SD-WAN and SASE

(OBJ 3.2)

A virtualized approach to managing and optimizing wide area network connections
Purpose
- Efficiently routes traffic between remote sites, data centers, and cloud environments
Benefits
- Increased agility, security, and efficiency for geographically distributed workforces
Control
- Software-based architecture with control extracted from underlying hardware
Transport Services
- Allows the use of various transport services
  - MPLS
  - Cellular
  - Microwave links
  - Broadband internet
Centralized Control
- Utilizes centralized control function for intelligent traffic routing across the WAN
Traditional WAN vs. SD-WAN
- Traditional WANs
  - Cannot efficiently integrate cloud services
- SD-WAN
  - Enables dynamic and efficient routing, improving visibility, performance, and manageability from a single centralized point
  - Identifies network applications that are being used by the end users and routes that data across the WAN to the right places
Use Cases
- Ideal for enterprises with multiple branch offices moving towards cloud-based services
  - IaaS
  - PaaS
  - SaaS

A network architecture combining network security and WAN capabilities in a single cloud-based service
- Used to consolidate numerous networking and security functions into a single cloud-native service to ensure that secure and access from end-users can be achieved
Purpose
- Addresses challenges of securing and connecting users and data across distributed locations
  - Branch offices
  - Remote Workers
  - Mobile Users
  - The Cloud itself
- SASE ensure secure and efficient user-device connections to applications and services
Key Technology
- Utilizes software-defined networking (SDN) for security and networking services from the cloud
Components
- Firewalls
- VPNs
- Zero-trust network access
- Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs)
Policy and Management
- Delivered through a common set of policy and management platforms
Cloud Providers
- Major cloud providers offer services aligned with SASE
- Examples:
  - AWS VPC (Virtual Private Cloud)
  - Azure Virtual WAN
  - Azure ExpressRoutes
    - Dedicated private connection between an Azure data center and your on-premise network infrastructure
  - Google Cloud Interconnect
    - Allows you to connect your on-premise infrastructure to the Google Cloud Platform over a dedicated private connection
  - Google Cloud VPN
    - Uses an IPsec VPN tunnel.
- Alignment
  - These cloud services offer secure, flexible, and global networking capabilities, aligning with SASE principles

As cyber threats evolve and organizations become more geographically dispersed, understanding and implementing SD-WAN and SASE are crucial for enhanced security and successful migration to cloud-based environments