Exploring the 3 Primary Tenets of VMware SASE

As anticipation for VMworld 2021 builds, we're continuing our blog series spotlighting VMware SASE, which combines industry-leading cloud networking with cloud security to deliver agility, security, and scale for cloud-first enterprises.

Following last week's blog on VMware SD-WAN^™, today, we'll focus on how VMware SASE can help IT teams provide top-notch network connectivity and security to remote workforces.

COVID-19 increased the demand for cloud services and accelerated the 'work from anywhere' (WFA) era. However, many traditional WAN architectures are inefficient, costly to maintain, and limit application user experience - motivating IT teams to reimagine and overhaul their networks.

In concert with that, enterprise security architectures are also evolving. The enormous number of distributed workers generates tremendous volumes of data, which must be classified and protected. Beyond that, users outside the traditional corporate domain that use personal devices leaves them more vulnerable to threats ranging from hackers to viruses.

Overwhelmed by these network and security challenges, IT teams are turning to VMware SASE.

The VMware SASE solution encompasses three fundamental tenets:

• Consolidation of security and networking services
• VMware SD-WAN as a building block
• Scale

Tenet #1: Consolidation of security and networking services

As applications increasingly move from data centers to clouds and device counts expand with the proliferation of mobile platforms, WFA users require reliable access to their preferred applications from any location. IT teams must be ready to meet these requirements and provide an excellent user experience while ensuring corporate security.

How can this be achieved? IT teams must disrupt the status quo by relocating their on-premises IT infrastructure to the cloud.

VMware SASE can turn this vision into reality, eliminating the complexity of heavy branch design, transforming it into a thin model that teams VMware SD-WAN with security services including VMware Cloud Web Security^™, cloud firewall, and zero trust network access.

Architected to minimize complexity at the edge, SASE combines networking-as-a-service with security-as-a-service in a consolidated, one-stop-shop, cloud-delivered service model. This streamlines network management and operations for IT teams, while boosting application quality of service and enhancing users' quality of experience, from any location.

This enables teams to provide secure, dependable, consistent access to applications and services - from the cloud, SaaS provider, or legacy data center - while also defending against internal and external security threats.

Tenet #2: Prioritizing SD-WAN as your SASE building block

When facing the need to overhaul their network and implement SASE, IT teams are presented with a chicken or egg scenario - do they prioritize networking-as-a-service (SD-WAN) or security-as-a-service?

As they roadmap their SASE solution, it makes sense to focus on VMware SD-WAN as their logical starting point. The solution's highly reliable connectivity will deliver tremendous value when they're ready to deploy security-as-a-service, serving as a springboard for seamlessly transporting security policy across their enterprise.

SD-WAN delivers reliable transport by cost-effectively controlling the connectivity, management, and services that link distributed workforces and branch locations to cloud services.

Additionally, the solution empowers organizations to address business-critical priorities at the edge by powering rich deployment, management, and scaling capabilities.

Tenet #3: Scale

As employees continue to primarily work from anywhere, they require the same level of experience and access found at their traditional brick and mortar offices prior to the pandemic.

Supporting potentially hundreds or thousands of remote workers remains an incredibly complex task for IT teams - and rapidly providing them services at scale is critical.

VMware's comprehensive suite of SASE services can scale with expanding distributed workforce requirements, addressing their need for business-grade application performance coupled with secure access.

So, whether employees are working from home, a coffee shop, or anywhere, VMware SASE provides consistency of access and security that's equivalent to corporate LANs or a traditional VPN connection.

How is this possible?

The cornerstone of SASE services, VMware SASE points of presence (PoPs), consist of a hyperscale network that's equipped with multi-tenant cloud gateways and orchestrators which enable assured, reliable application delivery to users, no matter their location.

Strategically positioned worldwide, VMware SASE PoPs reach 85% of the world's major cities with a sub-10ms response.

SASE PoPs are placed at these cloud locations to establish direct peering connections with all major SaaS/IaaS providers, delivering sub-5ms latency between PoPs and cloud applications.

This short distance is key as it ensures lighting fast on-ramps to the cloud between user requests, packet steering, content inspection, and application access.

And with over 150 PoPs around the world between VMware and its partners, VMware has the global presence to deliver new networking and security services as well as integrations with best-of-breed security partners.

Ultimately, VMware SASE PoPs allow businesses to realize their digital transformation strategies through greater agility, operational simplicity, and comprehensive security.

Learn more

• For a closer look at VMware SASE, check out the white paper, 'Intro to SASE: The Case for VMware SASE' here.
• Want to learn more about SASE? Register now for VMworld, which features almost 70 sessions, panels, hands-on labs, and keynotes related to SASE, cloud networking and the emerging edge.
• Be sure to read the technical book, 'Journey into the World of SASE' to get expert insights on SASE and why it's important

Join us again next week, where our blog series rolls on, delivering a deeper dive on SASE PoPs. See you there!

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