Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is a cloud model that combines network and security functions in a comprehensive cloud service. The term is pronounced “sassy” and is intended to allow organizations to manage network and security tools in a single consolidated interface. SASE has minimal hardware requirements and operates independently of where users and resources are physically located.

The recent discovery of the extensive Solar Winds hacking incident once again focused attention on the difficulty of securing enterprise data resources in the cloud. Thousands of customers had their networks breached by malware hidden in monitoring software. It appears that the cyberattack was perpetrated by a coordinated team of Russian hackers and the full extent of the intrusion will not be known for many months. Though this is one of the most egregious recent examples of a successful hack, it is certainly not the only one.

The cloud computing paradigm has introduced the concept of obtaining various components of an IT environment as a service. Using offerings such as software as a service (SaaS), organizations can add substantial functionality and flexibility to their IT resources without capital expenditures on hardware or hiring support personnel.