What Is an SSE, and Why Is It Ideal for Cloud?
An SSE governs security policy and application access for cloud environments. It helps determine what users are allowed to do, when they’re allowed to do it and how they’re allowed to do it.
At a basic level, an SSE provides a secure web gateway to govern what apps are accessible. This can help businesses avoid shadow IT, especially in hybrid and remote environments. An SSE also provides a web application firewall to monitor and filter HTTP traffic. Application programming interface security and web encryption also come standard with SSEs. In most cases, SSEs scrutinize HTTP traffic much more granularly than a web administrator would have time for. It’s far easier to build in and execute predefined rules with an SSE.
Another benefit: An SSE relies on zero-trust network architecture. Unlike VPNs, which enable access to entire networks, ZTNA grants access to the specific application requested. Couple this with strong identity and access management, and a business can end up with a highly secure cloud environment. Teams can also use an SSE to run queries against an artificial intelligence engine to make sure it’s not revealing vulnerable information or trade secrets.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of an SSE is its simplicity. Whether IT leaders are moving applications to the cloud or subscribing to SaaS apps, teams should be combining those cloud-native applications with an SSE. There are dozens of reputable brands offering mature solutions, including Prisma from Palo Alto Networks and Zscaler’s SSE, to name two. Cisco even has an integrated AI assistant that can translate conversational prompts into security controls.
RELATED: Unlock cloud flexibility with a SaaS model.
Why SSEs and SaaS Are a Great Match in the Cloud
Often organizations shift to SaaS because it’s easier to manage and more predictable. Too often, businesses spin up servers and attempt to build their own applications, only to learn later that they’ve incurred far higher costs than they anticipated. This issue is less likely to occur with SaaS.
Obviously, every application can’t be a SaaS app, and there will always be a need for on-premises infrastructure. But those that can be moved to SaaS should be, and all of those should be protected with an SSE. Like SaaS, an SSE is managed through simpler interfaces; it’s an operational expenditure model; it can be accessed internally or externally, making it ideal for hybrid cloud environments; and, most important, it can offer greater security by design.
Don’t be afraid of the cloud for security reasons — just be judicious about which workloads belong in the cloud, and stay smart about how you secure them.
