Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) offers a comprehensive approach to network management and security in modern IT environments. . Coined by Gartner in 2019, the term has become the buzzword in the past couple of years. This was mainly due to a newfound need for robust connectivity of increasingly higher numbers of remote workers and a solution to security issues inherent in this connectivity.
Today, there are quite a few SASE vendors in the market and some of them have already risen above average. They owe their success to the quality of the service they provide, the amount of networking and security functionalities they include, and the geographical reach of their infrastructure. There is an option for companies to go the “do it yourself” route, but more often than not, it is too complex to handle. It would involve integrating SASE components with SSE and WAN services. For this, and other reasons, companies turn to SASE vendors to build, deliver and manage these services.
So without further ado, here are the biggest SASE vendors that stand out the most:
1. Perimeter 81
With its SASE platform, Perimeter 81 revolutionizes the way its clients secure the data, users, and assets in their networks. It achieves this through a collection of industrial-strength business cybersecurity products and services for securing and managing users’ networks and critical resources.
These include ZTNA, business VPN as a Service (VPNaaS) or a cloud VPN alternative, FWaaS, cloud sandboxing, DNS security, endpoint security and compliance, SaaS security, and more. The offering is cost-efficient and scalable, ranging from basic network security and management to advanced business features to enterprise-level state-of-the-art security.
2. NordLayer
NordLayer is the flagship SASE product of Nord Security, a global cybersecurity powerhouse that's well-known for providing one of the best VPNs aimed at consumers. It is an adaptive network access security solution aimed at businesses that want easy scaling and integration with their remote access system. It provides its customers with a regularly updated SASE framework that can be easily integrated with existing systems since NordLayer is a hardware-free solution. It comes with a range of security features, including site-to-site tunneling that secures access to valuable corporate assets, AES 256-bit traffic encryption for the protection of data, Network Access Control (IP allow listing) for setting access permissions across the network.
In addition, NordLayer will provide you with an additional layer in your cybersecurity shielding in the form of biometric authentication. At the same time, Smart Access will allow you to set up a virtual LAN between corporate hardware and servers. Easy network segmentation is supported via the option to create custom private gateways. Finally, you will need no additional credentials thanks to the Single Sign-On (SSO) with Azure AD, OneLogin, Okta, and G Suite platforms.
3. Twingate
This California-based tech company offers a robust ZTNA solution that helps companies easily on-ramp their existing SASE or SSE solutions. One of the stand-out features is the ease with which it is deployed, once the initial setup has been done, which does require some knowledge and previous experience. Thanks to its P2P connection, it offers double verification protection, with 2FA universally being implemented.
Additionally, the solution streamlines management processes by providing a unified platform for overseeing all network and security tasks. This approach significantly reduces the complexities often encountered when managing multiple systems. However, it's worth noting that certain constraints, such as a limited command line interface (CLI) that is only accessible from Linux, may slightly diminish the overall user experience. Aside from that, Twingate offers a comprehensive, adaptive and robust solution that is able to meet the needs of even the most demanding enterprises.
4. Fortinet
FortiSASE is Fortinet’s fully integrated SASE solution which delivers consistent, real-time, intuitive, and cloud-based security across dynamic and distributed networks. Introduced after the vendor’s acquisition of SASE startup Opaq, it achieves this through a wide range of enterprise-grade security-driven features and functionalities.
These include the Intrusion Prevention system, ZTNA, cloud-delivered next-generation firewall (NGFW), SWG, data loss prevention (DLP), sandboxing, office VPN, DNS, and more. Together, they provide users with complete readiness to incorporate SASE.
5. Cisco
Named by Gartner as a leader in 2020 Magic Quadrant for WAN edge infrastructure, Cisco’s flexible and straightforward cloud-delivered SASE solution provides network and security capabilities for any user, device, or location.
Its dual-track strategy is based on the vendor’s Viptela- and Meraki-powered SD-WAN (which caters to over 30,000 customers), AnyConnect, Secure Access by Duo (ZTNA), Umbrella cloud security with DNS, CASB and more, as well as the ThousandEyes endpoint visibility.
Despite being rather simple to manage, this solution provides optimal SD-WAN operation and streamlined cloud-native security, along with ZTNA, secure web gateways, firewalls, and CASB.
6. VMware
Combining its VeloCloud SD-WAN infrastructure with ZTNA, SWG, NSX-based NGFW, DLP, remote browser isolation (RBI), FWaaS, and CASB, VMware’s SASE delivers its service through PoPs, in a sequenced or intrinsic fashion. This way, the platform can address various issues that have to do with cloud resources, while supporting scalability.
Such issues include migration of workloads to the cloud, deploying organization-wide cloud strategy, scaling new operating models, and so forth. It also provides tools for safeguarding distributed users and apps from external and internal threats at all levels. After the acquisition of AIOps vendor Nyansa, the platform received an artificial intelligence (AI) boost.
7. Zscaler
Zscaler’s automated and cloud-delivered SASE offering includes several solutions that supply network security as a SaaS and IaaS to individual users and businesses, built for performance and scalability. The easy-to-use and seamless platform delivers its full stack of features through the proxy-based access gateway infrastructure.
After acquiring security startup Edgewise Networks, the vendor threw its application micro-segmentation and zero-trust networking capabilities into the mix. Together with comprehensive network security functions like Secure Web Gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), firewall as a service (FWaaS), and zero trust network access (ZTNA), Zscaler now prides itself on a global presence through more than 150 of its data centers all over the world.
8. Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks’s SASE solution is an amalgamation of its cloud-delivered Prisma Access security service and CloudGenix SD-WAN, acquired in a 2020 merger for a whopping $420 million. CloudGenix is provided through a physical device available in different sizes to cater to both small branch offices and large data centers.
Ideal for businesses looking to migrate to cloud environments and achieve complete visibility, the platform combines the best of two worlds. Its capabilities include ZTNA, SWG, sandboxing of suspicious code, NGFW-as-a-service, DLP content filtering, DNS security, FWaaS, and CASB. After a recent upgrade, the two parts of this SASE platform are now configured and deployed together in a single operation.
9. Forcepoint
Forcepoint provides businesses with a comprehensive cloud-native SASE suite called Dynamic Edge Protection. Among other things, it equips users with a wide range of powerful security solutions featuring built-in behavior-based adaptive threat protection that stands between organizations’ systems and malicious attackers.
These solutions include ZTNA, malware scanning and sandboxing, web content inspection, CASB, NGFW, DLP, SSL, RBI, IPS, and clients through the One Endpoint agent. The agent itself provides encrypted connections without the need for a VPN client to manage them.
10. Cloudflare
Cloudflare One is the name of a new comprehensive SASE solution by the cybersecurity and content delivery giant Cloudflare, supporting cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments. The platform, introduced after the launch of Cloudflare for Teams remote access platform and the acquisition of S2 Systems, merges a wide array of security and network optimization functionalities.
These include traffic scanning and filtering, ZTNA, SWG, CASB, FWaaS, DDoS protection, the SD-WAN-like Magic Transit, Network Interconnect, Argo for routing, and WARP endpoints. The solution’s usability is also enriched through the vendor’s other solutions that include logging, an IDS, and access control.
11. Netskope
A platform providing security and networking services, Netskope’s SASE solution allows its clients to acquire compliance, visibility, and threat protection for sensitive data and workloads on cloud platforms.
Its unified cloud-native and real-time solution makes this possible through features that include ZTNA, CASB, private access, next-generation SWG, public cloud security, and advanced analytics. Through the constant security analysis, the vendor is capable of uncovering any security misconfigurations.
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing an SASE vendor it is important to know that some vendors deliver a complete and managed SASE solution, also known as single-vendor SASE solution. There are also those that provide only parts of a solution, and team up with other companies to provide a complete SASE solution. Therefore, the above names represent the leaders in the SASE field that continue to make strides towards developing solutions that help businesses scale and adapt in a secure and well-connected manner. If you have any trouble filtering down the vendors to provide you with these services and products, we recommend that you consult this list for assistance. Hopefully, it will give you a good start.
