Best Practices for Successful SASE Deployment

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a network security solution that has garnered widespread interest and adoption in recent years. As corporate IT environments grow and evolve, companies face significant challenges in monitoring, managing, and securing these environments. Cloud computing, remote work, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, and other aspects of modern business introduce new security risks and challenges.

SASE is intended to help address these security challenges via an integrated, cloud-based solution. SASE combines the required networking and security capabilities for protecting the modern, distributed enterprise in a single, integrated solution.

Learn More Best Practices Implementing SASE

SASE Functionality

SASE is considered the future of network security because it dramatically simplifies and streamlines the process of securing the corporate WAN. SASE incorporates several key network and security capabilities, including:

  • Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN): SD-WAN offers intelligent, application-aware routing of traffic over the corporate WAN. SD-WAN endpoints will inspect traffic and select the optimal route based on corporate policy and the health of available network links.
  • Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA): ZTNA implements least privilege access for the corporate network and applications. For each request, ZTNA evaluates the user’s permissions and the context for the request to make an access decision before allowing access to the requested resource.
  • Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): CASB manages access to corporate cloud applications and the data that they contain. With deep application and control, it can steer requests based on corporate policy.
  • Firewall as a Service (FWaaS): SASE offers the protection of a next-generation firewall (NGFW) under a FWaaS form factor. This cloud-based NGFW will inspect HTTPS traffic en route to its destination, offering scalable security for corporate web applications.
  • Secure Web Gateway (SWG): An SWG provides secure access to Internet-based content, including web applications and resources. SWG incorporates functionality such as URL filtering, an intrusion prevention system (IPS), anti-bot protections, and an antivirus.
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP): DLP helps to prevent the exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized, external parties. DLP solutions will scan outbound traffic for personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive and restricted data.

Best Practices for SASE Deployment

SASE offers the potential to replace many of the traditional point security products that protect corporate networks. As a result, a SASE architecture should be carefully designed and managed to achieve the desired result.

The following best practices can help to guide your organization’s SASE implementation journey:

  1. Define Strategy: SASE should be deployed as part of a defined strategy with clear, measurable goals and metrics. For example, a SASE deployment may have the objectives of implementing least privilege access management for corporate resources, continuously monitoring devices for compliance, and providing consistent protection across the corporate WAN.
  2. Assessment and Prioritization: Assessment and prioritization involve determining what the organization needs to protect and developing a plan to do so. This should begin with a complete inventory of the organization’s assets and business requirements (remote connectivity, inter-app communications, etc.). With a clear understanding of what requires protection, the organization can develop an implementation strategy that maximizes return on investment (ROI).
  3. Leverage Existing Capabilities: Few organizations have a green-field SASE deployment with no existing security architecture or capabilities. When implementing SASE, take advantage of existing capabilities and work to close security gaps first before working to replace functional legacy capabilities with SASE.
  4. Mapping and Accessibility: SASE offers routing and access management for the corporate WAN. To define access controls, optimize routing, and plan a deployment, it’s essential to map out relationships between users, known applications, and data sources.
  5. Design a SASE Framework: Based on the collected information, the organization can design a  plan and framework for its SASE implementation. This includes mapping out requirements, selecting an appropriate SASE solution, and outlining a plan for implementing the SASE deployment.
  6. Implementation: During the Implementation stage, the organization puts the identified solutions and policies into place. This not only includes deploying and testing tools but also creating the least privilege access controls based on the identified relationships between users, applications, and data sources.

SASE Deployment with Harmony SASE

SASE offers network management and security for the modern organization. As corporate WANs become more distributed, an integrated security solution that offers centralized monitoring and management is essential to enforcing consistent security policies across an organization’s entire IT infrastructure. SASE offers a cloud-based , scalable solution that incorporates the security and networking capabilities needed by the modern enterprise.

Check Point Harmony SASE implements SASE capabilities based on industry best practices and standards. Harmony SASE provides Check Point’s industry-leading network security capabilities as part of an integrated, cloud-based package. Learn more about how your organization can implement SASE with Check Point solutions.

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Harmony SASE

Harmony SASE Internet Access 

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SASE Implementation Best Practices

Related Topics

Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) 

What is a Secure Web Gateway (SWG)

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

SASE Architecture 

What is SD-WAN?

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