CF20: 2024's Top SASE Providers You Should Know

Secure access service edge (SASE) providers are seeing increasing demand as organizations become more comfortable with cloud-delivered security.

In addition, there's an increasing need to optimize the resources organizations have, and the need to provide a superior user experience to a distributed workforce.

According to Gartner, SASE delivers converged network and security as a service capabilities, including SD-WAN, secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), next-gen firewall (NGFW) and zero trust network access (ZTNA). SASE supports branch office, remote worker and on-premises secure access use cases.

SASE is primarily delivered as a service and enables zero trust access based on the identity of the device or entity, combined with real-time context, and security and compliance policies.

This is Channel Futures' third annual “CF20” focused on top SASE providers. Analysts shared their views on what it takes to succeed with the technology. It includes a new list and fresh views on changes in the competitive landscape.

What Successful SASE Providers Offer

Fernando Montenegro, senior principal analyst with Omdia, which shares a parent company with Channel Futures (Informa), said his firm continues to track growth in the SASE market upwards of 15% on a yearly basis.

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Omdia's Fernando Montenegro

“We see the more effective SASE solutions as those that have the right combination of security functionality, operational simplicity and agility to support newer use cases,” he said. “Getting into more details, we see a growth in support for features such as DNS security, remote browser isolation and the growing integration of secure browsers.”

The major SASE market changes in the past year include Microsoft’s partial entrance into the space (they have strong security services, but choose to partner on SD-WAN), HPE’s proposed acquisition of Juniper Networks, and how the SD-WAN landscape is changing with the acquisition of VMware by Broadcom, Montenegro said.

Key Factors Driving Growth

Claudio Stahnke, industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan, said the SASE market is not just growing, it's showing significant growth. Frost & Sullivan forecasts the market to reach a substantial $6 billion worldwide by 2027.

Several key factors are driving this growth, including hybrid workforce, cloud adoption, zero trust security, and consolidation and cost efficiency.

“Today's most effective SASE solution is characterized by its ability to deliver a comprehensive, unified, high-performance security and networking experience,” Stahnke said. “While many foundational elements have remained consistent, the bar has been raised by including advanced security services and architectural innovations.”

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Beyond the basic security functions like ZTNA, SWG, CASB and firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS), leading SASE solutions now incorporate advanced security services such as endpoint security, extended detection and response (XDR), data loss prevention (DLP) and threat intelligence and advanced analytics, he said.

“There is still room for new entrants in the SASE market, particularly for companies that can innovate and address specific challenges within the SASE framework,” Stahnke said.

SASE Demand Has Shifted

Eric Hanselman, chief analyst, TMT, at 451 Research, a part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, said SASE demand has shifted from the urgent, post-pandemic rush, to a more mature need to integrate security controls across enterprise access infrastructure.

“There is greater consumption of SASE as a service and a greater number of offerings enterprises can take advantage of,” he said. “The more granular controls of SASE implementations are seeing increased demand with the rise of concerns about data risks with generative AI. The biggest change to SASE requirements is the need for data-centric protections. As organizations look to grapple with the risks associated with generative AI, data protection has become more critical.”

451's Eric Hanselman

The M&A frenzy of the early days of the SASE market has slowed, Hanselman said. There are smaller deals that pull in extensions to SASE portfolios, like data protection. The major market players have settled into their offerings and are solidifying their platforms and services.

“As more SASE is consumed as a service, barriers to switching from existing offerings are increasing,” he said. “Existing vendors have expanded their platforms, leaving smaller gaps that upstarts can attach to. New entrants in the security service edge (SSE) end of the market have a simpler path, being able to avoid most of the complications of access networks.”

We’ve compiled a list in the slideshow, in no particular order, of 20 top SASE providers. It’s based on feedback from analysts and recent news reports. This list is by no means complete. The providers are making the most of the ongoing competitive landscape and charting success.