SASE as a Journey: Why Single-Vendor Doesn’t Mean Single Project

When IT leaders hear the term “single-vendor SASE,” many assume it implies an immediate, all-encompassing migration—a daunting project requiring the wholesale replacement of existing network and security infrastructure. This misconception can lead to hesitation in embracing a more modern and efficient approach to secure access. The reality, however, is quite different: SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) is a journey, not a single project. 

Much like pursuing a degree at a university, SASE adoption follows a structured, step-by-step approach. When enrolling in a university, students commit to a long-term goal—a degree. However, they don’t take all courses simultaneously; they progress through a carefully designed curriculum over several years. Similarly, IT teams embarking on a SASE transformation should identify their long-term vision while phasing in solutions that align with immediate business needs. The key to success is selecting the right platform—a “university”—that provides all the necessary components to graduate with a complete, future-proofed security and networking architecture. 

SASE Adoption as an Incremental Process 

SASE enables organizations to consolidate security and networking functions into a unified cloud-native platform. However, this transformation doesn’t require a rip-and-replace approach. Instead, companies can implement SASE in phases, integrating capabilities over time based on priority and readiness. Below are some common entry points into the SASE journey: 

1. Replacing Legacy VPNs with ZTNA 

• Many organizations begin their SASE journey by replacing outdated VPN solutions with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). Unlike VPNs, which grant broad access to internal resources, ZTNA enforces granular access control, significantly reducing the attack surface. 

2. Transitioning to Cloud-Based Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) 

• Traditional datacenter firewalls are expensive to maintain and complex to scale. By adopting FWaaS, enterprises gain centralized policy enforcement and eliminate the need for on-premises firewall appliances, streamlining operations and improving security. 

3. Integrating SD-WAN for Improved Network Performance 

• Organizations looking to optimize WAN traffic often start with SD-WAN, which enhances application performance while reducing MPLS costs. When delivered as part of a SASE platform, SD-WAN seamlessly integrates with security controls, reducing complexity. 

4. Enhancing LAN Security with a Cloud-Delivered LAN Firewall 

• Many businesses secure their WAN and internet traffic but overlook internal network segmentation. By deploying a cloud-delivered LAN firewall, companies can enforce application-aware policies for east-west traffic, preventing lateral movement of threats. 

5. Expanding Security Capabilities with Secure Web Gateway (SWG) and CASB 

• As organizations move more applications to the cloud, controlling web and SaaS access becomes critical. Adding SWG and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) capabilities allows IT teams to enforce consistent security policies across all user traffic. 

Why a Single-Vendor SASE Approach Matters 

While adopting SASE in phases is a practical approach, selecting a single-vendor platform from the outset provides long-term advantages. Just as enrolling in a university with a full curriculum ensures a clear path to graduation, choosing a single SASE provider ensures: 

• Seamless Integration: A unified platform eliminates operational silos by consolidating networking and security services under a single architecture, streamlining workflows, reducing compatibility issues, and ensuring smooth policy enforcement across all environments. 

• Consistent Security Policy Enforcement: A single-policy engine applies rules uniformly across all traffic flows, ensuring that security configurations remain standardized and adaptable to evolving threats. This consistency minimizes gaps in enforcement, enhances compliance, and simplifies the management of security postures across distributed environments. 

• Simplified Management: IT teams benefit from centralized visibility and control, enabling them to proactively monitor, configure, and troubleshoot network and security policies from a single interface. By eliminating the need for multiple management consoles, organizations reduce operational complexity, improve response times, and lower administrative overhead, leading to significant cost savings and efficiency gains. 

• Scalability and Future Readiness: A single-vendor solution allows organizations to expand capabilities seamlessly, adapting to evolving business and security needs without introducing disparate technologies that hinder agility. By leveraging a unified platform, enterprises can scale their security and networking functions effortlessly, ensuring consistent policy enforcement, streamlined management, and the flexibility to integrate new features as requirements evolve. 

A Journey with a Clear Destination 

SASE is not a single, monolithic project—it is a strategic journey with multiple entry points and milestones. The “single-vendor” aspect is about ensuring the chosen platform can support this journey from start to finish, without requiring disruptive technology changes down the line. By adopting SASE incrementally, enterprises can modernize their network and security infrastructure at a pace that aligns with their unique operational and business needs, ultimately arriving at a fully converged, future-proofed solution.