An uncertain economy is causing many organizations to reevaluate their technology spend. Yet, investments in security solutions remain strong. According to Fortinet’s 2023 Global Ransomware Report, “Despite the general economic environment, 91 percent of organizations expect their security budgets to increase—and of that group, many (42 percent) expect their budgets to increase by more than 10 percent.”
Considering an increase in ransomware activity, securing your clients’ critical data is an easy decision. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) are two solutions that can help. But which one is best for your client’s organizational needs? Here are some things to consider when choosing the right fit for your clients.
Unpacking CASB and SASE
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is a software or hardware program that sits between users and a cloud service provider (CSP) to enforce security policies around cloud-based resources. CASB was designed to secure traditional legacy networks and business-critical cloud applications against emerging threats. While CASB has been a popular data security solution for many enterprises, SASE’s broader capabilities appeal to enterprises with more complex IT infrastructures.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is built on CASBs foundation, however, it also addresses organizations’ broader network security needs. SASE combines software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) with complete network security, thereby increasing security, improving network performance and reducing costs.
A key difference between CASB and SASE is the security integration they offer with the assets they protect. CASB is a good option for securing Software as a Service (SaaS) applications and can be added to your client’s existing security stack. SASE provides fully integrated WAN networking and security that connects remote-based users and offices to cloud applications and the public internet.
In terms of safeguarding your clients’ assets, CASB is best used to protect enterprise cloud applications. It enables organizations to apply the same protections of traditional perimeter-focused security models to their cloud-based deployments.
SASE enables enterprises to benefit from a fully integrated security stack that includes CASB. It goes beyond CASB’s security features to optimize SD-WAN with a highly secure next-generation firewall (NGFW).
Fortinet offers both FortiGuard CASB service or Fortinet FortiSASE. However, many enterprises are choosing SASE over CASB as it provides the best of both worlds. SASE builds on CASB capabilities while simplifying security and maximizing the efficiency of a company’s IT and security architecture.
But it’s your job to find the right fit for your client. If you want to learn more about CASB, this link features more information as well as good examples of use cases and links to more resources. Check out more information here on Fortinet FortiSASE, including access to data sheets.