Secure Access Service Edge: Where to Start and What's Next in Line?

This IDC Perspective highlights the key components of a secure access service edge (SASE) framework, the adoption rate within Asia/Pacific enterprises, and where exactly enterprises need to start when considering the initiation of their SASE journey. We are living in a hyperconnected world. With the increase in remote users and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, data is shifting from the datacenter to cloud-based applications and services, and more traffic is directed toward cloud services and branch offices and back to the datacenter. This shift has exponentially increased the demand for a new approach to network security. As the threat landscape continues to expand, there is a growing need for interoperability between network elements, necessitating the amalgamation of connectivity, network functionality, and security. This is where the imperative to embrace the concept of network and security convergence, also sometimes referred to as SASE, comes into play. This document details the core components of SASE, the business and technological benefits expected from a SASE framework, the adoption rate of Asia/Pacific enterprises in approaching SASE, including the vertical adoption rate, the key players offering SASE/SSE capabilities in Asia/Pacific markets, as well as the guided steps and best practices end users should adopt as they embark on their SASE journey."When selecting a SASE vendor, a preference is evident for those offering comprehensive capabilities for SASE/security service edge (SSE). Asia/Pacific enterprises express a reliance on their networking/connectivity provider for WAN capabilities. Notably, there is a discernible trend among enterprises to consolidate their partnerships with managed security service providers (MSSPs), moving away from the complexities of multivendor solutions. Faced with the need for simplicity, enterprises are seeking technology suppliers that can provide a myriad of capabilities with a unified single-pane-of-glass view," says Sakshi Grover, research manager, IDC Asia/Pacific. "With SASE, there is never a 'one size fits all' mantra. The suitability of SASE within an organization hinges significantly on the reliance on legacy solutions, the feasibility of implementation, the ease of integration, and the eventual business objective. Not every organization will possess use cases that justify the adoption of a SASE solution."