The debate about the best working environment is widely contested, but what many organizations seem to agree on is that remote work and hybrid work are here to stay. With organizations embracing employees working in a variety of environments – both inside and outside the office walls – IT leaders are tasked with creating long-term plans to build more secure and connected networks to accommodate this.
That’s why it’s more important than ever for IT infrastructure and services to run efficiently without sacrificing security, especially as many leaders turn to secure access service edge (SASE) offerings and zero-trust strategies to protect increasingly distributed environments.
Networking and security have always gone hand-in-hand, and they are becoming increasingly intertwined with the rise of SASE. In the SASE framework, the goal is to maintain the best network agility, without sacrificing security. So, technologies that are ideal for SASE frameworks also bring together these networking and security elements: like VPN and SD-WAN with cloud-native cybersecurity defenses like firewalls, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and secure web gateways. Examples like these combined solutions create more secure networks that work across cloud environments and different types of networking infrastructure. In fact, SASE/SSE architecture is so effective that according to Gartner, 80% of enterprises will have adopted this framework to unify web, cloud services and private application access by 2025. This is up from just 40% in 2021.
Diving deeper into the components of secure network connectivity, having a zero-trust strategy in place - beyond just a sole VPN – will also be imperative for security success. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 60% of organizations will embrace zero trust as a starting point for cybersecurity, which is a security strategy that requires identity authentication throughout the network, rather than just at initial login. That means organizations should look to investing in solutions that offer identity management, threat intelligence, network security, endpoint security and app security to meet these demands. Luckily, solutions offered in the zero-trust space are only growing, and they’re predicted to create a market worth nearly $60 billion USD by 2027 (Statista).
Most importantly, the future of secure connectivity relies on the principle that security is a shared responsibly throughout an organization – and it is vital for all individuals to take part. As the way we work continues to evolve, connectivity needs and cybersecurity threats will continue to evolve as well. Partners who can offer their customers integrated solutions that address modern needs like secure connectivity for a variety of networks stand to benefit.