This is the third in a series of seven posts detailing a set of incremental steps for implementing a well-functioning SASE architecture. With a Next Generation Secure Web Gateway (NG-SWG) firmly in place and your visibility into all your traffic dramatically increased, one thing is certain: You may not like what you see next. Are your people using Microsoft Office 365? Salesforce? Workday? Box? The answer is almost certainly, yes.

The following is an excerpt from Netskope’s recent book Designing a SASE Architecture for Dummies. This is the second in a series of seven posts detailing a set of incremental steps for implementing a well-functioning SASE architecture. The first step in solving any problem is admitting there is one.

The next iteration in the history of technology convergence emerged with Gartner’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). Networking and security vendors have been integrating capabilities for decades, and market adoption of these integrations has only accelerated due to innovations such as virtualization and cloud computing. From a networking perspective, routing of traffic extends far beyond IP and MAC addresses to now include application steering and transport-agnostic overlay networks.

When undertaking a new project, the need to deliver quantifiable results today (or at least very quickly!) is a significant challenge facing a CIO, CISO, or anyone with high-level responsibility for enterprise networking and security. Unlike typical IT projects where long development cycles may be tolerated, security must demonstrate value right away and deliver quick wins. Vulnerability is scary.

Netskope is excited to announce the publication of our new book, Designing a SASE Architecture for Dummies. You’re likely familiar with the iconic Dummies series of books as helpful introductory guides to complex topics.

The success of a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture depends on how well networking and security teams, and the products and services they manage, converge into a shared set of priorities tied to business objectives. Unfortunately, new research from Censuswide confirms this network-security team collaboration is still strained—if not downright combative—at a majority of enterprises.

Gartner recently published the 2021 Strategic Roadmap for SASE Convergence, outlining key challenges that are driving shifts to Secure Access Services Edge (SASE) architecture. Not surprisingly, chief among these challenges are consistency, simplicity, transparency, and efficacy—all of which a properly implemented SASE architecture is positioned to solve. But knowing what the challenges are, how do we then get to SASE? Has your journey already started? What are the right moves?