We Requested WAN Managers About SD-WAN + SASE

With the discharge of our new WAN Supervisor Survey intel, it was solely a matter of time earlier than we obtained to the s-words: SD-WAN and SASE. 

Earlier this month, we talked about each buzzwords in our breakdown of main survey findings. At present I wish to spend a bit of extra time with these applied sciences.

And don’t be concerned, expensive readers. There’ll completely be charts.

SD-WAN Adoption

We already anticipated comparatively quick progress for SD-WAN over the previous a number of years, and if something, we thought COVID would principally enhance demand–which it definitely did. (If you end up Googling “what’s SD-WAN?” after studying this, I recommend testing this early version of our podcast, which covers the definition fairly nicely.)

Whereas we noticed some adoption delays because of COVID, provide chain points, after which normal problem in undertaking a full rollout, now we have seen adoption charges steadily enhance.

In 2023, for the primary time, we had a majority of respondents point out that they’ve put in SD-WAN at most of their websites. Let me hit you with some numbers:

• A robust majority–63% of respondents–have already put in at the very least some SD-WAN service.
  • This consists of 12% of respondents which have already put in SD-WAN service on a minority of web sites of their community.
  • A naked majority–51% of respondents–have already put in SD-WAN service on most or all of their community.
• One-quarter of respondents have began the method of adopting SD-WAN.
  • This consists of 15% which are presently within the technique of rolling out SD-WAN.
  • One other 5% are within the POC/pilot stage.
  • Lastly, 5% are actively researching distributors and choices.
• A mere 2% are significantly contemplating SD-WAN service however haven’t begun the method.
• One in 10 have determined towards adopting SD-WAN, however no respondents this yr indicated they haven’t considered it.

This represents a substantial change from simply final yr, not to mention the event over the previous 5 years. 

SD-WAN Adoption Stage (2018-2023)

Notes: Every bar represents the proportion of all respondents from the coordinating yr who indicated that they’re in that stage of SD-WAN adoption. In 2023, we modified to asking this query yearly as an alternative of each two years.

• In 2018, most respondents have been actively researching distributors and choices, and solely 21% had already put in SD-WAN service on at the very least a part of the community. Now, 63% of respondents have put in SD-WAN service on at the very least a part of the community.
• In 2018, 18% of respondents had both not significantly thought-about SD-WAN or had not but begun putting in SD-WAN. Now, lower than 3% of respondents are on this stage.
• The proportion of respondents within the ‘actively researching distributors and choices’ section has dropped from 33% in 2018 to five%, indicating that the overwhelming majority of enterprises have already selected distributors and companies.
• Some enterprises have bucked the pattern and determined towards SD-WAN. The proportion of respondents who’ve determined to not undertake SD-WAN reached 10% this yr, 8% greater than in 2018.

Safe Entry Service Edge

As company networks combine web and cloud purposes and the underlay modifications form, weaknesses within the conventional community safety mannequin have turn into extra obtrusive.

Compromised credentials are high-risk vectors for conventional perimeter-based community safety. Initially, the Zero Belief Safety (ZTS) idea emerged and led community safety professionals to assume in another way about how they arrange and safe the community. (Once more, let me faucet the signal: now we have a podcast episode on this.)

The safety method entailed ideas similar to:

• Confirm customers with multiple methodology–multi-factor authentication
• Simplify what number of passwords folks have to preserve observe of–single signal on
• Limit entry primarily based on identification so folks can solely entry what they want–privileged entry administration
• Section the community to stop horizontal motion throughout the group by unhealthy actors

In recent times, SASE has dominated the safety dialog as a framework for combining SD-WAN-enabled web networking with cloud-based community safety and nil belief ideas to facilitate web use, cloud, BYOD, and work-from-anywhere. Moreover, there is a component of ‘one-stop-shop,’ probably having each SD-WAN and community safety managed by one vendor.

This yr, we needed to examine in on how WAN managers are securing their company networks, what distributors they’re utilizing to safe their web, and the way they’re approaching SASE adoption.

SASE Adoption

Whereas it simply emerged as a safety framework a couple of years in the past, by the top of 2023, a big share of our respondents had already begun adopting at the very least some SASE components.

What’s your stage of adoption of a SASE community safety framework? (2023)

• Greater than half–53%–of respondents are within the technique of adopting or have already applied at the very least some components of a SASE framework.
  • One in 10 respondents are within the technique of adopting a SASE framework however it isn’t but totally applied.
  • Approaching half of enterprises–43%– have already applied at the very least some components of a SASE framework.
• Whereas SD-WAN is essential to implementing SASE, solely 8% of respondents indicated they have been ready on SD-WAN earlier than beginning the SASE journey.
• A couple of respondents–15%–haven’t any plans to undertake SASE.
• Training on this matter has clearly labored, as solely 5% of respondents stated they have been unfamiliar with the SASE framework.
• Lastly, 8% of respondents selected ‘Different:’
  • One respondent acknowledged that they host authorities site visitors and SASE is insufficiently safe for his or her wants.
  • One other acknowledged that they’ve customized SASE primarily based on current platforms.
  • A 3rd respondent acknowledged that they use SSE (Zscaler).

Zero Belief/SASE Adoption Stage (2019-2023)

Notes: Every bar represents the proportion of all respondents from every designated yr who indicated that they’re in that stage of SASE adoption. This chart mixes SASE and ZTS, as that was particularly the safety framework we requested about in 2019.

• The proportion of respondents who’ve already applied at the very least some components of a SASE framework has risen by 35% since 2019 and eight% since 2021, at 43% by 2023.
• The proportion of respondents who indicated they plan to undertake SASE however haven’t but begun the method has decreased by 18% since 2019.
• As SD-WAN adoptions have elevated, the proportion of respondents ready on SD-WAN set up to undertake a SASE framework has dropped by 19% since 2021.
• The proportion of respondents who’re unfamiliar with the SASE framework has continued to drop. In 2018, 20% of respondents have been unfamiliar with SASE. In 2021, this had dropped to 10%. Now, solely 5% are unfamiliar with it.

Obtain the free government abstract for a better have a look at our newest survey outcomes. Or—in case you choose your knowledge in deck kind—obtain my associated slide deck from the 2024 Enterprise Community & Safety Summit over right here.