As organizations increasingly rely on cloud-based services, remote workforces, and edge computing, they’re facing unprecedented security challenges. One solution that’s gaining traction is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), a framework that consolidates network and security functions into a single cloud-based platform. However, adopting SASE requires a fundamental rethink of security governance and comes with its own set of challenges.
To build an effective SASE framework, organizations need to embark on a multi-stage process that can take anywhere from 6-18 months to complete. This journey involves not only technological changes but also cultural shifts within the organization. It’s essential for businesses to reassess their security policies, retrain teams, and establish new relationships with external partners.
The first step in this journey is conducting a comprehensive infrastructure assessment. This audit phase typically reveals “shadow infrastructure” – older appliances that are no longer used, redundant security tools performing overlapping functions, or point solutions that were never fully decommissioned after purchasing broader platforms. The assessment should also document network topology, traffic flows, application-to-application dependencies, and the compliance requirements driving current security policies.
John Grady, principal analyst at Omdia, emphasizes the importance of this self-assessment in understanding what aspects of SASE are most critical for the organization and what existing infrastructure can be leveraged to achieve those goals. “Ask yourself where you want to be two and three years down the road,” he advises. “Take that assessment and build out your roadmap.”
Once the assessment is complete, organizations should proceed with a pilot deployment in controlled environments. This approach minimizes potential disruptions if issues arise during the initial stages of implementation. Ideal pilots could target specific segments such as remote-worker populations, new branch locations not yet migrated from legacy infrastructure, or non-critical SaaS applications where security gaps do not threaten core business operations.
Pilot deployments should run for extended periods – typically 3 to 6 months – to capture seasonal variations, integration edge cases, and performance patterns under different load conditions. The primary objectives of these pilots are to establish performance baselines, validate that SASE policies correctly permit required traffic while blocking unwanted flows, and develop operational procedures for incident response, policy changes, and troubleshooting specific to the SASE platform.
Grady recommends starting with the biggest pain point, such as remote access or branch connectivity. For example, if remote access is the primary concern, then start with zero-trust network access; if it’s branch connectivity, then SD-WAN; if it’s SaaS control, then CASB.
After successful pilot deployments, organizations can proceed with phased migration of workload groups. Rather than attempting to cut over the entire security infrastructure at once, migrate workload groups sequentially. Allow time to validate each migration before advancing to the next. Typical phases may include remote workers and mobile devices, branch office networks and SD-WAN connectivity, centralized cloud application access, and sensitive on-premises workloads.
By migrating remote work first, organizations gain operational experience with SASE platforms while addressing legacy VPN problems. Each migration phase should maintain coexistence with legacy infrastructure for 1-3 months to enable a rapid rollback if unexpected issues arise.
Finally, the implementation of SASE should trigger comprehensive policy redesign and governance evolution. This is an opportunity to rethink security policies from scratch and align them with the new SASE framework. Organizations should take this chance to simplify their policies, reduce complexity, and improve overall security posture.
In conclusion, adopting a SASE framework is not a one-and-done process but rather a multi-stage journey that requires careful planning, execution, and maintenance. By following these steps and embracing the cultural shifts required by SASE, organizations can ensure they’re secure, agile, and ready to face the evolving cybersecurity landscape.
Source: Dark Reading — 2026-09-24