementation Tips from Gartner
As enterprises move toward SASE architectures, Gartner recommends involving both the CISO and network architect in the evaluation process to identify requirements such as latency, throughput, geographical coverage, and endpoint types to ensure an integrated approach.
As well as working on a small scale of networking, network architects also work on a large scale of networking. Security needs should always be considered within the organization, and countermeasures should be ready to be implemented when vulnerabilities are discovered.
To minimize complexity and improve performance, the report warns against relying on more than two vendors for the full SASE software stack.
Gartner suggests enterprises that need data-loss prevention (DLP) to work with a SASE vendor that has a well-established CASB offering, as they “have the most experience in this area.”
Furthermore, enterprises should take advantage of planned WAN, firewall, VPN, or SD-WAN refreshes or deployments to implement a SASE architecture for networking and security services.
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