By Saurabh Prasad, Senior Solution Architect at In2IT Technologies
As more organisations move applications and data into multiple cloud platforms, the challenge of managing access and securing traffic across a fragmented environment is becoming harder to ignore.
Traditional network architectures, built around the idea of a central data centre, are no longer adequate to support this dispersed digital infrastructure.
This is where Secure Access Service Edge, or SASE, has started to earn its place in strategic boardroom conversations because it solves real, growing problems.
Many enterprises adopt Security Service Edge (SSE) first and keep existing SD WAN worth noting as a pragmatic path.
Gartner distinguishes SSE as the security half of SASE. Some teams start with SSE (SWG, CASB, ZTNA) alongside existing SD WAN, then converge to full SASE over time.
Why the traditional model no longer holds up
Previously, businesses operated under a straightforward model: funnel all users and devices back through a centralised security stack, regardless of their location.
However, as applications migrated to the cloud and workforces became increasingly mobile, this model became strained and impractical.
The process of routing traffic back to a central location introduced latency, escalated costs, and exposed new risk vectors, underscoring the urgent need for a new, efficient approach.
The reality today is that data, users, and applications are no longer confined to the same space. Employees connect from anywhere, apps run on a mix of public and private clouds; and sensitive information travels across countless digital touchpoints.
Trying to retrofit legacy infrastructure to secure this new environment is like patching a leaky roof during a storm, expensive, inefficient, and rarely effective.
SASE: built for the way businesses operate today
SASE combines network and security functions into a single, cloud-delivered service. This includes capabilities like secure web gateways, cloud access security brokers, firewalls, and zero trust network access, all integrated and centrally managed.
What makes SASE appealing isn’t just the technology itself but the philosophy behind it: simplify access and secure everything, no matter where users or applications live.
For businesses operating across multiple clouds, SASE provides a consistent way to control user access, enforce policy, and detect threats without creating silos between different platforms.
Instead of managing separate tools for each environment or relying on patchwork security policies, companies gain a cohesive framework that scales with them.
Flexibility without sacrificing control
One of the biggest pain points in managing multi-cloud deployments is maintaining visibility and control. Each platform often comes with its configurations, user access models, and data security tools.
This inconsistency leads to gaps that are difficult to monitor and even harder to fix. SASE changes that, providing a unified solution that brings relief to the complexity of multi-cloud deployments.
With security functions embedded in the cloud, policies can follow users wherever they go, whether they’re accessing files on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, connecting to an internal app from a personal device, or working from a remote location.
This kind of flexibility allows organisations to adapt quickly without compromising security.
More importantly, SASE is inherently designed for dynamic scaling. Whether a company is onboarding a new team, expanding into new regions, or shifting workloads to different cloud providers, the underlying architecture can support those changes without major overhauls.
It’s a future-proof approach that ensures your investment in SASE will remain relevant in a world where business needs change frequently and unpredictably.
Why implementation isn’t just a technical decision
Despite its advantages, adopting SASE is not simply a matter of buying a product and flipping a switch. It requires rethinking how the organisation approaches networking and security from the ground up. This is where IT service providers and security experts play a critical role.
An experienced IT partner can assess an organisation’s current environment, map out risk areas, and recommend a tailored SASE strategy that aligns with business goals.
This is particularly important in industries with regulatory requirements or where sensitive data must be tightly controlled.
Without proper planning and integration, companies risk turning a simplification effort into yet another layer of complexity.
There are also decisions around identity management, traffic inspection, and data loss prevention that need to be made early in the process.
For instance, how will the identified users be managed across different cloud platforms? What level of traffic inspection is necessary to ensure comprehensive security?
How will data loss prevention measures be implemented and integrated with the overall SASE strategy?
These decisions are crucial and should be made in consultation with experts to ensure they are aligned, not just technically but strategically.
Cost-effectiveness comes from strategy, not shortcuts
One of the often-touted benefits of SASE is cost reduction. But the real savings don’t come from cutting corners or swapping out tools.
They come from removing redundancy, reducing operational overhead, and preventing breaches before they happen.
A well-implemented SASE model reduces the burden on internal teams who would otherwise have to manage dozens of security policies and tools.
It can also improve the user experience by reducing the latency introduced by backhauling traffic, which is the process of routing network traffic through a central location.
Ultimately, these efficiencies translate into better security outcomes and lower total cost of ownership, but only if the approach is deliberate and informed.
Security as an enabler, not a barrier
As digital ecosystems grow more complex, security should no longer be seen as a barrier to innovation or speed.
SASE enables businesses to embrace change; whether that’s cloud migration, remote work, or global expansion, without introducing unnecessary risk.
The focus shifts from building walls to enabling access, from defending perimeters to securing identities and data wherever they move. In this model, security becomes a foundation for agility and growth, not a bottleneck.
For companies navigating the realities of a multi-cloud world, SASE is a practical, scalable approach to making secure access simpler and more effective.
And with the right guidance and implementation strategy, it can become a competitive advantage that supports innovation rather than slowing it down.
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