In today's digital landscape, where the average user works remotes at least part time and uses a variety of cloud-delivered SaaS and private applications, old perimeter-based security paradigms are no longer sufficient. To address these realities, we created Cisco Secure Access, a powerful new security service edge (SSE) solution, which connects and protects users when they are accessing the Internet, public apps, and private apps. Recently, IDC released a report analyzing the market trends driving SSE adoption and how Secure Access can address them.

What is driving SSE adoption?

The top two challenges facing businesses who are struggling to adapt to today's hybrid workplace are network performance and security risk for their remote employees. According to IDC, 41% of businesses cited "improved network bandwidth and security for both remote and in-office workers" as a top investment for the upcoming year. This statistic highlights the growing need for robust security solutions that can cater to both remote and on-site employees.

To solve these problems, more and more organizations are adopting SSE. Part of the secure access services edge (SASE) architecture, SSE brings together a variety of security technologies -including zero trust network access (ZTNA), secure web gateways (SWG), cloud access security brokers (CASB), and firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) -as a single cloud-delivered solution that protects remote workers regardless of where they are located or what kind of resource they are accessing.

In addition to protecting remote workers, SSE simplifies security operations by centralizing policy management for numerous technologies that were previously provided as bespoke point solutions. IDC's U.S. Enterprise Communications Survey predicts that 40% of enterprises will increase spending on SSE in the next two years. This signifies the rising interest in SSE as a consolidated approach to address the complexities of modern cybersecurity.

How Cisco Secure Access can help

Cisco Secure Access consolidates twelve security technologies into one unified, cloud-delivered platform that facilitates secure access to the Internet, SaaS apps, and private apps, regardless of where the user is located.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a key component of an SSE solution, providing a secure framework for remote access. Cisco Secure Access provides superior capabilities over last-gen ZTNA solutions by making use of modern protocols such as MASQUE and QUIC. These technologies make Secure Access ZTA more performant and easier to configure than traditional ZTNA technologies.

In addition to ZTNA, Secure Access also makes use of VPN-as-a-Service (VPNaaS), enabling organizations to provide secure and easy-to-use remote access toallof their private applications. Some private applications are not suitable for ZTNA, such as peer-to-peer, server-to-client, and some legacy applications, and still require a VPN. When a user connects to a private app, Secure Access automatically determines whether to facilitate the connection with ZTNA or VPNaaS and does so in a seamless manner that is invisible to the end user. Together, ZTNA and VPNaaS allows organizations to adopt a zero trust architecture for remote access in a simple and easy-to-manage fashion.

The other critical component of Secure Access is secure internet access, which combines technologies such as data loss prevention, DNS security, SWG, CASB, and more to protect users when they connect to the Internet. Today, Cisco handles more than 600 billion web requests per day for more than 70 thousand cloud security customers, ensuring end users are protected from the millions of instances of malware, phishing, cryptomining, and other attacks that we detect every day.

Conclusion

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, businesses must adapt their security strategies to meet the challenges of remote work, cloud applications, and an ever-expanding threat landscape. Cisco Secure Access offers a transformative solution, providing a converged, cloud-native approach to enhance security and performance.

Cisco Secure Access enables organizations to empower their users, simplify operations, and provide greater protection across their distributed environment. Read the full report from IDC to learn more about the key requirements for SSE and how Cisco can help.

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