MEF issues first SASE standard and Zero Trust Framework

MEF published the first Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) standard defining SASE service attributes, a framework and common definitions, and a Zero Trust framework that together allow organizations to implement dynamic policy-based actions to secure network resources for faster decision making and implementation for enterprises.

• SASE Service Attributes and Service Framework Standard -- This standard specifies service attributes to be agreed upon between a service provider and a subscriber for SASE services, including security functions, policies, and connectivity services. The standard defines the behaviors of the SASE service that are externally visible to the subscriber irrespective of the implementation of the service. A SASE service based upon the framework defined in the standard enables secure access and secure connectivity of users, devices, or applications to resources for the subscriber. MEF’s SASE standard (MEF 117) includes SASE service attributes and a SASE service framework.
• Zero Trust Framework for MEF Services --The new Zero Trust Framework for MEF Services (MEF 118) defines a framework and requirements of identity, authentication, policy management, and access control processes that are continuously and properly constituted, protected, and free from vulnerabilities when implemented and deployed. This framework also defines service attributes, which are agreed between a subscriber and service provider, to enable service providers to implement and deliver a broad range of services that comply with Zero Trust principles.

MEF said its new SASE standard aligns stakeholders on common terminology and service attributes when buying, selling, and delivering SASE services, and makes it easier to interface policy with security functions for cloud-based cybersecurity from anywhere. MEF’s Zero Trust framework defines service attributes to enable service providers to implement and deliver a broad range of services that comply with Zero Trust principles.

“Enterprises are challenged to compare feature sets and solutions when selecting SD-WAN, SSE, and SASE services, including Zero Trust Network Access, which can result in incomplete service offerings that don’t meet needs and expectations. At the same time, service providers want to offer a complete, unified SASE service that includes networking and security under a single pane of glass,” said Pascal Menezes, MEF Chief Technology Officer. 

According to the July 2022 SASE & SD-WAN 5-Year Forecast Report from Dell’Oro Group, the SASE-related technologies market will exceed $13 billion by 2026. SASE has quickly gained traction due to its work-from-anywhere cloud approach to security and networking. The MEF SASE service standard and Zero Trust framework have been developed by the industry’s top managed security and service providers to make it easier to bring to market robust, easy-to-understand, easy-to-manage SASE services for the enterprise. The new standards include:

“With SASE still at an early stage and generating confusion, I applaud MEF’s standardization efforts. In the near-term, they are contributing vocabulary and aligning conceptual frameworks that are vital to getting the industry to rally behind common, interoperable approaches,” said Mauricio Sanchez, Research Director for Network Security & SASE/SD-WAN research at Dell’Oro Group. “In the long-term, I see the resulting standards help make multi-vendor SASE a reality and accelerate overall adoption.”

https://www.mef.net/news/mef-introduces-first-sase-standard-and-zero-trust-framework/

Video: Standardizing SD-WAN and (soon) SASE

Sunday, August 07, 2022  MEF, SD-WAN, Spirent, Video  

SD-WAN evolved independently with a number of big players and, as a result, all of their solutions are different, notes Dave Larson, GM and CTO of Spirent.SASE, as an extension of SD-WAN, brings a new set of monetization possibilities.MEF is about using standards and APIs to level of playing field.https://youtu.be/wwWMah7y...

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Versa secures $120 million for its SASE platform

Versa Networks secured additional financing of $120 million for its single-vendor SASE platform, which delivers AI/ML-powered SSE and SD-WAN. 

The pre-IPO round was led by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Inc. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) also participated in the funding.

“As the leader in SASE, the fastest growing security and networking category, and executing on SASE services for years, Versa is the only solution proven to deliver the industry’s leading and differentiated architecture for high performance and security,” said Kelly Ahuja, CEO of Versa Networks. “This funding will allow us to expand our go-to-market and accelerate new innovations that will further expand the market opportunity for us as a company.”

“We are excited to support the Versa team and its vision to drive innovation across cloud, data and network security,” said Matt Singer, Managing Director, BlackRock. “SASE represents an important and fast-growing market that is at the core of organizations’ digital transformation and Versa, with its unified, single-code based architecture, is well positioned to deliver mission critical value to its customers.”

https://www.versa-networks.com

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Lumen opens online marketplace and portal for SASE

Lumen Technologies launched an all-digital experience for the purchase, configuration and management of enterprise SASE.

The Lumen Marketplace now allows enterprise to learn about SASE, select from multiple vendors, and purchase a solution based on their needs. Customers have the option to manage their own SASE solution, or have Lumen fully manage the deployment, implementation, and ongoing management of their customized SASE product.

Through the Lumen SASE Manager within the Control Center portal, customers configure their solution by location and user; add new sites, users, and services; and receive alerts and manage tickets.

SASE solutions from VMware and Fortinet are currently listed.

"The combination of Lumen SASE Solutions on the Marketplace and the Lumen SASE Manager is a game changer for enterprises looking for a simplified solution to upgrade their network and cybersecurity posture," said Darren Wolner, senior director of SASE product management for Lumen. "Feeling confident in the reliability and security of the network is critical, but for companies with distributed or hybrid workforces, this new reality has created unique security challenges. Lumen SASE Solutions provides customers with a product that is customized to their needs and enables them to securely connect to applications on any device, at any time, from virtually any location."

https://www.lumen.com/en-us/marketplace.html

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Dell'Oro: SASE’s Security Services Edge Market heats up

The Security Services Edge (SSE) market grew 40 percent year-over-year (Y/Y) and was over $800 M in 1Q 2022, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group. SSE is a new market that combines cloud-delivered Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA), and Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS) technologies.

“We have identified SSE as an initial basket of four cloud-delivered security technologies that underpin security in SASE,” said Mauricio Sanchez, Research Director, Network Security, and SASE & SD-WAN at Dell’Oro Group. “In the age of distributed apps and hybrid work, enterprises increasingly prefer cloud-delivered security over traditional on-premises solutions,” added Sanchez.

Additional highlights from the inaugural 1Q 2022 SASE & SD-WAN Quarterly Report:

• Revenue associated with FWaaS and ZTNA cumulatively grew over 100 percent Y/Y.
• Revenue associated with SWG and CASB cumulatively grew nearly 30 percent Y/Y.
• Total SASE networking and security revenue approached $1.5 B and experienced over 30 percent Y/Y growth.
• SD-WAN revenue grew more than 20 percent Y/Y even as supply chain headwinds persist.
• Unified SASE–a subset of the total SASE market consisting of solutions that implement SASE networking and security as an integrated platform–achieved triple-digit Y/Y revenue growth.
• The SASE market has over 35 vendors, with the top 11 representing 80 percent of the market by revenue.

https://www.delloro.com/news/sases-security-services-edge-market-heats-up-40-percent-in-1q-2022/

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Colt launches SASE Gateway based on Versa

Colt Technology Services has launched an integrated full Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution that brings together SD WAN and SSE features.

The new Colt SASE Gateway solution, which is designed for global enterprise companies, is based on Versa SASE. This includes Versa Secure Web Gateway, a secure web access solution that offers organisations protection from malware and threats, and instant insight for policy management, along with reducing end-user friction to access cloud-based applications securely.

The Colt SASE Gateway works in combination with Colt SD WAN Remote Access, a feature launched last year based on Versa Secure Access (VSA) and Colt SD WAN’s core integrated features.

Peter Coppens, Colt’s VP Product Portfolio, said: “Colt was one of the first to offer a true SD WAN service in Europe many years ago, and now we extend our offering further with the launch of a full SD WAN-integrated SASE solution, powered by Versa. It comes as a result of the changes in how people are working and accessing systems, combined with increasingly complex enterprise networks and rapidly changing security threats. We see our customers looking to move away from more traditional network security solutions to a SASE approach. This brings together networking and security to offer secure access for employees no matter where they are and how they’re accessing the company network.”

https://www.colt.net/product/sd-wan/

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Innovations driving the next wave of SASE at Juniper

 

https://youtu.be/GRuqODW6doc

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) has been around now for a couple of years, enabling organizations to adopt a variety of subscription-based security services.  But what's next? Expect the path of innovation to focus on Unified Management Experience, says Kate Adam, Senior Director of Security, Juniper Networks. Here's a 2-minute explanation.

Filmed at #RSAC2022 in San Francisco.

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Juniper adds Cloud Access Security Broker to SASE

Juniper Networks has expanded its SASE offering with the addition of Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) and advanced Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities to its Juniper Secure Edge solution. When combined with its SD-WAN solution driven by Mist AI, Juniper says it can now offer a full-stack SASE solution with visibility into both the edge and the data center.

Juniper delivers CASB and DLP to secure SaaS applications and help prevent unwanted access, malware delivery and distribution, and data exfiltration. Both capabilities are part of Juniper's Secure Edge cloud-delivered security solution managed by Security Director Cloud, which secures remote users and on-premises users alike. It easily manages Zero Trust and SASE architectures through one management portal using a single-policy framework. 

Key benefits:

• Prevent unauthorized access to data residing in the cloud by allowing only validated users to have access. Data access control gives security teams the greatest visibility and control over SaaS applications — both sanctioned and unsanctioned — including data, usage, compliance, threat prevention and access, which complements the suite of cloud-delivered security capabilities offered by Juniper Secure Edge.
• Expand visibility for IT operations and security teams with DLP by creating identity-based micro-perimeters around users, SaaS applications and the data within them, and keeping sensitive and confidential data within the organization safe.
• Protect SaaS applications from compromise by controlling user actions on a granularlevel, scanning all existing and new files within SaaS applications for malware, and preventing upload and download of the compromised files.
• Take a stepwise approach to SASE. Organizations can leverage their existing SRX security policies and extend them to their SASE architecture with Secure Edge to meet the business needs of today and beyond, growing with them as they expand their SASE footprint. Whether they’re starting with SD-WAN or SSE or both, Juniper is the only vendor in the market today that provides organizations with both the flexibility they need and the simplicity they want.

"The biggest challenge with SASE solutions today is that they require organizations to abandon existing technology investments that are working for them, forcing them to start from scratch and rebuild Zero Trust principles into a new architecture," said Samantha Madrid, Group VP of Security Business & Strategy, Juniper Networks. "Now, with the addition of CASB and DLP, Juniper addresses these concerns with a full-stack SASE suite of capabilities that are flexibly adopted and deployed while extending Zero Trust principles already implemented across the network to the cloud.”

https://newsroom.juniper.net/news/news-details/2022/Juniper-Networks-Offers-New-Secure-Edge-CASB-and-DLP-Capabilities-to-Simplify-the-SASE-Experience/default.aspx

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Cato opens SASE PoP in Marseilles

Cato Networks inaugurated its Marseilles point of presence (PoP), its twentieth PoP in EMEA. 

With the new PoP, Cato extends enterprise-grade threat prevention, data protection, and global traffic optimization to the sites and users in Southern France. Cato already operates a PoP in Paris. The Cato SASE Cloud delivers a full suite of converged security capabilities -- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), IPS as a Service, and Next Generation Anti-malware (NGAM). All available from 70+ PoPs worldwide, servicing 150+ countries, and interconnected by Cato's global private backbone that uses built-in WAN optimization to far outperform legacy MPLS services.

"With the rise of ransomware, cyberthreats, and the need for secure and optimized, global application access, Cato has seen strong demand for our cloud-native SASE platform," says Luca Simonelli, vice president of EMEA sales, "The Marseilles PoP helps meet that demand extending the reach of the Cato SASE Cloud while extending the cloud platform's resiliency within France. The expansion is just part of our strategic plan to continue investing in the EMEA region."

https://www.catonetworks.com/

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Dell'Oro: SASE hit 37% growth in 2021

The convergence of WAN enterprise networking and security fueled strong growth in SASE related networking and security technologies, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group, with the overall growth rate hitting 37%..

“The pandemic made remote work and cloud-based applications necessary, and by doing so, accelerated the obsolescence of the classic hub-and-spoke networking model,” said Mauricio Sanchez, Research Director, Network Security, and SASE & SD-WAN at Dell’Oro Group. “Rather than thinking of networking and security as separate problems to solve, they are now being thought of as a continuum and driving together cloud-friendly networking and security technologies into SASE,” added Sanchez.

Additional highlights from the 4Q 2021 Network Security Quarterly Report:

• Over 30 vendors compete in the SASE market, but the top ten took in nearly 80 percent of the revenue.
• Full-year 2021 market revenue for SASE networking consisting of SD-WAN technologies exceeded $2 billion.
• Full-year 2021 market revenue for SASE security consisting of Secure Web Gateway, Cloud Access Security Broker, Zero Trust Network Architecture technologies surpassed $2 billion.
• Unified SASE–a subset of the total SASE market consisting of solutions that implement SASE networking and security as an integrated platform–grew nearly 50 percent year-over-year for full-year 2021.
• Firewall revenue rebounded in 2021 by rising 13 percent and set a new record exceeding $10 billion for the first time.

https://www.delloro.com/news/sase-alters-market-landscape-with-37-percent-growth-in-2021-according-to-delloro-group/

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Orange Business Services and Fortinet partner on SASE

Orange Business Services and Fortinet are partnering to deliver a disruptive approach to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) by integrating Fortinet’s Security-driven Networking technologies into the Orange telco cloud infrastructure. 

This next chapter in the Orange-Fortinet partnership, which has also yielded Flexible SD-WAN based on Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, provides the foundation for cloud-native transformations at scale for improved business agility and resilience. The result is a fully controlled end-to-end globally available SASE solution that bridges the gap between the user and the application. It delivers a secure and managed service from the Orange telco cloud infrastructure, boosted by cybersecurity expertise and capabilities with Orange Cyberdefense.

“Digital acceleration and the shift to support ‘work from anywhere’ is driving the hybrid convergence of networking and security to enable zero trust across all edges. Expanding upon our longstanding relationship with Orange, we’re pleased to further integrate our Security-driven Networking technology into the Orange infrastructure to enable a converged networking and security solution, unmatched in terms of visibility, management capabilities, resilience, and user experience,” explains John Maddison, EVP of products and CMO, Fortinet.

“This innovative partnership is a continuation of our cloud-focused network evolution. By integrating Fortinet Security-driven Networking technologies into the Orange telco cloud infrastructure, we enable our customers to easily adopt a cloud-native environment that is increasingly critical for businesses globally. At Orange Business Services, we facilitate the deployment and take-up of technologies that drive innovation and business growth for our customers in a fast and secure way,” says Anne-Marie Thiollet, EVP, Global Solutions, Orange Business Services.

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Aryaka FlexCore offers “all-in-one” SD-WAN and SASE on L2 or L3

Aryaka announced “all-in-one” SD-WAN and secure access service edge (SASE) offerings for multiple enterprise segments to accelerate cloud adoption and increase business agility.

 Essentially, Aryaka is introducing a global L3 private core to supplement its global L2 private core, all interconnected to the company’s nearly 40 high-performance points of presence (POPs). The Aryaka FlexCore technology allows customers to map their sites to the private core of choice, based on performance or cost considerations, as well as criticality of sites and applications. Using FlexCore as its underlying architecture, Aryaka today also introduced the “EZ” and “Pro” product lines for its new managed SASE and expanded SD-WAN offerings:

• Aryaka Prime EZ: New managed SASE offering delivered via Aryaka’s cloud-first architecture, initially over the L3 private core. Built with the acquisition of Secucloud, and tailored for small to medium enterprises, the initial capabilities include secure web gateway, firewall as-a-service and web filtering capabilities, all delivered and managed via Aryaka POPs
• Aryaka SmartConnect Pro: Managed SD-WAN optimized for performance, uses the L2 private core and easy consumption model, geared for mid-to-large enterprises that require high performance networking and global application predictability
• Aryaka SmartConnect EZ: New managed SD-WAN optimized for cost, uses the L3 private core and easy consumption model, geared for small-to-medium enterprises that are looking for something better than the managed SD-WAN and internet they get from traditional telcos at attractive cost points and the ability to move to the SmartConnect Pro or Prime EZ offering in a graceful manner

Aryaka is also simplifying its pricing, packaging, quoting and deployment of SD-WAN and SASE architectures.  The company will offer “T-shirt” sized pricing models (S,M,L,XL), and the company has standardized the five most requested service tiers globally. 

“CEOs and business leaders rate growth as their highest priority but have to contend with unpredictability and change particularly in today’s environment,” said Matt Carter, CEO of Aryaka. “They are increasingly leaning on ‘cloud-first’ technology to help navigate change and fuel their transformation initiatives. In this scenario, old school telco managed solutions and legacy stacks like MPLS don’t cut it. They are not nimble enough for the new world, and the quality of experience they deliver is poor. This is where Aryaka steps in to deliver something refreshingly different.”

Aryaka SmartConnect EZ and SmartConnect Pro will be generally available in late Q1 CY 2022. Aryaka Prime EZ is available for qualified Beta deployments starting January 2022, with early orderability targeted for April CY 2022.

https://www.aryaka.com/press/aryaka-announces-all-in-one-sd-wan-and-sase/

Aryaka acquires Secucloud GmbH for SASE platform

Thursday, May 06, 2021  #SD-WAN, Aryaka, Germany, Mergers And Acquisitions, SASE  

Aryaka has acquired Secucloud GmbH, a SASE platform provider based in Hamburg, Germany.Secucloud'a platform offers an all-in-one, global, cloud-based firewall-as-a-service, secure web gateway with advanced threat protection capabilities. The platform is engineered to connect all edges including WAN, Cloud, Mobile and IoT securely together.Aryaka said the acquisition complements its existing network security solutions that are provided with other...

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AT&T Cybersecurity delivers new managed SASE with Cisco

AT&T is expanding its global, managed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) portfolio with a new offering powered by Cisco.

AT&T SASE with Cisco is a converged network and security management solution that connects and protects enterprises with SD-WAN and security capabilities. The service includes expert policy design and configuration, and 24/7 network management.  

AT&T SASE with Cisco is immediately available through AT&T Business.   

Rupesh Chokshi, VP, AT&T Cybersecurity, states: "As a leading MSSP and trusted advisor, it’s important to provide customers with a choice of managed SASE solutions to meet their unique needs. Through our collaboration with Cisco, we’re offering an integrated, modern solution that addresses the connectivity and security demands of a multi-cloud, network environment while enabling innovation." 

Shailaja Shankar, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Security Business Group, states: "The shift to remote work has accelerated the need for SASE solutions so that users and devices are secure anywhere they work.  The AT&T SASE with Cisco offer will provide customers with an innovative way to gain seamless, secure access to any application, from any location in a way that is straightforward to procure, easy to set up, and simple to use and manage through a single cloud dashboard." 

https://cybersecurity.att.com/products/sase-with-cisco

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Cato Networks raises $200 million for its SASE

Cato Networks, a start-up based in Tel Aviv, Israel, raised $200 million in new funding at a market valuation of $2.5 billion for its SASE solutions. The Cato SASE Cloud is distributed across more than 65 PoPs worldwide.

The new funding round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with the participation of existing investors Greylock, Aspect Ventures / Acrew Capital, Coatue, Singtel Innov8, and Shlomo Kramer. 

“Cato is at the forefront of SASE transformation,” said Shlomo Kramer, CEO and co-founder of Cato Networks. “Large enterprises are deploying Cato as their global network to reap the operational and business benefits of Cato’s proven and mature SASE platform. Cato is rapidly expanding its service capabilities, global footprint, and sales and marketing teams, while preserving our unique DNA of agility, simplicity, and ease of doing business that is so valued by customers and partners.” 

https://www.catonetworks.com

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Windstream teams with VMware on SASE

Windstream Enterprise (WE), a managed communications service provider, is working with VMware to bring Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to mutual customers faster. 

The solution combines Windstream Enterprise’s Cloud Core network and VMware SASE Points of Presence (PoPs) to deliver an optimal and more secure application experience to remote access users. This allows Windstream Enterprise to deliver a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) with optimum performance on its own cloud-based services such as Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), OfficeSuite UC and managed security in addition to native MPLS integrations. Windstream Enterprise’s Cloud Core architecture maximizes the reliability and performance of its cloud services while streamlining the extension of services to include VMware SASE cloud services, including VMware Cloud Web Security (CWS) and its Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution, VMware Secure Access.

“The integration of the Cloud Core and VMware SASE makes it easier for customers to transition from outdated legacy networks to the next era of networking and security,” said Mike Frane, vice president of product management, Windstream Enterprise. “This partnership gives us the ability to quickly expand our feature set as VMware develops additional innovative cloud-delivered features and functionality.”

“The global footprint of VMware and our partner PoPs delivers cloud-based networking and security services that effortlessly scale with customers’ needs,” said Mark Vondemkamp, vice president of edge operations and services, VMware. “The services delivered through our PoPs will be quickly and seamlessly consumed by both Windstream Enterprise and our end users to deliver a leading-edge SASE solution.”

https://news.windstream.com/

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Dell’Oro: SASE to to hit double-digit billion-dollar revenue by 2025

SASE is expected to hit double-digit billion-dollar revenue by 2025, according to an updated report from Dell'Oro Group.

“As enterprises pivot towards becoming cloud-first and mobile-friendly, they are running into the structural deficiencies of the hub-and-spoke model and need alternatives,” said Mauricio Sanchez, Director at Dell’Oro Group. “The need for more agility, better scalability, and ubiquitous security has driven the vendor community to respond with the convergence of software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) and secure web gateway (SWG) solutions into a new architecture under the SASE umbrella. As a result, enterprises’ interest in SASE is skyrocketing.”

Additional highlights from the SASE advanced research report:

• The number of SASE technology vendors has grown from a handful to 35.
• Over the past year, communications service providers have rapidly embraced SASE due to many technology vendor choices, the ease and low risk of deployment, and new revenue potential.
• Two major SASE implementations types exist in the market, unified and disaggregated. Unified type consists of single-vendor, tightly integrated SASE platforms. Disaggregated type is a multi-vendor or multi-product implementation with less integration than unified. Unified type will grow faster than disaggregated, but not surpass it by total revenue through 2025.

https://www.delloro.com/news/shift-to-cloud-and-mobile-friendly-it-will-drive-sase-to-double-yearly-through-2025/

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Netskope raises $300 million for SASE

Netskope closed a new $300 million investment round for its SASE solutions

The latest funding round was led by existing investor ICONIQ Growth and included all other major existing Netskope investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Accel, Sequoia Capital Global Equities, Base Partners, Sapphire Ventures, and Geodesic Capital. Following this significantly oversubscribed investment round, Netskope has achieved a post-money valuation of $7.5 billion.

The Netskope Security Cloud Platform provides visibility and real-time data and threat protection when accessing cloud services, websites, and private apps from anywhere, on any device. The solution combines next-generation secure web gateway (SWG) capabilities, zero trust secure access, advanced machine learning to detect unauthorized data exfiltration, and advanced threat protection to prevent cloud-based attacks that often evade legacy defenses.

Netskope claims more than 1,500 worldwide customers, including: 

• Over 30 of the Fortune 100
• 2 of the world’s 4 largest commercial banks
• 5 of the world’s 7 largest healthcare providers
• 2 of the world’s 3 largest telecommunications companies
• 2 of the world’s 4 largest retailers

“We started Netskope because we saw a cloud-centric, digital-first future of business that simply can’t be achieved using legacy approaches to security and networking,” said Sanjay Beri, CEO and co-founder of Netskope. “We were SASE before the term SASE existed and today we are seeing our vision manifest across the globe as enterprises increasingly turn to Netskope to enable secure digital transformation. We are fortunate to have attracted a truly exceptional team and set of partners, customers and industry luminaries who support and bring tremendous value to us, and we are pleased to take another step forward with all of them in our journey.” 

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Versa Networks secures $84 million for its SASE

Versa Networks, a start-up based in San Jose, California, announced $84 million in a Series D funding round for its Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions, which combine security, advanced networking, SD-WAN, multitenancy, and analytics via the cloud, on-premises, or as a blended combination of both.

The funding round was co-led by investors Princeville Capital and RPS Ventures, with additional participation from existing investors, including Sequoia Capital. This brings the company’s total amount raised in funding to $196 million. 

Versa says the new funding comes on the back of a record year, where the growth of the remote workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw organizations across the world accelerate their digital transformation initiatives and turn to flexible and secure solutions such as SD-WAN and SASE to address their networking and security needs. As a result, Versa Networks has seen its worldwide sales in enterprises and channel partner registrations double, increased its workforce by 25 percent, and grew its market share to 150 service providers, including seven of the world’s top 10.

“SASE is the fastest-growing category in networking and security, and the continued support from our investors is a testament to not only our innovative technology, but to our ethos as a company to deliver secure access and networking solutions to all organizations, from enterprises to SMBs, that address and solve the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis,” said Kelly Ahuja, CEO of Versa Networks. “We are the only company that offers a fully integrated SASE solution. We saw the opportunity in the market and have been providing enterprises around the world with a truly modern secure network for five years, so it is exciting that the rest of the industry now recognizes the real value and benefits that SASE can provide.”

https://www.versa-networks.com

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Aryaka acquires Secucloud GmbH for SASE platform

Aryaka has acquired Secucloud GmbH, a SASE platform provider based in Hamburg, Germany.

Secucloud'a platform offers an all-in-one, global, cloud-based firewall-as-a-service, secure web gateway with advanced threat protection capabilities. The platform is engineered to connect all edges including WAN, Cloud, Mobile and IoT securely together.

Aryaka said the acquisition complements its existing network security solutions that are provided with other technology partners, including Check Point software, Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler and others,.Aryaka expects new SASE products as a result of the Secucloud acquisition to be available later in the year.

“Secucloud brings a great team and proven, innovative technology that we can integrate with Aryaka’s industry leading, Cloud-First, SD-WAN as-a-service,” said Ashwath Nagaraj, co-founder and CTO at Aryaka. “The combined technologies will allow us to offer truly converged network and network security as-a-service offerings. It complements our existing portfolio and significantly enhances Aryaka’s ability to compete and win larger deals while delivering the industry’s most flexible, managed SASE solution experience.”

“We are excited to join Aryaka. Like Aryaka, Secucloud has been designed from the ground up to deliver a Cloud-First architecture with everything delivered as-a-service,” said Dennis Monner, CEO of Secucloud. “We think this joint solution and Aryaka’s brand reputation of delivering the industry’s best customer experience, will create a highly differentiated offering for enterprise customers.”

https://www.aryaka.com/

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Juniper intros Security Director Cloud for managing SASE

Juniper Networks introduced a cloud-based portal that distributes connectivity and security services to sites, users and applications, as well as manages customers’ SASE transformations.

Juniper said its new Security Director Cloud bridges organizations’ current security deployments with their future SASE rollouts by providing security that is managed anywhere and everywhere, on-premises and in the cloud, from the cloud. Benefits include

• Experience-led management to facilitate network transformation. It features zero-touch provisioning and intuitive configuration wizards for secure connectivity, content security and advanced threat prevention for both on-premises and cloud-based security policy. In addition, a multi-directional sync between cloud-hosted and on-premises management and individual firewalls provides a cohesive management experience that supports a seamless and secure shift to a SASE architecture.
• Unified policies across physical, virtual and cloud-based security. Customers can create security policies — including user- and application-based access, IPS, anti-malware and web security policies — that follow users, devices or applications as they move to new locations, and automatically apply them. This unified policy construct across traditional and cloud-delivered security vehicles minimizes operational overhead otherwise required to recreate policies from one platform to another and decreases attack vectors inadvertently created by human error.
• Validated security effectiveness. Juniper provides cyberattack protection that has been validated by objective, third-party testing to be more than 99% effective against network and application exploits, new and commodity malware, IoT botnets and other attack techniques targeted at the edge and in the data center. This includes achieving the highest security efficacy rating at 99.5% from CyberRatings.org compared to leading security vendors for Enterprise Firewall, and 100% effectiveness with zero false positives in ICSA Labs’ Advanced Threat Defense test in Q4 of 2020. Security Director Cloud delivers policies empowered with these proven threat prevention technologies, ensuring quick access to applications and consistent security enforcement.
• Visibility into threat behaviors across the entire network with Security Director Insights. Security Director Cloud features correlated visibility into attacks across the network by bringing together threat detection information – including detections from other vendors’ products – into an attack timeline, and it enables one-touch mitigation to quickly address gaps in defense.

“Juniper is leading the move into the SASE market with a great management experience, putting our customers and their teams first,” said Samantha Madrid, VP of Security Business & Strategy at Juniper Networks. “With the introduction of Security Director Cloud, we’re able to meet customers where they are as they transition to a SASE architecture by delivering networking and security services from the cloud to sites, users and applications around the world. Security Director Cloud is like ‘iCloud’ for security operators, providing the ‘and’ strategy that enables our enterprise, cloud and service provider customers to transform their networks seamlessly and securely.”

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VMware looks to Anywhere Workspace capabilities

VMware is integrating several of its solution sets to help companies deliver better and more secure experiences to their employees no matter where they are in the world. The goal is to automate and secure the employee's access.

The new VMware Anywhere Workspace encompasses:

• VMware Workspace ONE provides unified endpoint management, desktop and app virtualization, and a variety of employee experience, productivity, and security related solutions.
• VMware Carbon Black Cloud brings cloud-native endpoint and workload protection.
• VMware SASE will combine SD-WAN capabilities with cloud-delivered security functions, including cloud web security, zero trust network access, and firewalling. These capabilities will be delivered as-a-service from a global network of points of presence (PoPs).

https://www.vmware.com/anywhere-workspace-event.html

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