Secure access service edge (SASE) solutions have been driven by digitalization, work from anywhere, and cloud-based computing. This enables enterprises to access any device, anywhere, at any time.
For security and risk management executives, this means developing a security strategy that shifts away from the traditional perimeter and hardware-based services and toward a SASE approach. Thus, the old perimeter must evolve. For instance, a collection of cloud-based, integrated capabilities built as and when a company needs them.
The Importance of a SASE Roadmap
The SASE roadmap is a strategic approach that helps organizations build the right security infrastructure for their business. It answers two main questions:
- What does the cloud-based environment look like?
- How do we leverage it for our own needs?
The SASE roadmap answers these questions by outlining three main phases of development, each with its own goals and objectives.
Identifying potential gaps in existing technology
The first phase focuses on identifying potential gaps in the existing technology and finding solutions that can help fill those gaps. In this phase, you’re looking at current security and risk management assets and identifying whether they are sufficient. The goal here is to determine what can be replaced and what will need to be overhauled to ensure that your organization is fully protected.
This first phase is essential to lay a strong foundation for the rest of the roadmap. It’s important to take stock of your current situation and build a strategy based on what you find.
To make the most out of this phase, security stakeholders should work with their teams in charge of IT, finance, and business.
Take stock of the current infrastructure
As you transition from the first phase into the second, you’ll want to take stock of your current infrastructure and look for solutions that will fill any last gaps. Here, you’re looking for opportunities to optimize your security controls by implementing solutions that will help you reach your goals faster, easier, and more cost-effectively than before.
The goal here is not just to protect yourself against external threats – it’s also to have real-time visibility into all internal activities and events. This means being able to detect internal threats like insider threats, accidental loss of sensitive data, or malicious intent at the earliest possible stage.
These are all highly complex problems that require a sophisticated approach, so it’s important not only to identify solutions but also to evaluate how they can fit into your overall strategy.
For example, if you want a solution that enables you to maintain real-time visibility into all activity inside your company – including on mobile devices – then you might want an identity access management (IAM) solution that maintains single sign-on (SSO) capabilities and supports mobile access management (MAM).
This way, employees can log in once with their corporate credentials and access all systems they need without having additional logins or passwords on their devices. This is especially useful when employees are working remotely or on the go where they may not have access to email or other resources needed for access management.
This phase is also an opportunity to examine any legacy software or hardware systems and replace them with new, cloud-based alternatives that offer significant improvements over legacy applications – both in terms of functionality and cost savings.
Conclusion
The SASE roadmap not only helps you identify gaps in your existing infrastructure but also helps you make the most out of any new solutions that you deploy. It lays the groundwork for a successful deployment and ensures that you’re making the most out of your security and risk management investments.