In telecom, as in many other sectors, the pandemic accelerated a move to digital communications and activity among both consumers and employees. During this transition, the telecom industry will continue to serve as a foundation to build digital assets and improve performance in this increasingly crowded space.
The growth of the digital economy combined with sophisticated data management and analysis makes 2021 an exciting time to be in the telecommunications business. One area that enterprises are focusing on includes SASE (“sassy”). Keep reading to learn more about how to implement this technology and stay ahead of the competitors in your industry.
What Is SASE?
Secure access service edge or SASE is an emerging idea in cybersecurity. It was first described in a Gartner report, The Future of Network Security in the Cloud. Available network approaches don't provide the level of access and security needed by organizations to keep their customer and corporate data safe.
These entities need new technology for uninterrupted access that lets in legitimate users and ferrets out unauthorized hackers and other bad actors. With the rise of remote workers and internet-dependent software as a service application (SaaS), companies need to move data across the globe faster. With so much traffic clogging the public cloud, new approaches are required to ensure that data gets where it's going without interception by hackers and thieves.
Why SASE Is Important?
With national and international legislation centering on data breaches, compliance policies and continuous access are sometimes at odds. Companies are forced to assess their comfort level with risk exposure versus their need to incorporate new technologies quickly. SASE simplifies the landscape for administrators without compromising security. By identifying entities as groups, devices, people, and IoT systems, network administrators can keep data secure without clogging up the pipeline.
According to the Gartner study, up to 40% of companies will have strategies that include SASE. SASE architecture applies policy-based security using innovative identification models for applications and company data. This allows for multifactor identification of users no matter what device they use or where they log in from.
Failing to adopt SASE technology can put your customers at risk. It can also put your company at risk considering that your major competitors will probably adopt this technology to create agile, effective security protocols.
SASE Will Grow Among Competitors. Are You Ready?
SASE may have previously seemed like an over-the-top strategy that could eat up the budget without a significant impact on performance or security. However, that was before the pandemic hit and everyone was forced to work from home.
Traditional SD-WAN Doesn't offer the flexibility to support a widely distributed access base for remote workers. Using faster internet options solves the performance issue but puts your data at risk. SASE addresses issues related to how the workplace has transformed by offering flexible access options that don’t make data more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
With the majority of employees working from home for the foreseeable future, your network needs the capability to handle increased workloads across a trusted, distributed system. If you want to move applications to secure platforms without compromising security, consider investing in SASE technology.
The pandemic was a wake-up call for human and technical challenges that needed to be addressed anyway. Your competitors are rethinking their antiquated IT and WAN architectures. Will you be ready to compete with them?
It's important to partner with vendors that offer secure, agile platforms that take into account the realities of the new working conditions necessitated by the pandemic.
Ready to track your IT assets?
Let’s perform an audit with ongoing invoice management, cost allocation, and bill payment services. You’ll save time, money, and resources for less mundane tasks.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JEFF POIRIOR
Jeff brings 25 years of telecommunications and information technology management experience in voice and data networking, server support, and telephony and security; with a significant emphasis on customer service. Prior to joining Valicom, he was chief of the infrastructure support section for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Jeff was the vice president of operations for CC&N, overseeing telecommunications, help desk, data, and desk side support services. Prior to that, he served as the associate director of technical resources for Covance, responsible for managing systems and network operations supporting 1700 users in Wisconsin and Virginia. He has also led data center operations at Magnetek Electric, supporting mainframe systems, client/server applications, telephony systems, and computer-aided design. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University and a master’s degree in business administration from University of Phoenix. In addition, Jeff is a past board member of the Wisconsin Telecommunication Association.