Forrester has seen momentum in the adoption of security service edge (SSE) as its clients are three times more often asking about and purchasing solutions from SSE providers than secure access service edge (SASE) vendors. The analyst firm also named Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler and Forcepoint as leaders in its latest SSE Wave report for Q1 2024.

SSE is a subset of technologies found in SASE, which include core technologies such as zero-trust network access (ZTNA), firewall-as-a-service (FaaS), secure web gateway (SWG) and cloud access security broker (cloud access security broker (CASB)).

For standalone ZTNA, requests have dropped dramatically since the end of the pandemic, after an initial spike as customers scrambled to replace legacy VPNs, Forrester noted.

“While (SASE) is the transformative architecture of the future and ZTNA was the darling of the pandemic, SSE is where the action is today,” analysts wrote in the report.

The firm recommended customers should look for SSE vendors that offer a mature and full-featured security service with data protection capabilities while fitting their network to customers’ needs.

The report identifies Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler and Forcepoint as leaders in the SSE market.

Forrester noted that Netskope entered the SSE space with its CASB heritage. The vendor has the vision to make data protection the purpose of its SSE technology and offers strong data loss prevention (DLP) at the endpoints and across the network and clouds.

“Netskope should be at the top of this list for enterprise clients looking to secure the remote workforce and provide comprehensive data protection,” the report wrote. However, its reporting and digital experience management could be improved.

Palo Alto Networks extends the principles of AppID and zero trust into the SSE realm. Its Prisma Access SSE solution emphasizes network security, identity control and ZTNA capabilities.

The vendor’s SWG is stronger than its CASB, so customers are using Prisma Access to protect the remote workforce with network security tooling rather than a data protection approach. “Palo Alto Networks is a strong fit for firms looking for a network-centric approach to remote workforce security, and it is a natural choice for the vendor’s current customers,” Forrester noted.

Forrester called Zscaler “the 800-pound gorilla of SSE” as it is an early innovator of the technology that includes a strong cloud-delivered SWG, threat-prevention technologies and digital experience management. “Large enterprise clients and government agencies with FedRAMP High requirements should seriously consider Zscaler to secure their remote workforce with zero trust,” analysts wrote.

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange uses a single, integrated client for both its SWG and ZTNA functionality at the endpoint. However, the two products are not integrated into the network or on the backend and reference customers complained about the capability disparities between the SWG and ZTNA, the firm pointed out.

Forcepoint ONE stands out for its data protection capabilities with strong SWG and CASB. The vendor also offers simple, flexible pricing, an easy-to-use single-pane-of-glass administrative portal, and a licensing model that its customers appreciate. “Forcepoint ONE is a good choice for enterprise customers seeking a solution with strong data detection and data loss prevention capabilities,” Forrester noted.

However, customers demand a better log analysis for troubleshooting from Forcepoint ONE.

Forrester also named Skyhigh Security, Cloudflare, Fortinet and Cisco as strong performers; Broadcom and iboss as contenders, and Lookout as a challenger. The report also mentioned large vendors like Microsoft and HPE entered the SSE market, but their products had not been in the market long enough to qualify for this evaluation.