
The primary difference between CASB and SASE is that a SASE solution integrates networking and security into a single streamlined cloud-based service.
It enables enterprises to interact with fewer vendors and spend less time, money, and internal resources configuring physical infrastructure. It also makes policy management easier since it allows organizations to set, adjust, and enforce access policies across all locations, users, devices, and applications from a single dashboard.
Flexibility
While both WAN security solutions offer cloud-delivered features, a distinction can be made in CASB vs. SASE.
CASB addresses the risks associated with remote users, cloud applications, and unmanaged devices that connect to an organization’s network. It also helps increase visibility into cloud activities to prevent shadow IT and data leakage from nonapproved cloud apps.
Some CASB capabilities include encryption, configuration auditing, and identity policy enforcement. In addition, CASB may offer features such as user and entity behavior analytics to identify sensitive information and restrict access.
Unlike CASB, SASE is a complete WAN infrastructure solution that includes network traffic management, analytics, policy management, secure web gateways, unified threat management, and zero-trust network access.
The key to ensuring that both SASE and CASB deliver the benefits of cloud and network security is to find a platform that provides an integrated set of functions across both domains. A layered approach enables organizations to pick the best security function, consolidate others, and optimize performance without sacrificing security or operational efficiency.
Companies can leverage security and network functionality benefits using an integrated SASE platform while reducing costs, complexity, and risk. It enables enterprises to build a scalable, reliable, and secure network that meets the needs of remote users and the latest applications.
Cost
A critical distinction between CASB and SASE is the cost. Due to the necessity of redesigning the network and the potential retirement of existing networking and security solutions, SASE is typically more expensive than a standalone CASB solution. However, SASE can be more cost-effective and secure than other alternatives.
A CASB is a software or hardware program between users and cloud services to enforce security policies around cloud-based resources. It helps prevent cyberattacks, protects virtualized environments, and ensures secure mission-critical data.
CASBs include capabilities for encrypting and protecting data in transit, log analysis, encryption, packet inspection and logging, firewalls, anti-malware, and more. In addition, CASBs often comprise a broader SASE or secure edge solution, including network security features.
With the shift to a more distant world, many organizations use cloud applications as the backbone of their productivity. But this can introduce new security challenges. Fortunately, CASB can help mitigate these problems by monitoring traffic and ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive data.
In addition to ensuring data is protected, CASBs can increase network traffic visibility to detect shadow IT and other threats. With a CASB, IT departments can quickly identify and remediate these issues to ensure the company’s data is safe.
Scalability
While CASB focuses on securing cloud applications in the traditional perimeter-focused model, SASE flips this approach to focus on a more modern edge. By leveraging the concept of edge computing, SASE services push security close to users by dynamically allowing or blocking access to applications and services based on policies.
With increasing number of people and devices using consumer and corporate cloud services, businesses must rethink their security strategies at the network’s edge to keep data safe.
Unlike legacy network security models that rely on a patchwork of solutions, SASE is cloud-delivered and completely scalable. As a result, it enables an efficient and flexible network architecture that simplifies administration and reduces costs as businesses embrace digital transformation.
SASE delivers a unified platform for network and security that combines SD-WAN, SWG, CASB, FWaaS, and ZTNA in one solution. It enables enterprises to manage these core capabilities from a single interface, enabling better user visibility and security.
SASE capabilities are software-defined, utilizing an architecture enabling consistent performance on hardware, data center server, and workstation technologies. It allows edge-to-cloud networks that integrate cloud-delivered network functions with the scalability of data center servers and enterprise workstations giving organizations the agility to accelerate digital business without compromising networking or security.
Ease of Use
The primary goal of a cloud access security broker (CASB) is to increase visibility into network activity. In addition, it helps prevent shadow IT and enables organizations to control access to unapproved cloud applications using company-defined policies.
In addition, CASB can also help identify sensitive information and prevent unauthorized uploading to nonapproved cloud apps. As a result, it helps ensure data privacy and security for sensitive files, emails, and files shared in the cloud.
However, while CASB provides many features, it has challenges. These challenges can include the need for integration with other security solutions, the cost of deploying and monitoring CASB in-house, and the need to bolster IT security operations to detect and remediate threats effectively.
On the other hand, a SASE solution offers a whole stack of network and security services that deliver optimized network routing and WAN functionality through a single holistic platform. It also decouples networking services from underlying networks, reducing network troubleshooting and optimization and improving the end-user experience through network analytics, problem isolation, and actionable remediation enabled by AI/ML.
SASE is the perfect fit for today’s enterprise IT landscape, which is awash with mobile devices, multi-cloud, and a distributed workforce. This state of flux has also created a need for security technology that addresses the scale and complexity of this environment.