Top 5 Benefits of SASE Solutions

SASE is as much about an approach to IT and transformation as it is the technologies that underpin it. The holistic nature of the framework is arguably its key strength. It is the foundation upon which organisations can harness the full power and potential of digital, data and technology. We'll unpick what all this means for you as we reveal our top 3 benefits in this article.

We'll be kicking things off with a closer look at the cost savings that SASE can facilitate. Most investments in technology are made with the aim of preserving budget, or at the very least gaining more value, benefits or features for the same outlay. We'll explore how SASE can deliver both!

1. Cost savings

The biggest driver for investment in cloud is typically the opportunity it creates to reduce operating costs. For many organisations, their digital estate has expanded into multiple Cloud Service Providers in order to consume new technologies and services as and when they emerge. However, in nearly all instances there is still a reliance on legacy and on-premise infrastructure too. Connecting these physical and digital worlds without incurring extortionate costs, long lead times or disruption to users is often a problem.

With SASE, organisations are able to implement hybrid and multicloud strategies that allow them to select the application, technology or provider that best fits their requirements, all through a single, cloud native managed service. This eliminates the costs and time associated with unnecessary network complexity and the management of multiple vendor contracts.

The acquisition and management of physical assets can be costly and admin intensive for IT teams already burdened with day-to-day, operation critical responsibilities. It often requires a significant amount of time and expertise to procure, install and maintain the necessary infrastructure and security devices to begin reaping the benefits of cloud. Furthermore, the business is also responsible for ensuring the infrastructure is resilient and that all necessary upgrades are performed at the appropriate time.

Minimising network complexity means reducing the workload for internal IT teams. SASE provides you with the opportunity to save on time, money and resource when all are in short supply.

2. Optimised network performance

The second benefit we're going to explore is the impact a SASE solution can have on network performance. Organisations require full control and visibility of their network. SASE platforms allow them to leverage any technology or carrier medium to seamlessly connect all endpoints on their network together, including cloud, enterprise sites, remote users and the data centre.

Software based, intelligent routing delivers better network performance and improved reliability. It reduces the administrative burden on IT teams and facilitates cost savings compared to traditional networking infrastructure.

SASE can also help minimise latency by routing network traffic across a global edge network where it can be processed closer to the user. Routing optimisations can help determine the fastest network path based on network congestion and other factors. This automation helps deliver the best user experience for customers and staff.

Additional security features and controls can be built in to protect applications, data and users. With that in mind, let's move onto the next benefit.

3. Enhanced security

The third benefit we'll be exploring considers the ways in which SASE can strengthen and consolidate the security of your IT estate, its users and the data residing within it.

Legacy network infrastructures often require multiple security devices deployed across the estate to keep pace with the latest guidelines and standards. This legacy hardware is often unable to deliver the latest security functionality, such as IPS, NGFW, and SWG, which are all fundamental components of the SASE framework. Organisations find themselves deploying more and more security solutions to plug gaps as and when they appear, often creating additional complexity and requiring more resource to manage and maintain.

SASE eliminates this issue by employing FWaaS, a cloud-based suite of security functions. Features like URL filtering, IPS, anti-malware, and fire-walling are knitted into the infrastructure, delivered alongside the SASE connectivity solution. This makes it easier for organisations to manage their network security, set and enforce consistent policies, spot irregularities and risks, and respond decisively to threats. All edges, including physical sites, users and cloud environments, receive the same uniform protection.

IT teams need the ability to consume new network and security technologies as and when they become available, without the administrative headache that this often creates. They need a solution that protects the business from data breaches and cyber security threats, while also providing complete visibility of their network, users and data. As organisations continue to explore the benefits of hybrid and multicloud, there will be additional network security requirements to consider, including how to provision secure connectivity between all physical sites, on premise and cloud environments, partner ecosystems and remote workers.

4. Improved agility and scalability

As organisations grow and evolve, their network and security needs become more complex. Traditional network architectures often struggle to keep up with the rapid changes in digital infrastructure, user demands, and cloud environments. SASE provides a cloud-native framework that is inherently agile and scalable, making it much easier to adapt to organisational changes, new business needs, or evolving security threats.

With SASE, organisations can quickly scale up or down depending on demand, ensuring that their network infrastructure remains aligned with their business objectives. This scalability is crucial for companies undergoing digital transformation or those expanding their workforce, particularly in terms of remote work or global expansion. Additionally, SASE enables organisations to deploy new security and networking policies almost instantly, allowing for a rapid response to emerging threats or shifting regulatory requirements.

By centralising the management of networking and security functions, SASE also reduces the time and effort required to implement changes, eliminating the need for extensive reconfiguration of on-premise hardware. The result is a more responsive IT infrastructure capable of supporting innovation and business growth.

5. Unified management and visibility

The fifth and final benefit (although there are of course more!) is unified management and visibility. Managing a hybrid or multicloud network can be challenging without the right tools and visibility into how data and users are interacting across various environments. One of the key advantages of SASE is its ability to centralise the management of network and security policies under one unified platform. This consolidation of management functions provides complete visibility into the organisation's entire network, from on-premise data centres to cloud applications and remote user devices.

Unified management tools offered by SASE give IT teams the ability to monitor and manage all network traffic, user access, and security policies through a single dashboard. This holistic approach reduces complexity, streamlines decision-making, and improves efficiency, allowing IT teams to respond quickly to incidents, adjust access controls, and fine-tune network performance.

With SASE, visibility into user activity and network performance is enhanced through comprehensive analytics and reporting tools. These insights can help organisations identify performance bottlenecks, optimise resource allocation, and ensure that security policies are consistently enforced across all edges of the network. Ultimately, unified management and visibility empower organisations to maintain control over their digital environments while simplifying the ongoing maintenance and operation of their IT infrastructure.

Download the Top 3 Benefits of SASE infographic below for a concise reminder of the key points we've covered in this article. Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss any of the issues raised. We'd love to hear from you.