SASE vs. Zero Trust Security For Enterprises

3 min readAug 15, 2023

In 2022, one-third of the participants from the UK’s IT sector reported losses of up to half a million pounds due to security breaches within their organizations.

As data breaches continue to make headlines, businesses are left pondering the most effective approach to safeguard their sensitive assets. This begs the question: What is the most robust strategy for securing modern enterprises? Is it the sophisticated architecture of SASE or the highly acclaimed concept of Zero Trust Security?

Let’s find out which fits your enterprise best, starting by dissecting the core principles of these two security models.

What does SASE mean?

Coined by a marketing analyst firm Garnet, the term SASE stands for ‘Secure Access Service Edge’ — a technology that brings Wide Area Network (WAN) and security controls directly to users, devices, or edge locations via cloud computing.

SASE means reshaping the very foundations of network access. In the past, we used to manage network access through separate solutions, creating complex and costly silos. But with SASE, enterprises can speed up product development, bring them to the market more quickly, and easily adapt to shifts in business conditions and the competitive landscape.

By avoiding the need to route all WAN traffic to distant data centers, SASE reduces latency, making it ideal for dispersed users and applications moving off-premises. SASE’s security relies on digital identity, real-time context, and compliance policies instead of traditional security appliances like firewalls. This digital identity encompasses individuals, devices, cloud services, and more.

Zero Trust Security: Trust No One, Verify Everything

On the other hand of the security spectrum, we have the concept of Zero Trust Security. As the name suggests, Zero Trust Security operates on a simple yet profound principle: never trust, always verify. Here’s how Microsoft defines it:

“Instead of solely relying on the resources behind the corporate firewall, the Zero Trust Security model assumes compromise and verifies every request as if from an open network.”

In a world where the perimeter has virtually dissolved due to remote work and cloud adoption, Zero Trust Security advocates for continuous authentication and rigorous access controls. By scrutinizing every request for access, regardless of its origin, enterprises can thwart insider threats and deter external attackers with equal efficacy.

Now the million-dollar question: which one is the optimal choice for your enterprise?

Scenarios Where SASE Takes the Lead

If your business is undergoing a cloud migration, aiming to employ the adaptability and scalability of cloud resources, SASE serves as the best solution. Its capability to stretch security measures across cloud settings, branch offices, and remote workstations guarantees steadfast safeguarding and uninterrupted efficiency.

Furthermore, the application controls offered by SASE empower administrators to supervise user engagements with meticulous accuracy, thereby strengthening protection against possible data breaches and vulnerabilities inherent in cloud applications.

Based on a worldwide survey conducted in 2020, as much as 19% of participants from the IT sector were geared up to implement SASE within the next twelve months.

Scenarios Where Zero Trust Suits Best

In a world where remote work is becoming the norm, Zero Trust Security shines brightest. If your enterprise boasts a highly distributed workforce, with employees scattered across the globe, Zero Trust Security is the right solution to go for.

By categorically challenging the legitimacy of every access request, regardless of the user’s location, this model erects an impenetrable barrier against lateral movement and unauthorized entry. With the growing prevalence of insider threats, the Zero Trust model defends an enterprise against malicious insiders seeking to exploit their privileged positions.

Its emphasis on continuous authentication and the principle of least privilege helps mitigate these risks by ensuring that an individual’s access is strictly limited to what they need to perform their roles, reducing the potential impact of insider attacks.

According to a worldwide survey conducted in 2022, more than 50% of the participants from the software industry reported having a Zero Trust Security policy already in place, while another 28% planned to implement one within the next six to twelve months.

Conclusion

Surprisingly, the difference between SASE and Zero Trust Security isn’t as strict as it seems. Instead of setting them in opposition, consider capitalizing on the powerful synergy that arises when they work together. The issue doesn’t revolve around choosing either/or; instead, it involves utilizing SASE to establish and empower zero-trust network access. The smooth merger of SASE’s integrated network-security approach and Zero Trust’s vigilant access control forms a complete security layer that protects your enterprise from every angle, like an iron dome.