Demand for Security to Push SASE Market to 60 Billion by 2027, Report Finds

A recently published report by Dell’Oro Group has revealed that the modernisation of networking and security drives the total SASE revenue to $60 billion between 2022 and 2027. 

The report, which divides the total SASE market into SSE and SD-WAN, predicted that the strong demand for enhanced security will fuel SSE revenue to double between 2022 and 2027.

The author of the study, Mauricio Sanchez, Research Director at Dell’Oro Group, said that this explosion will be fuelled by the rapid digitalisation of networks brought on by the pandemic, which has increased the need for SASE services. 

“The last three years of the pandemic, and the subsequent need to modernize enterprise branches and address hybrid work needs, have fueled great interest in SASE as evidenced by the total SASE market to double in size to over $6 B in 2022, Mr Sanchez said.

The report also predicted that SD-WAN and SSE revenues would see a double-digit compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2022 and 2027, despite new economic challenges brought on by a looming recession and rising inflation.

“While angst about the macroeconomic environment is starting to lead to some belt-tightening, we expect growth in SASE to continue unabated and double again by 2027,” added Sanchez.

SSE and SD-WAN for Security 

The report cited new demands for security as one of the huge factors in the explosion of Security Secrive Edge (SSE) and software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technologies within the enterprise. 

“By addressing the shortcomings of past network and security architectures and improving recent solutions – in particular, SD-WAN and cloud-based network security – SASE aims to bring networking and security into a unified service offering,” Mr Sanhez said.

With the rapidly-evolving cyber-threat landscape posing new challenges for security teams, legacy networks and security architectures no longer provide enough protection and performance in an environment that has become increasingly distributed, interactive and mobile. 

“Enterprises are thinking differently about networking and security. Instead of considering them as separate toolsets to be deployed once and infrequently changed, the problem and solution space is conceptualized along a continuum in the emerging view.”

For organisations that have a network team and a separate security team, these SD-WAN and SSE can be managed independently of one another while still having accountability to one another.

The bundling of network services under SD-WAN, paired with the bundling of security services under SSE means that each service will be offered cheaper than if purchased separately.

With the vast amount of hybrid and remote work options available in today’s marketplace, having SD-WAN is crucial in either a SASE deployment, while SSE moves toward security and network access to that security approach as a user experience-driven methodology. 

Choosing the right SD-WAN and SSE Provider key to Boosting Network Performance 

In response to the sudden explosion of the SASE market, vendors introduced a variety of service-centric, cloud-based SD-WAN and SSE solutions that provide network connectivity and enforce security between users, devices, and applications, Mr Sanchez said. 

While any SD-WAN and SEE service can help an organisation improve network performance, reduce downtime, and enhance security, choosing the right vendor for business needs is critical to the successful implementation of the service. 

Companies must first consider if solutions are compatible with their existing network infrastructure and can work seamlessly with current network hardware and software. 

Businesses with multiple sites, for instance, may want to choose a provider that offers site-to-site connectivity or support for mobile and remote workers. 

Organisations must also consider security and opt for providers that offer built-in security features like firewalls, encryption, and intrusion detection, and that are compliant with industry regulations like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

It’s also important to consider scalability and flexibility, as providers offering customisation options will allow network teams to tailor services to specific needs such as support for specific applications or integrations with other software.