SASE vs SD-WAN Choosing the WAN solution that’s right for your organisation

SASE vs SD-WANChoosing the WAN solution that’s right for your organisationA practical guide to optimising your network’s performance and securityContents

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A practical guide to optimising
your network’s performance and
security, while retaining
full control and visibility

even with a highly distributed,
mobile workforce

Across the public and private sectors, connectivity is the backbone of exceptional service delivery, enabling secure, efficient collaboration between teams across multiple sites. But as the workforce becomes increasingly widely distributed, and the role of Cloud-based applications expands, traditional Wide Area Networks (WAN) – which are designed to connect office locations and on-site data centres – are showing their limitations. A new breed of connectivity is therefore required… One that is Cloud-ready, highly available, and highly secure, to meet the demands of the new mobile workforce.

About Exponential-e

Exponential-e is a UK leader in Cloud, Connectivity, Communications and Cyber Security, with a unique consultative approach to delivering bespoke, fully integrated solutions that enable scalable, high-performance IT infrastructure. As a trusted technology partner for more than 3,000 companies, our evolving portfolio encompasses everything from public and private Cloud to enterprise-grade connectivity and cyber security solutions, supported by our managed IT services. Our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction is at the forefront of our endeavours and is reflected in our nine ISO accreditations and industry leading NPS score, updated live on our website.

About Cato Networks

Cato Networks is the world’s first SASE specialist, bringing together leading-edge SD-WAN and network security to create global, Cloud-native solutions, utilising zero-trust architectures that encompass mobile users, on-premises infrastructure, and Cloud applications and data centres. Providing hands-on support throughout the entire migration process, Cato provides organisations with the tools to embrace new ways of working and step onto the global stage.

Why SD-WAN?

SD-WAN unifies corporate networks, dynamically utilising both MPLS and Internet connections to optimise application performance, routing critical applications through MPLS links to ensure fully consistent performance and availability, while routing all other traffic through the Internet.

Rather than completely replacing legacy infrastructure, it focuses on optimising the performance availability of key applications using existing resources. In addition to this world-class performance and availability,
SD-WAN provides organisations with the ability to monitor all network traffic through a single, centralised portal, with real-time analytics providing the means for more effective decision making around resource utilisation.

Why SASE?

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) brings together SD-WAN and Secure Services Edge (SSE), providing a powerful framework for the convergence of networking and network security services within a global, Cloud-based platform to protect users, applications, and data. This opens the door to fully centralised security ecosystems that extend beyond physical perimeters – ideal for organisations with highly dispersed workforces. SASE accomplishes this by adopting a holistic approach to network security, connecting all network elements to the Cloud WAN via secure tunnels, minimising latency and enhance quality of service without compromising data security and compliance. This way, corporate security policies are consistently applied for all WAN and Internet traffic, wherever users are connecting from, without the need for a distributed firewall, even when utilising public Cloud or SaaS applications.

The benefits of SD-WAN and SASE

SD-WAN

Dynamic link selection – intelligent load balancing
Less need for costly MPLS deployments
Optimal redundancy and high availability
Application-aware routing
Central management portal
Real-time traffic analytics

SASE

Global security policies
Mobile or device client available
Automated secure office mesh
Backhaul not required
No branch firewall required
Cloud-based security

Taking our first steps into a new era of connectivity

Exponential-e and Cato have partnered to help organisations at all levels, across all sectors, embrace a new model for connectivity – one that brings together leading-edge networking and cyber security technology, hands-on support, and a deeply consultative approach to design and deployment.

Exponential-e’s enterprise-class, business-only network and carefully chosen partner ecosystem, combined with Cato’s leading-edge networking technology provides the foundation, with our own networking experts drawing on their deep expertise in the most challenging sectors to deliver bespoke, fully managed connectivity solutions, tailored to organisations’ unique goals and requirements. All this is supported by our Cato-certified engineers, and a 24/7, UK-based service desk.

Altogether, this new model of connectivity provides mobile workforces with the freedom to work, communicate, and collaborate from anywhere, while guaranteeing the resilience and security of the network.

SASE

Networking

Agile and resilient WAN

Holistic security ecosystem

Cloud-scale remote access

Global acceleration

Multi-cloud optimisation

Security

Software-defined capabilities

Enterprise-grade security at the edge

Private backbone with traffic optimisation

Complete access control and treat prevention

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