SASE ideal product for SME service providers

MSPs are not having it easy these days. Their customers have increasing demands as more and more organizations use cloud-based applications. This has fueled the growth of MSP solutions, which SMBs are eager to use. Companies and their employees can enjoy better integration and higher productivity regardless of where they work from.

However, there is a major drawback to this progress: security. Many companies still use VPNs to stay in touch with employees who are at home. VPNs have had a reliable reputation for protecting users and corporate resources outside the corporate network. However, due to their reliance on a perimeter-based security approach using desktop-based firewalls, these networks are no longer secure enough for mobile workers and SaaS cloud workflows.

Not just VPNs

MSPs that still use VPNs need to respond quickly. There are several reasons why they should move to more advanced SASE (Secure Acces Service Edge) technology. The most important of these, of course, is security.

Older VPN systems do a poor job of securing remote and hybrid workers, especially with a large number of applications being moved to the cloud. Cybercriminals are well aware of this, which is why the targets of their attacks are increasingly precisely those network users who work from home and are protected mainly by VPNs.

Most SMB applications are moving to the cloud. VPN appliance solutions precede this transition, and they were designed primarily to protect corporate resources, applications and data for users outside the corporate network. However, when SMB workflows become cloud-based, VPNs cannot effectively provide security. VPN-based appliances are cumbersome and inefficient for cloud-based SaaS applications, causing performance issues. When users are out of the office and applications are in the cloud a firewall is not the safest solution for this type of protection. This is because it has limited hardware resources, and the SMB Internet connection may be overloaded or inadequate. This unnecessarily slows down operations.

Pandemic and the need for change

To fully understand what happened, one must go back to the 1990s, which is when the first VPN technologies appeared. The real development and dependence on its activity dates to the first quarter of 2020, the moment when the Covid19 pandemic swept the world. Companies were quickly forced to switch to working from home. MSPs rushed to help their customers change from a centralized, office-based system to a remote model. They tried every possible measure to ensure that users could work without inconvenience. Less than three years ago, however, no one wondered whether such measures were the best way to maintain security. Indeed, the battle was on to get companies back up and running as quickly as possible, regardless of the side effects.

Today, however, both companies and MSPs have a different perspective. Remote or hybrid working has become the standard, giving rise to the search for better ways to protect employees and businesses' digital assets.

What is SASE?

MSPs are realizing that they need to improve network access management and maintain security controls. An excellent solution for this type of protection is the Cato SASE Cloud, which provides a cybersecurity technology known as SASE (Secure Acces Service Edge).

While both VPN and SASE are used to authenticate and provide secure network access for users, they use different methods to do so. Unlike a VPN, which uses an on-site firewall, SASE combines several network security protocols into a single cloud-based solution, providing multi-layered security.

Cato SASE Cloud uses a number of features and tools. These include Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) and Zeto Trust Network Access (ZTNA). The products maintain high corporate security standards such as next-generation firewall protection, providing network filtering, application control, ad blocking and tracking to stop Internet threats. 

The Cato SASE Cloud system provides easy cloud deployment, scales dynamically and is cost-effective. These features are important because they help SMBs address more important issues that a huge portion of business is currently facing.

An obstacle MSPs face is the fragmented state of VPN technology. They often struggle with a distributed environment with dozens of solutions available, and in most cases they combine three or four to connect SMBs to their employees at all customers. Through the perimeter streamlining associated with SASE, providers in MSPs can easily solve this problem. It unifies the technology so engineers don't have to learn multiple solutions - they just need to master one system.

Because the SASE solution is easy to deploy, cloud-based and well-scalable, MSPs can boldly add space and resources without worrying about running out of space or having to manage available ISP bandwidth or worry about burdensome licensing. This allows MSPs to expand their network operations to support remote workers while improving security.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

The most important part of the Cato SASE Cloud system is ZTNA. Its key component is built-in content filtering. This provides an additional layer of security to manage Internet traffic and protect users, applications and data. Such an action reduces risk by limiting access to sites a user may visit. These include social networking sites such as Facebook, which often prompt employees to click on ransomware. In addition to filtering, ZTNA provides faster response times for critical business applications that often slow down remote work. With Cato SASE Cloud, traffic to productivity-critical applications is prioritized to ensure adequate performance.

Improved MSP productivity

Defending the edge has become a priority in almost every enterprise. SASE's innovations not only better protect users, but also take care of the company's finances thanks to the increased performance that comes from moving away from VPNs while cutting costs.

Because it is cloud-based, the product is deployed easily and quickly by MSPs. With the ability to connect to corporate firewalls and provide seamless security controls, it eliminates the need for on-site staff visits, as everything is done online. This is a major convenience, as normally downtime would be required or implementations performed on Sundays, nights or holidays. Here, on the other hand, it is possible at any time.

Cyber security best practices are changing rapidly. Companies that choose SASE can quickly ditch outdated VPN architectures and move to a multilayered solution that facilitates remote and hybrid work, and provides security. For enterprises that need maximum edge protection, Cato SASE Cloud is a great solution.