As more enterprises opt to deploy their applications on the cloud, security has emerged as a major “headache” or complication. A 2024 Cloud Security report revealed the following findings:
- 78% of companies are choosing a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environment.
- Cloud security and compliance remain the top concern for 59% of enterprises.
- 95% of companies are considering the use of a single cloud security platform to protect their data and applications.
AI-powered cyberattacks are dominating the threat landscape on the cloud. With the emergence of LLMs and Generative AI, hackers are using these technologies to invent more sophisticated forms of attacks.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is widely regarded as the “one-stop solution” for cloud security. Let’s understand some of the common challenges in traditional security solutions – and how SASE addresses them.
Common challenges with existing security solutions
It’s no secret that this decade marks the transition to “decentralization,” where most computing resources are located external to the company’s IT network. The remote working model has added to the “headache” with more users and data moving outside the “traditional” network and premises.
In 2024, Software-as-a-Service (or SaaS) makes up around 70% of business applications used by companies. Due to performance issues, companies can no longer afford to pursue a centralized approach to cloud security. Existing security solutions or approaches are creating a variety of challenges:
- Lack of visibility and coverage
In a decentralized working environment, data flows between on-premise systems and the cloud. In such environments, centralized security tools (or policies) can lead to gaps in visibility and coverage. This increases the chances of a successful data breach or compromise.
- The complexity of security threats
With cyberattacks becoming more complex and sophisticated, traditional security tools struggle to mitigate these threats. Additionally, they generate a lot of false alerts that make it challenging for IT security teams.
- Limited budgets
To boost their cloud security, organizations have to deploy a host of security solutions (across multiple locations) including:
- Cloud-hosted firewalls
- Data protection systems
- Intrusion detection
This can be impractical for companies with limited cybersecurity budgets and resources.
Why SASE is a one-stop solution for cloud security?
As a network solution, SASE provides secure access to cloud services and applications. How does it accomplish this? By integrating a host of security services including SD-WAN, security protocols, and other capabilities including:
- Anti-malware
- Cloud access security brokers
- Secure web gateways
Effectively, SASE technology combines security with networking functions, thus facilitating a unified security posture for modern enterprises on the cloud. Here are some of the security-related components of SASE:
- A secure web gateway (SWG) efficiently blocks any insecure traffic from entering the company's IT network. This is effective for protecting users and applications from a host of malware attacks, malicious traffic, and other cyber threats.
- Cloud access security broker (CASB) protects cloud-hosted applications from data breaches and malware infections. It also provides end-to-end visibility into the active use of cloud apps and services.
- Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) replaces the traditional firewall with cloud-powered firewalls, which deliver advanced features like URL filtering, intrusion prevention, and DNS-level security.
- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is based on the “least privilege access” where trust is never assumed. This helps in providing remote workers secure access to internal apps and services, without any exposure to the public Internet.
In any cloud environment, SASE improves data security by simplifying its implementation. Along with a reliable security posture, companies implementing SASE can avail of benefits like cost efficiency and cloud management. Besides, they can adopt a modular approach to data security by deploying the SASE solution that they need the most at first – and then moving to the next.
For the modern realm of distributed users and applications, SASE delivers both threat protection and data loss prevention as an integral part of its core model. Here are four reasons why SASE has become a necessity for modern enterprises:
- Enables scalability for business, security, and network to handle the increased demand.
- Provides the flexibility for enabling the hybrid work model by maintaining enterprise-level security for all users and devices irrespective of their location.
- Simplifies cybersecurity management for IT security teams, thus empowering them to handle advanced threats and attacks.
- Delivers a reliable foundation for an efficient IoT ecosystem – with end-to-end security and connectivity.
Conclusion
In the modern age of security threats, traditional tools or approaches can no longer safeguard business data and applications from cyber threats. Organizations need a security framework that goes beyond their traditional workspaces and networks. This is why SASE is being regarded as a one-stop solution for cloud security challenges.
At Wissen, we understand the importance of cloud security for our customers. With our cloud-related services, you can successfully implement SASE to meet your complex security needs.
If you are looking for a reliable cloud partner, we can help you out. Contact us now.
