Secure Access Service Edge
What is SASE?
SASE (pronounced ‘sassy’), or Secure Access Service Edge, is a framework coined by Gartner in 2019 which combines security and networking into a single, scalable, cloud-based platform that fits well in a world in which employees work from home and access cloud-based applications and services. SASE is not one single concept, but a cluster of related technologies in a unified architecture to reduce cost and complexity while increasing security.
SASE is utilized largely within the context of IT networks; in that it applies to the very broad world of business data processing and the wide-ranging use of the internet. SASE for IT networks primarily supports humans working from home and the corporate use cases of connecting cloud-based business applications with human-centric devices (laptops, mobile phones, etc.).
SASE for Energy
In contrast, Operational Technology (OT) networks are used in industrial settings to connect machines and their respective controls systems (electric grid, manufacturing equipment, etc.).
Along with the exponential growth in the number of edge devices, the same evolutionary trends towards decentralization and digitalization are being replicated in OT networks. However, there are three important differentiating factors: