An Inside Look at Life Before and After Deploying SASE

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SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) is an enterprise networking and security service that converges SD-WAN with multiple security functions – including FWaaS, CASB, DLP, SWG, and ZTNA – into a converged, cloud-native service that is manageable, optimized, secure and easy to use.
But what does life after SASE really look like when implemented in an enterprise? To find out, we interviewed Ben De Laat, Head of IT Security at BrandLoyalty, who implemented Cato’s SASE Cloud, together with trusted Cato Partner and IPknowledge’s Managing Director, Steven de Graaf, who assisted with the implementation. This blog post is an abridged version of their insights. For a more detailed account of their experiences, you can read the full eBook, here: “Life after deploying SASE”.

SASE Migration Use Cases

First, let’s start our SASE journey by understanding when is the best time to transition to SASE? It’s strongly recommended to consider a migration to SASE when:

• MPLS contracts are up for renewal and can be replaced with a more secure and higher performing alternative at a lower cost.
• Employees are working at multiple global locations and require a secure and frictionless solution.
• IT is managing complex networking environments and need a simple-to-use, high-performing and secure substitute.
• The workforce is employed remotely or in a hybrid manner and needs a scalable and secure solution to connect all employees, but without backhauling and based on least-privileged access.

Your SASE Migration Plan

The operational migration to SASE is quick and efficient, sometimes requiring only weeks from start to finish! To accommodate and complement this quick shift, it is recommended to prepare a well thought out plan that can help evangelize the transition internally, monitor it and track success. We recommend such a migration plan include:

1. The strategic business value – How SASE will enable employees to focus on their core responsibilities, instead of them having to spend time and become frustrated when dealing with the effects of misconfigured firewalls or URL filters that are blocking valid websites.
2. The technological value – How SASE’s converged architecture and single software stack will eliminate IT and IS overhead and hassle, ensure optimized connectivity and provide an optimal security posture.
3. The financial value – How SASE will reduce the annual costs of networking and security, coupled with the value to the business.

An Inside Look: Life Before and After Deploying a SASE Service | Whitepaper

Life After SASE: What’s New?

What can IT leaders, security professionals and business leaders expect once they’ve migrated to a SASE service? Here are six new SASE-driven organizational achievements that will make you throw your hands in the air and wonder why you didn’t migrate to SASE sooner.

1. Newfound Network Visibility
   SASE’s convergence of end-to-end networking and security provides newfound visibility into the network. Rather than having network and security information split between discrete tools and services, IT has a single pane of glass with visibility into the entire network. All security and networking events are stored in a common database, mapped onto a single timeline. With one timeline for networking and security, IT can troubleshoot problems faster, spot anomalies quicker, and enable better operational monitoring.
2. An Optimal Security Posture
   SASE provides insights into which systems and services are being used by employees and third parties and their vulnerabilities. If necessary, this information can also help IT identify system replacements and eliminate shadow IT.
3. Better IT Services for the Business and for Users
   SASE’s seamless, unified service displaces point solutions in a robust and reliable manner. This new architecture enables IT to monitor operational activity so they can optimize line provisioning. In addition, with SASE replacing the grunt work, IT teams have more time to work on strategic business initiatives.
4. Seamless Remote Work Unlocked
   SASE replaces high latency VPNs. Instead, traffic is routed over a global private backbone and monitored for threats. The result is high-performance and secure connectivity for all users, everywhere.
5. Optimized Connectivity and Performance
   SASE optimizes performance and the user experience by throughput maximization, providing increased and cost-effective bandwidth by routing traffic on a cloud-native, global, private backbone with multiple internet access links and active-active configurations.
6. Peace of Mind
   With SASE, both end-user and IT and IS can focus their efforts on fulflling business-critical initiatives. No more operational overhead, fretting over updates and lack of visibility into metrics and performance.
   Are you ready to get started with SASE? Read more about what the transition to SASE looks like in our new eBook “Life after deploying SASE”.