What is SASE?

SASE converges cloud networking with security for simplicity, scalability, flexibility, and pervasive security. Combining network security functions with WAN capabilities, SASE delivers secure, optimal, and automated access to applications and workloads in the cloud. Regardless of the location of users and applications, SASE provides you with secure access from a single management platform.

SASE Convergence Roadmap

SASE has never been more relevant. The accelerated and sustained transition to a hybrid workforce has made converged cloud networking and cloud security a necessity.

Benefits of SASE

SASE secures the newly distributed workforce and network edge so people, apps, and devices can communicate from anywhere. The VMware SASE advantage is a unified edge and cloud service model with a single place to manage business policy, configuration, and monitoring.

Enterprise Agility

VMware's cloud-first solution enables quick, reliable, and secure delivery of applications anywhere and provides organizations operational flexibility to adapt to change.

Reduce Security Risks

Incorporate contextual awareness into access decisions and protect activities from breach and compliance risks.

Enhance Digital Experiences

Ensure user access and an optimized experience for mission-critical applications, even with a single link and degraded network conditions.

Improve TCO

With self-healing and a single management plane, VMware SASE helps customers reduce time to manage network and security operations by 50%*.

Empower the Hybrid Workforce

SASE Components

SASE architecture works together to provide a cloud-first approach, application quality assurance, intrinsic security, and operational simplicity. The components of SASE include: software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), zero trust network access (ZTNA), cloud web security (CWS), and artificial intelligence for IT operations (AIOps).

SD-WAN

Decouples networking services from the underlying networks, allowing application traffic to be carried independently of the underlying physical or transport components.

AIOPs

Reduce network troubleshooting and optimization and improve the end-user experience through network analytics, problem isolation, and actionable remediation enabled by AI/ML.

Zero Trust Network Access

Shifts from network-centric security to an approach based on identity, location, and context that “trusts no one,” granting authorized resources on-demand.

Cloud Web Security

Provides a set of cloud-based security services that include a secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), data loss prevention (DLP), and remote browser isolation (RBI).

VMware Products for SASE

Explore simple, comprehensive security and network services that enable a unified edge and cloud service model with a single place to manage business policy, configuration, and monitoring.

VMware SD-WAN

Platform to connect users anywhere to applications anywhere with assured reliability and performance

VMware Edge Network Intelligence

Actionable and automated insights on network health and app delivery

VMware Cloud Web Security

Cloud-based security for web threat protection, compliance, and SaaS control

VMware Secure Access

Enable secure access for remote users within VMware Workspace ONE

Enhanced Firewall Service

Eliminate legacy firewalls at the branch while improving security

Related Resources

Networking and Security are Converging in the Cloud

In this white paper, Frost & Sullivan discuss the market and technology trends driving the need for SASE, as well as the power of SD-WAN and security together.

SASE-Ready WAN Edge for the Work-From-Anywhere Era

Dell’Oro Group discusses the work from anywhere trend and why traditional wide area network (WAN) and virtual private network (VPN) approaches no longer work.

VMware SASE Solution Overview

Discover how organizations can effectively make the leap to the new normal of work from anywhere with VMware SASE.

Frequently Asked Questions

SASE stands for Secure Access Service Edge.

An ideal SASE solution provides consistent, secure access from anywhere, but not all vendors are up to the challenge. Look for a SASE vendor that can deliver integrated networking and security to reduce operational complexity. A SASE solution should also take a cloud-first approach, offer robust intrinsic security capabilities, including Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and scalable network capabilities like cloud-based SD-WAN.

Adoption of SASE enables benefits such as better application performance and improved data security, enabling consistently optimized network access from anywhere. In addition, the best SASE solutions deliver operational simplicity and are based on a cloud-first approach.

SASE solves many challenges, such as operational complexity and compromised cybersecurity. However, since SASE combines networking and security, it can be a challenge to implement when teams are siloed. Selecting vendors can also be an issue, especially when multiple products or vendors are required.

Businesses are moving applications to the cloud while allowing users to access them remotely. At the same time, companies must protect themselves from ever-evolving security threats. SASE allows IT to support these changes by providing the same experience whether users are in the office or outside it. SASE combines network and security services to enable a unified edge and cloud service model.

If you're ready to adopt SASE, make sure your IT teams are prepared. Since SASE combines networking and security functions, siloed networking and security teams present a hurdle to adoption. It's also important to find a vendor that offers flexibility and ideally stick to one or two vendors to reduce complexity.

Capabilities of SASE include:

  • Cloud-native, multitenant platform for on-ramp to public and private cloud.
  • Unified secure access for branch, campus, and mobile users.
  • Contextual access based on user identity, device location, and security posture.
  • Web and security policy control.

SASE is delivered as a cloud service with a multitenant architecture. Direct cloud access is offered through globally distributed points of presence (PoPs).

SASE is cloud-delivered networking with security. SASE components include software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), Secure Access, Cloud Web Security and Cloud Firewall.

Security Services Edge (SSE) is a subset of a SASE that includes just the security components. A full SASE solution requires both network and security functionality to connect distributed users to distributed applications securely, quickly, and reliably.

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