The global cost of cybercrime is expected to rise from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to $13.82 trillion in 2028 as more people turn online and cybercrime techniques become more advanced – a staggering amount greater than the national economies of most countries. In light of this, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity is top of mind for businesses of every size and in every market.

As organizations prioritize security in the face of the escalating cyberthreats, what’s also clear is that the perimeter-based security model of the past is no longer sufficient. Secure access service edge (SASE) holds promise because it integrates networking and security into a single platform, and offers scalability, efficiency and comprehensive protection against evolving threats. However, businesses have no way to know if they are adequately protected.

The rise of zero trust and the convergence of SD-WAN and SASE

Zero trust has become a critical framework for safeguarding data and assets. In a zero-trust environment, trust is never implicitly granted. Every user and device, regardless of location or origin, must be continuously authenticated and authorized before gaining access to any network resources.

SD-WAN and SASE are also converging in the enterprise. SD-WAN solutions provide intelligent and dynamic routing of traffic across the network and enable organizations to optimize connectivity, improve performance, and reduce costs. SASE delivers a cloud-based security framework that consolidates a range of security functions that are typically deployed on-premises, providing comprehensive protection against evolving threats.

The market for these technologies is expected to experience significant growth as organizations increasingly move away from traditional models towards SASE’s efficient, scalable and secure architecture. According to Dell’Oro Group’s recent forecasts the SASE market is expected to exceed $16 billion and the SD-WAN market is set to exceed $6B by 2028.

Unified zero-trust architectures

By integrating SD-WAN and SASE capabilities, organizations can achieve a unified zero-trust architecture that seamlessly blends networking and security into a single, centrally managed platform. Organizations can quickly identify and respond to potential threats across all attack surfaces, including cloud, on-premises, and remote environments.

A unified zero-trust architecture offers several key advantages:

• Improved security posture: Centralized access control allows for granular control over who and what can access the network, minimizing the attack surface and reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
• Enhanced visibility and control: A unified platform provides a holistic view of all network activity, enabling potential threats to be identified and addressed more effectively.
• Simplified management: Consolidating network and security functions into a single platform streamlines management and reduces overall complexity.

However, as organizations adopt zero-trust principles, creating robust policies that are able to keep up with ever-changing cyber threats presents a challenge. Generative artificial intelligence can be an effective tool to enhance zero-trust policies by automating the policy-writing process and ensuring compliance with best practices and regulations. AI-driven insights can enable organizations to better understand the threat landscapes, spot potential risks, and refine policies accordingly.

The future of zero trust and converged platforms

The adoption of unified zero-trust architectures is expected to become more prevalent as organizations prioritize security and seek to simplify network operations. The shift will have profound implications for IT infrastructure and security strategies. With unified solutions, organizations can eliminate the need for multiple point products, reducing complexity and management overhead. The convergence of SD-WAN and SASE platforms will lead to greater agility, scalability and flexibility, enabling organizations to adapt to evolving business needs.

As zero-trust architectures and converged SD-WAN and SASE platforms continue to evolve, several trends are emerging:

• Increased automation and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to streamline management and enhance threat detection.
• Tighter integration with cloud services and edge computing platforms to support distributed architectures.
• Adoption of industry standards and certifications to ensure interoperability and consistent security postures across vendor solutions.

The importance of standardized and certified solutions

In the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, the importance of standardized and certified solutions cannot be overstated. As organizations navigate the convergence of SD-WAN and SASE platforms, it is crucial to ensure compatibility and interoperability among different vendors' offerings.

Standardization and certification provide assurance that the solutions meet industry best practices, adhere to security standards and can seamlessly integrate with existing infrastructure. Organizations should prioritize working with vendors who offer standardized and certified solutions like those offered by MEF to mitigate risks and ensure a smooth implementation process. What’s more, certified solutions help enterprises gain confidence that they are truly protected against evolving cyber threats.

As the convergence of SD-WAN and SASE continues to mature, you can expect more advanced capabilities and functionalities to emerge. MEF plays a vital role in fostering collaboration and promoting interoperability standards and certification for SD-WAN and SASE solutions and services. By embracing this platform approach and prioritizing standards-based solutions, organizations can stay ahead of the curve and build robust security postures that can effectively address the ever-changing threat landscape.

Learn more about certified SASE and SD-WAN offerings and the next generation of network-as-a-service (NaaS) at AMEF's annual Global NaaS Event (GNE), which takes place October 28-30 in Dallas.

Pascal Menezes, CTO at MEF, focuses on cutting-edge technologies. His areas of expertise encompass SD-WAN, SASE, cloud-scale architectures, real-time media networks, Software-Defined Networking (SDN), NFV and LSO. Pascal has earned global thought leadership awards, presented at renowned events, contributed to industry standards in the internet engineering task force (IETF), MEF, and Broadband Forum (MPLS), holds 30+ patents. Pascal hosts MEF's Executives at the Edge podcast.