Why need Cisco SASE for Small Businesses?- Concept, Approach, and Benefits

Gartner defined a new approach to networking and security in 2019 due to the rise of remote workers and the growing push of business data and infrastructure into the cloud, which is defined as Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

Cisco SASE provides a viable alternative to standard data center security. It combines networking and security services into a cloud-based service that delivers access and security from the data center to remote offices, traveling users, and beyond. By choosing a vendor with a proven track record in networking and security, a Cisco SASE solution can simplify daily management, offer better security protection, and improve network performance.

Today’s workforce expects to be able to access applications from any location and on any device. It is now common to provide remote employees direct access to cloud applications such as Office 365 and Salesforce with additional security. The need for cloud-delivered security service expands daily as contractors, partners, IoT devices, and more require network access. Users and devices must be protected as in a corporate office or branch. Each requires secure application access and must now be handled as a single ‘branch.’

IT requires a simple and reliable approach to protect and connect with agility in this new paradigm. This is forcing network and security services to converge closer to users and devices at the edge and is best offered as a cloud-based, as-a-service paradigm termed secure access service edge (SASE).

Cisco SASE is a newer technology that builds on the principles and foundations of SD-WAN. SASE, for instance, employs many connection types and virtualizes network and security services such as bandwidth optimization and traffic redirection. The network and security tasks are now run in points of presence (PoPs) close to the user, rather than routers, switches, and devices in a central office, as part of SASE.

The three C’s approach to SASE

SASE is a network architecture that combines SD-WAN capabilities with cloud-native security functions. Cisco SASE helps organizations to simplify and scale secure connectivity for a distributed workforce. Yet, transitioning an existing network into a SASE architecture is a journey where organizations must consider overall business goals, architecture prerequisites, and licensing requirements.

Cisco integrates the three C’s, to help organizations navigate their SASE journey.

• Connectivity

Let’s take a closer look at connectivity. Like any network architecture, SASE faces fundamental networking connectivity challenges. For example, how do you get mission-critical apps to the proper people? How do you manage your traffic in the most frictionless and high-availability way possible? Moreover, how do you ensure seamless access to multi-cloud applications?

Cisco SD-WAN, whether powered by Viptela or Meraki, is completely controlled in the cloud. Installation, provisioning, and management have entirely automated that scale easily from small to tens of thousands of deployments. Micro-segmentation and policy-based routing select the best route, ensuring consistent, predictable performance. Secure access to any cloud application and the world’s leading cloud providers, including Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud, is provided by multi-cloud integration. Secure your connectivity on-premises or in the cloud with full-stack security capabilities.

• Control

The control imperative revolves around cloud-delivered security and policy enforcement across networks and users. A cloud-based service is essential because it gives complex distributed deployments the flexibility and agility they need.

The cloud-delivered Cisco Umbrella simplifies the protection delivery to users anywhere they access network and cloud applications. Powered by a global network and Cisco Talos threat intelligence, Cisco Umbrella integrates multiple security functions to address different requirements flexibly. Zero-trust network access (ZTNA) prevents unwanted access, contains breaches, and limits an attacker’s lateral movement on your network for enterprises with a wide footprint of remote employees. This means DNS-layer security gives the first line of defense against threats before reaching network endpoints for other organizations. While for others, start with DNS and expand to the secure web gateway (SWG) or cloud-delivered firewall (FWaaS) for deeper inspection and control of web and non-web application traffic. A cloud access security broker (CASB) protects against account compromises, breaches, and other significant risks for those organizations leveraging the cloud application ecosystem.

• Converge

And last, the third ‘C’ is converged, where Cisco brings together networking and security that meets multi-cloud demands at scale.

Cisco is taking a platform approach to SASE, seamlessly combining Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela and Meraki and Cisco Umbrella. This helps organizations eliminate complexity while leveraging the cloud for a seamless, secure connection experience. An organization can quickly scale up and out while protecting existing investments with a simple licensing model.

With the breadth and depth of its networking and security portfolio, Cisco can help you accelerate your journey to a SASE architecture where and when needed, in a secure and agile manner.

The Key Benefits of Cisco SASE

There are a number of benefits when you choose Cisco SASE for your business. Some of the most important key benefits are- 

• Secure direct-to-internet access, cloud app usage, and roaming users across any device, anywhere
• Deploy with confidence, thanks to flexible consumption models that scale with your business.
• Simplify management by consolidating points solutions in a single service
• Converge resources with an efficient as-a-service model
• Make your business more agile
• Reduce reliance on appliances, streamlining network and security operations in the cloud
• Cisco SASE can help strengthen your small business security.

What does Cisco SASE for small businesses include? 

Cisco SASE for Small Businesses offers a range of products and services. The most offered Cisco SASE includes the following: 

• Cisco SD-WAN Powered by Meraki 
• Cisco Umbrella 
• Secure Access by Duo 

WHY should you choose Cisco SASE for your Small Business? 

It is essential to consider the significance of Cisco SASE for Small businesses and they are as follows:

• Empower Remote Workforce 
• Reduce Cost and Complexity 
• Enable Digital Agility Network Performance 
• Comprehensive Security
• Integrated, That meets multicolored Demands 
• Strengthen small business security 

Leverage your remote business with full security and seamless networking through Cisco SASE. 

WHY choose Konverge Technologies for your Cisco SASE Journey? 

Konverge Technologies provide you smooth SASE journey of your enterprise towards a wide area network and security controls directly to the source of connection. This emerging network architecture and cyber security concept play a big role in the digital transformation of business.
Adopt Cisco SASE to reduce complexity, increase speed and agility, and enabled multi-cloud networking and secure SD-WAN architecture. Let Konverge Technologies be your partner in your SASE journey for assured business productivity and growth.