Understanding Security Service Edge (SSE)

Is your company looking for a solution to secure its network? If your employees use cloud-based applications or are frequent remote workers, an SSE-type device is the best option. Security Service Edge is a set of services that guarantees the security of company data regardless of where employees connect from.

Check out our guide to better understand Security Service Edge:

How can we define Security Service Edge?

Security Service Edge is a set of security services that protects the network from online threats such as malware, data theft, and phishing. Unlike traditional devices, which primarily focus on protecting the core network, SSE moves its security functions to where users and devices connect.

This means that if a company employee uses their work laptop or smartphone from home to work, their use will be secure. Similarly, users of cloud applications will have greater peace of mind, as SSE secures remote data flows.

In a context where teleworking is growing and mobile devices are becoming increasingly common, Security Edge Service makes perfect sense.

What are the benefits of Security Service Edge?

Security Service Edge offers numerous advantages for businesses and organizations that are in step with the times:

  • As this is a cloud-based security solution, protection is optimal: the network is protected both on-site and remotely. Company employees can therefore use cloud-based applications or work remotely without fear of online threats.
  • With SSE, there is no need to route network traffic through a centralized security device, reducing latency and improving performance, which has a positive impact on the user experience.
  • Security Service Edge enables businesses to gain flexibility. They can deploy new services and adapt to their users' needs much more easily than with a centralized solution alone.

What is the difference between SSE and SASE?

If you are looking for a solution to secure your company's network, you have probably heard of SASE: Secure Access Service Edge.

How is it different from SSE? Which solution is best for your organization?

We will help you better understand these two approaches to IT security.

The SSE: a building block of SASE

SASE platforms consist of two components:

  • SSE: this is the segment that focuses on unifying security services (SWG, ZTNA, CASB, and FWaaS).
  • WAN Edge: this is the segment that focuses on network services (SD-WAN, wide area network optimization, quality of service, etc.).

Secure Access Service Edge is therefore a broader concept than SSE. However, if SASE is so relevant to businesses, it is largely thanks to its SSE component.

What are the four components of Security Service Edge?

The SSE consists of four main departments:

  • SWG: The secure web gateway blocks unsecured Internet traffic before it enters the company's internal network.
  • ZTNA: Zero Trust Network Access promotes more secure access to internal applications for remote users.
  • CASB: Cloud Access Security Broker is a barrier that sits between cloud services and their users to protect the network from threats.
  • FWaaS: Firewall as a Service is a next-generation device that promotes maximum security.

Although these are the four major components of ESS, there are many others:

  • Browser isolation solution
  • Cloud data loss prevention (DLP)
  • Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)
  • Decryption

What are the advantages of Security Service Edge over traditional solutions?

Ensuring the security of a company's network requires the use of comprehensive measures to prevent and eliminate online threats.

To date, SSE offers numerous advantages over more traditional network security solutions:

  • With SSE, a company's cybersecurity is not directly linked to its network. This is a significant advantage that drastically reduces the risks associated with remote network use. Security Service Edge is cloud-based, meaning it can follow the user wherever they are.
  • SSE enables companies to implement a zero trust policy. Before a user can access an application, four factors are analyzed to verify that there is no risk: the user, the device, the application, and the content.
  • Unlike traditional security devices, the network architecture used in an SSE solution promotes low latency and better performance. Users are therefore no longer required to install heavy and slow VPNs to protect their data.
  • Finally, Security Service Edge enables optimal cost control, as all services (SWG, ZTNA, CASB, FWaaS, DLD, CSPM, CBI, etc.) are located on a single platform.

Good to know: SSE can be combined with the SAML protocol to further improve user authentication and thus guarantee the protection of the network and its data.

Is your company considering installing an SSE-type security solution? Contact our advisors to find out more about our products that canensure the cybersecurity of your network.

If you have any questions about implementing or choosing a Security Service Edge, we will answer all your questions, enabling you to make the most informed decision to prevent malicious attacks on your company's network while optimizing its performance for its users.