There are a lot of acronyms in the world of business, and security is no exception. Two of the most commonly used security acronyms are Security Service Edge vs SASE. But what do they mean? And which one is right for your business?
In this blog post, we’ll break down the differences between SSE and SASE, so you can decide which type of security is best for you.
Security Service Edge vs SASE: What is the Difference?
Security access service edge (SSE) defines the security-as-a-service aspect of an architectural framework. In contrast, SASE describes an architecture framework that unifies networking and security offered as a unified service from the cloud.
As enterprises seek to simplify and consolidate their network security for remote and hybrid employees, some choose a best of breed dual vendor strategy with distinct solutions for networking and security.
For moving from on-premises to cloud-based SSE, many things happen.
They want to move their security systems from inside the company to outside. As with SASE, the drivers stay the same:
Improved user experience and performance
Having a single security stack backhauling all traffic to a single location makes less sense. It works as data and applications move outside the enterprise perimeter.
People work from home and on the go more and more. This causes congestion, latency, and a bad user experience. With points of presence worldwide, users get a fast, local connection wherever they are, and data is checked closer to where it’s used.
Scalability and agility
Today’s businesses are very dynamic, so they need to be able to support workers who work from home or are hybrids, change their mandates, support mergers and acquisitions, get third-party access, and take advantage of seasonal peaks.
People who use cloud-based services don’t have to buy new hardware and software as their business needs change, so they don’t have to keep them up to date (e.g., patch them).
Consistent security policies
How do you ensure that the same security policy is used by remote users, contractors, and people who work in the office? Unlike separate security solutions, a unified cloud-based security management system lets you manage policies for branch offices, third-party vendors, and employees from the same place.
This means that everyone is protected with the same security stack, whether on or off the premises. It improves the whole company’s security posture.
Unified visibility
An all-in-one solution that monitors, alerts, and reports on all access events from a single source makes it easier to audit and eliminates blind spots.
Organizations that use security as a service from the cloud can use less IT talent. It is because they can outsource and offload a lot of the work needed to keep and grow their security.
Instead of managing hardware, teams can focus on managing policies. The cloud vendor will take care of things like load balancing and redundancy for high availability. It includes backup and restore routines, and planning for business continuity in the event of a disaster or other event that is out of the company’s control.