The way we work has fundamentally shifted. Hybrid models, where employees split their time between the office and remote locations, are no longer a niche trend but a widespread reality. This evolution offers numerous benefits, including increased flexibility and improved work-life balance. However, it also presents significant challenges for IT and security teams tasked with ensuring seamless access to applications and protecting sensitive data outside the traditional corporate perimeter. Security Service Edge (SSE) solutions have emerged as a critical framework for addressing these challenges and fostering secure and productive hybrid work environments.
The Evolving Landscape of Work and Its Security Implications
The rise of hybrid work is undeniable. In 2019, Gartner projected that over half of knowledge workers worldwide would be working remotely by the end of 2021. Although this number did not materialize as envisioned, studies show that 20% of the U.S. workforce works remotely, and an even higher percentage either works or prefers to work in hybrid mode. This shift is accompanied by the increasing adoption of multi-cloud strategies, with a significant majority of enterprises having such strategies in place or in development. Consequently, users, applications, and devices now exist far beyond the traditional network security boundaries, rendering legacy network security appliances less effective. The sheer number of devices per person has also increased dramatically, further complicating the security landscape.
This distributed IT world demands a new approach that balances robust security with a superior user experience. Traditional network-centric security models, relying on firewalls and VPN gateways, struggle to cope with the dynamic nature of hybrid work. They often lead to cumbersome deployments, increased attack surfaces, and frustrated end users experiencing performance issues and VPN activation dilemmas. The complexity of managing disparate security tools from multiple vendors adds further strain on IT resources.
SSE: A Modern Approach to Secure Access
Recognizing this significant shift, Gartner® identified a specific group of technologies to enable a modern method of connectivity for businesses, commonly referred to as Security Service Edge (SSE). An SSE platform consolidates essential security services into a single, cloud-delivered offering, providing universal secure access, visibility, and control to all business applications.
SSE platforms primarily fuse together three key security solutions:
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Provides secure access to private applications based on the principle of least privilege, verifying user and device identity and context before granting access.
Provides secure access to private applications based on the principle of least privilege, verifying user and device identity and context before granting access. Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Secures all web access, logging and inspecting traffic over ports 80/443 for greater transparency, control, and protection against web-based threats.
Secures all web access, logging and inspecting traffic over ports 80/443 for greater transparency, control, and protection against web-based threats. Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): Offers visibility and control over Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, helping to manage cloud adoption, reduce risk, and prevent data exfiltration.
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