rationalization of the sase offer at cisco
Cisco has recently announced the rationalization of its Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) offerings by providing a simplified and integrated pack that includes a passwordless authentication feature, making it easier for its customers to secure access to cloud resources. Cisco aims to simplify and improve the functions of networking and security to enhance the customer experience, and this move is expected to help reduce the number of security vendors and products by integrating the offer, a trend that 95% of businesses are seeking, according to Gartner.
The improvements in security offerings have enabled Cisco to change the purchasing modalities of SASE products and enhance access to the network. Gee Rittenhouse, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Security Business Group at Cisco, announced that the company is offering SASE as a single integrated pack that customers can purchase as a simple subscription service with a cloud-based dashboard that is easy to configure and use. The integrated pack includes SD-WAN Viptela and Meraki solutions, Duo and AnyConnect remote access, Umbrella security, Duo zero trust, and other security components.
The integrated package is expected to be beneficial to companies as the majority of businesses want to reduce the number of security vendors and products, making it easier to manage security operations and deploy a more integrated approach to threat protection and incident response. Peter Firstbrook, Vice President of Gartner Research, stated that vendors should focus on removing obstacles to adoption and increasing the level of integration. He also mentioned that the SASE security model is one of the current hot topics because network traffic is increasingly shifting from LAN to the cloud, making it important for Cisco to offer a comprehensive solution to address this issue.
In addition, Cisco announced the SASE Developer Center, a channel that provides access to the DevNet software developer community, which offers resources to facilitate the creation of SASE implementations that integrate SD-WAN, Meraki, Umbrella, Secure Access by Duo, AnyConnect, ThousandEyes, and other Cisco SASE components. The SASE Developer Center provides automation use cases for integrating Cisco Secure Access by Duo with SecureX, Code Exchange examples for monitoring ASA VPN with ThousandEyes, Learning Labs, and access to DevNet Sandbox to begin using Cisco's SASE technologies.
Cisco's integrated SASE package includes browser isolation activities, protection against data loss, cloud-based malware detection, and support for Meraki MX environments with Umbrella security. Although the DLP and browser isolation features are desirable, Cisco was behind Symantec and Zscaler in this area, but it still offers a comprehensive solution to address network security and management.
In conclusion, Cisco has simplified its Secure Access Service Edge offerings by integrating the services and making it easier for customers to purchase, configure, and use the service. This move is expected to help reduce the number of security vendors and products, making it easier to manage security operations and deploy a more integrated approach to threat protection and incident response. The SASE Developer Center provides access to the DevNet software developer community, which offers resources to facilitate the creation of SASE implementations. By offering a comprehensive solution, Cisco has made significant strides towards addressing network security and management issues.