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四月 19, 2021

Keeping up with a Hybrid Workforce Requires Fast Tracking SASE in 2021

Jim Fulton

Part of our ongoing series about SASE.

Technologies that control access to networks and applications have undergone notable innovations over the last decade to connect and protect all of the people and data that now operate outside the traditional enterprise boundary. With the world turning upside down last year and now shifting to a hybrid work model, the need for controlling both access to and usage of business information everywhere so that people can work anywhere has never been more urgent.

Fast Track to SASE in 2021

Today, organizations must be able to provide fast, reliable, and secure access to their employees no matter where they’re located or what devices they’re using. Doing so requires a change in how security is delivered so organizations can protect workers on the web, across the network, as they access cloud services and data on multiple endpoints. This really sets the stage for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).

Eric Hanselman, principal research analyst at 451 Research, recently joined our Chief Product Officer Nico Popp in a fireside chat to discuss SASE and how it is being driven by an expanding hybrid work environment.

Here's a few of the key SASE insights they discussed:

SASE continues to be a priority for CISOs:

Pre-pandemic, CISOs were already viewing SASE as a priority—a natural outgrowth of their digital transformation to the cloud. The start of the pandemic forced organizations to do whatever it took to immediately provide functional access to remote employees.

For many, that meant relying on traditional solutions like VPNs even though they came with significant cost and operational burdens. Now that the world is settling in for the long haul, many of those organizations are looking for longer-term solutions that address the fundamental issues of access scalability, meaningful visibility and data security—all things that SASE can help achieve.


Data security is becoming an important part of the SASE equation:

While SASE represents a re-thinking of both network and cloud security, organizations are realizing those a means to an end: enabling people to use business data safely and efficiently. In the past, data protection often was seen as a separate discussion, but the events of 2020 shined a light on how access and usage are a continuum that has to be addressed together.

Understanding the endpoint is key:

Compared to traditional internal network controls, the cloud often provides limited visibility to how a person is using data. For remote workers, the cloud is often the source of data, but the endpoint is where much of the important usage of that data occurs. We at Forcepoint think of the endpoint as a trilogy within the SASE story.

Our unified endpoint agent steers network traffic to the right access points and controls (such as gateways for getting to private apps, the web, and the cloud); monitors activity to provide full visibility into users’ behaviors and actions; and enforces security policies for protecting data and ensuring that cloud-based SASE services are accessed properly.

And that’s just the start. Eric and Nico will also be discussing actionable steps you can take for getting started with SASE. They’ll highlight how successful SASE implementations should start with identity capabilities that allow for effective integration. This makes it much easier to layer on robust access capabilities, not just delivery capabilities. And finally, to enforce controls at the point of use. It’ll be a fun conversation. Hope to see you there.

View the on-demand recording of Fast Track to SASE in 2021 webcast via the link.

Jim Fulton

Jim Fulton serves as VP Product Marketing & Analyst Relations, focused on SASE, SSE and Zero Trust data security. He has been delivering enterprise access and security products for more than 20 years and holds a degree in Computer Science from MIT.

Read more articles by Jim Fulton

About Forcepoint

Forcepoint is the leading user and data protection cybersecurity company, entrusted to safeguard organizations while driving digital transformation and growth. Our solutions adapt in real-time to how people interact with data, providing secure access while enabling employees to create value.