How SD-WAN Integrates with SASE (Secure Access Service Edge)
SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) are complementary technologies that together form a more holistic approach to modern networking and security. SD-WAN focuses on improving network performance, efficiency, and reliability, while SASE enhances network security by embedding security controls within the cloud infrastructure. By integrating SD-WAN with SASE, organizations can achieve a flexible, scalable, and secure framework for connecting users, branches, data centers, and cloud applications.
Here’s a breakdown of how SD-WAN integrates with SASE:
1. Unified Cloud-Native Architecture
SASE is inherently cloud-native, meaning that security services are delivered from the cloud rather than through on-premises hardware. SD-WAN integrates with this cloud-native architecture by routing traffic through SASE points of presence (PoPs), where security services such as firewalls, secure web gateways, and zero-trust access controls are applied. This allows businesses to seamlessly combine SD-WAN’s traffic optimization with SASE’s cloud-based security.
By integrating with SASE, SD-WAN can securely connect branch offices, remote users, and data centers to cloud services, while ensuring that security policies are consistently applied across all locations.
2. Simplified and Centralized Management
SD-WAN typically provides centralized management for wide-area networking, while SASE consolidates various security functions (e.g., firewall, VPN, zero-trust network access) into a single cloud-based service. By integrating SD-WAN with SASE, organizations can manage both networking and security policies through a unified dashboard. This simplifies IT operations by enabling network administrators to configure, monitor, and enforce security policies for all users and devices from one location.
Additionally, with a single platform managing both SD-WAN and SASE, businesses can avoid the complexity of managing disparate networking and security tools.
3. Security Delivered as a Service
With SASE, security is delivered as a service across all locations, devices, and users. SD-WAN ensures that traffic is dynamically routed to the most optimal path based on performance, while SASE ensures security controls are applied as traffic passes through the cloud. By integrating with SASE, SD-WAN offloads many traditional on-premises security tasks—such as managing firewalls, secure VPNs, and data loss prevention (DLP)—to the cloud, streamlining the security process.
Some key security services delivered by SASE include:
- Secure Web Gateway (SWG): Filters malicious internet traffic and blocks harmful websites and content.
- Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): Protects the use of cloud services and enforces data security policies for SaaS applications.
- Firewall as a Service (FWaaS): Provides cloud-based firewalls that inspect traffic and block threats across the WAN.
- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): Ensures that no user or device is trusted by default, enforcing authentication and authorization for every access request.
By integrating SD-WAN with SASE, organizations benefit from both secure connectivity and consistent security enforcement no matter where the traffic originates.
4. Dynamic Traffic Routing with Built-in Security
SD-WAN uses dynamic path selection to optimize the routing of traffic across multiple network connections (e.g., MPLS, broadband, LTE) based on factors like latency, bandwidth, and packet loss. When integrated with SASE, this dynamic routing is enhanced by the inclusion of built-in security policies. SD-WAN routes traffic to the best-performing path while SASE applies security measures such as encryption, traffic inspection, and data protection.
This combination ensures that traffic is not only optimally routed but also protected from threats like malware, data breaches, and unauthorized access. In real-time, traffic is analyzed and encrypted before being sent over the network, thus enhancing both performance and security.
5. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
SASE includes Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), which is critical in today’s distributed environments. ZTNA shifts security from a traditional perimeter-based approach to a user-centric model, where every user and device must be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated before gaining access to network resources.
In this model, SD-WAN ensures reliable, secure connectivity, while SASE enforces zero-trust principles across the WAN. Whether users are connecting from a corporate office, a remote branch, or a mobile device, they are authenticated, their access is controlled based on identity and context, and their activity is monitored.
6. Direct Internet Breakout with Security Controls
One of the strengths of SD-WAN is its ability to enable direct internet breakout at branch offices or remote sites, reducing the need to backhaul traffic through a central data center. However, this can introduce security risks if the traffic bypasses traditional on-premises security controls. Integrating SD-WAN with SASE solves this problem by applying cloud-based security policies at the point of breakout.
SASE ensures that all internet-bound traffic is inspected and secured, regardless of where the traffic exits the network. This enables secure direct access to cloud services and SaaS applications without compromising performance or security.
7. Cloud-Centric Security for Distributed Workforces
SD-WAN combined with SASE is well-suited for distributed workforces and organizations that rely heavily on cloud applications. SASE applies security controls directly in the cloud, ensuring that remote workers, mobile users, and branch offices have the same level of protection as users within the corporate network.
SD-WAN ensures optimal connectivity to cloud services by dynamically routing traffic to the best path, while SASE secures those connections with encryption, zero-trust policies, and threat detection. This cloud-centric approach simplifies secure access for remote employees, providing consistent performance and security regardless of location.
8. Improved Network Visibility and Monitoring
By integrating SD-WAN with SASE, organizations gain enhanced visibility into both network performance and security. SD-WAN provides detailed insights into network traffic, application usage, and bandwidth utilization, while SASE adds visibility into security events, including threat detection, data usage, and user behavior analytics.
This combined view allows IT teams to monitor network performance and security in real-time, quickly identifying and mitigating any security threats while optimizing network performance. It also ensures compliance with data security regulations by offering complete audit trails and reporting.
9. Unified Policy Enforcement
SD-WAN and SASE integration allows for unified policy enforcement across the entire network. Security policies—such as access controls, data protection rules, and traffic filtering—can be applied consistently across all users and devices, whether they are located in branch offices, data centers, or working remotely.
The ability to define and enforce policies centrally ensures that security is not compromised by network complexity or location. With SD-WAN’s centralized network management and SASE’s cloud-based security enforcement, businesses can easily scale and maintain consistent security across their entire infrastructure.
In Summary:
The integration of SD-WAN with SASE provides a robust and secure networking solution by combining dynamic traffic management with cloud-delivered security. SD-WAN ensures optimal network performance through intelligent traffic routing and multiple connection types, while SASE enhances security by offering firewall, encryption, secure web gateways, zero-trust access, and more as a cloud service.
Together, SD-WAN and SASE offer:
- Improved cloud and SaaS performance with built-in security.
- Simplified management through a unified platform for networking and security.
- End-to-end protection for remote workers, branch offices, and cloud access.
- Dynamic, secure routing with threat detection and automated policy enforcement.
This powerful combination enables businesses to optimize their WAN while providing comprehensive security, making SD-WAN with SASE an ideal solution for today’s hybrid and distributed work environments.