According to a recent Gartner report, 39 per cent of enterprise professionals surveyed in the 2024 CIO and Technology Executive Survey said their organisation had deployed or planned to deploy SASE within the next two years
In today’s fast-paced digital world, the rapid evolution of the digital economy is prompting organizations to overhaul their networks, support remote work, enhance cloud connectivity, and strengthen cybersecurity. The shift to cloud computing and remote work has increased the need for secure access from any device to network resources, leading security and risk management leaders to adopt Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). SASE combines networking and security into a unified, cloud-native platform that simplifies connectivity and access control across distributed environments.
The SASE market is emerging as a significant force in the communications industry. According to a recent Gartner report, 39 per cent of enterprise professionals surveyed in the 2024 CIO and Technology Executive Survey said their organisation had deployed or planned to deploy SASE within the next two years.
As companies increasingly adopt SASE to integrate networking and security, they need assurance that these solutions meet high standards for performance, protection, and security. Certified SASE solutions offer this assurance, helping organizations ensure their implementations meet expected capabilities.
To address this need, MEF, a global association of network, cloud, security, and technology providers, offers the industry’s first SASE certification program. This program validates the reliability and effectiveness of SASE products and services, enhancing market confidence in cybersecurity solutions. MEF’s SASE certification evaluates solutions against strict methodologies and test programs, including software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), security services edge (SSE), and zero-trust certifications. It also ensures compliance with MEF’s SD-WAN, SASE, and Zero Trust Framework standards.
SASE certification promotes interoperability between vendors, reduces integration challenges, and enhances the reliability of SASE architectures. Using CyberRatings’ methodologies and test programs, MEF rates the effectiveness, performance, functionality, and management of SD-WAN, SSE threat protection, and Zero Trust solutions. The rigorous testing process verifies security effectiveness and minimizes risks, ensuring that SASE services and solutions perform as expected. This third-party validation provides a report card and rating for each SASE offering, detailing attributes such as vendor name, hardware model, software version, data tested, and scorecard categories. MEF’s certification accommodates both single-vendor and multi-vendor SASE providers by offering standalone certificates for SD-WAN, SSE, and Zero Trust.
With SASE certification, enterprises can select the best technologies or managed services with the latest features and functionalities. Whether choosing a single or disaggregated SASE solution, they can be confident they are getting top-tier security functions for their organization. Certification ensures solutions and services meet industry standards and are continuously updated to address the latest security threats. Certified SASE solutions help organizations reduce the risk of productivity and other losses due to cyber threats, comply with regulatory requirements, and protect corporate reputations. As SASE adoption grows, it is crucial for enterprises to choose certified SASE services and solutions to maintain robust security and performance.