For any company considering a move to virtualized networking, the pandemic provided the right motivation for the migration to software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN).
With workers and teams no longer centralized, the ability of SD-WAN to offer connectivity to corporate resources from a geographically dispersed workforce made it possible for companies to not only keep the doors open and the lights on, but even move forward with digital transformation strategies.
SD-WAN technology, which emerged in 2015, was timed right for the pandemic, with advanced SD-WAN offering benefits like reducing network complexity and better application performance.
Companies utilizing SD-WAN also began contemplating other technology aimed at networking, this time with an eye on security. Secure access service edge (SASE) combines SD-WAN with additional tools to create an integrated secure networking approach. SASE adds in secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), and zero trust network access (ZTNA) with SD-WAN so that performance and security are kept in balance. It is a framework that delivers both network connectivity and network security in a single model designed to support digital transformation strategies.
Now companies are considering a third S-themed technology for networking: security service edge (SSE). When added in with SD-WAN and other SASE components, it offers a more secure network environment. SSE is viewed as a unifier for security components to improve secure access to cloud services, the web, and private applications.
A major role that SSE plays in the complete security policy of an IT environment is in its securing of internet of things (IoT) devices. Some companies have hundreds, or even thousands, of these devices – and with most SASE frameworks, it is impossible to run a ZTNA with SSE on the device.
This is where advanced SD-WAN comes in to secure IoT devices, because its ability to offer micro-segmentation of network traffic and recognize the unique performance demands of each solution and device allows IoT devices to be secured.
This approach to networking is critical for digital transformation and future-proofing your organization because the role of IoT devices is growing and they are vulnerable to being lost or stolen.
Some IoT devices rely heavily on the traffic prioritization options that advanced SD-WAN offers. For healthcare settings in particular, these technologies and the network connectivity that supports them can offer lifesaving benefits to end users.
If your company is interested in considering the advantages that SD-WAN, SASE, and SSE can deliver to your digital transformation strategy, contact us at IT Broker. We can help you leverage the technology you need to equip a post-pandemic team for secure connectivity with optimal application performance.
