Over the past few years, a large number of tools and technologies have emerged that promise to ‘revolutionize network security’. The modern hybrid work landscape has brought Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) into the conversation too.
While SASE represents a big change in how organizations approach network security, traditional SASE implementations often fall short of their requirements.
The SASE market is booming. It is projected to reach USD 44.20 billion in 2024 and grow at an 11.2% CAGR through 2032. This growth reflects a real need for integrated and scalable security.
Many "traditional" SASE solutions however, often fall short of expectations. Many are not built as unified platforms from the start, which leads to complexities and limitations.
This is where Zenarmor comes in, not just as an alternative but as a solution that directly addresses these issues.
Let’s explore where traditional SASE struggles and how Zenarmor excels in solving your data security challenges.
Limitations of Traditional SASE and the Zenarmor Advantage
Zenarmor addresses traditional SASE issues with a practical, high-performance, and cost-effective approach. Here are some drawbacks of traditional SASE and how Zenarmor scores over the same.
Complexity and Disjointed Management
Traditional SASE will often have you managing multiple dashboards and multiple policies. This fragmented approach is because traditional SASE was not conceived as a cohesive platform. This complexity increases operational burdens and raises the chances of misconfigurations.
Zenarmor Advantage: True Unified Management and Simplicity
Zenarmor SASE 2.0 delivers true unified security management, whether you're deploying on-prem, in the cloud, or directly to endpoints. Unlike traditional solutions tied to specific hardware or OS, Zenarmor is fully agnostic. That means you get the flexibility to secure any infrastructure. Through Zenconsole, you gain centralized, single-pane-of-glass control across all deployments, enabling consistent policy enforcement and dramatically reducing operational complexity
Performance Bottlenecks and Latency Issues
Cloud-native SASE typically reroutes traffic to central Points of Presence (PoPs) for inspection, causing significant delays. Cloud backhauling for security services can worsen this issue. Moreover, relying on shared PoPs introduces risks: outages can disrupt services, and shared IP addresses can lead to your organization getting blacklisted, and eventually harm your reputation.
Zenarmor Advantage: Edge-Centric Performance and Resilience
Zenarmor operates directly within your existing network infrastructure and enforces security right at the network edge. This way, you can avoid the need to reroute traffic, and reduce delays, thereby optimizing performance. By not depending on shared PoPs, you avoid the risks of outages and blacklisting, enhancing your network's reliability and reputation.
High Costs and Hidden Fees
While SASE aims to reduce costs, many traditional vendors charge high subscription fees and impose bandwidth limitations. Overages or unexpected traffic spikes can lead to high bills overall. Additionally, egress fees for data leaving the vendor's cloud can quietly drain your budget.
Zenarmor Advantage: Transparent Costs and Unrestricted Scaling
Zenarmor’s Plug and Secure architecture eliminates the need for expensive cloud infrastructure by performing inspection locally—on the edge, on the device, or on-premises. This approach removes egress fees entirely and avoids bandwidth throttling. It runs on your existing hardware, reducing initial setup costs and allowing you to scale without worrying about hidden charges or unpredictable cloud expenses.
Limited Visibility and Shadow IT Blind Spots
Traditional SASE often manages well with North-South traffic visibility (traffic entering or leaving your network) but lacks insight into East-West traffic (internal communications). This critical oversight allows Shadow IT and internal threats to go unnoticed, leaving your network vulnerable.
Zenarmor Advantage: Comprehensive Visibility: North-South and East-West
Zenarmor excels in Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and application-layer control, giving you detailed command over thousands of applications. Importantly, it offers full visibility, covering both North-South and East-West traffic. This capability allows you to spot and manage Shadow IT, internal threats, and lateral movements, closing essential security gaps.
In addition, Zenarmor provides Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Secure Service Edge (SSE) capabilities on a single platform, enabling granular access control and threat mitigation - all from a unified management layer.
Vendor Lock-in and Restrictive Architectures
Choosing a traditional SASE vendor often results in significant vendor lock-in. Their proprietary systems and inflexible architectures make it hard and costly to change providers or customize the solution to your needs, which stifles agility and innovation.
Zenarmor Advantage: Unmatched Flexibility without Vendor Lock-in:
Zenarmor ensures transparency and prevents vendor lock-in. It is an extremely versatile platform, as it works across OPNsense, various Linux distributions, FreeBSD, and cloud environments. You can deploy it wherever you need it, adapting to your network architecture rather than the other way around.
Choosing Wisely in the SASE Era
The shift to SASE is an important step towards a more resilient cybersecurity posture. With over 60% of organizations moving to hybrid or fully remote work, secure and seamless connectivity is crucial. While complete SASE implementation is still developing, 32% of organizations are already in progress, and 24% plan to implement it in the next 12 months.
However, selecting the right SASE solution is key. Don't let the lure of consolidation distract you from the potential complexities, performance issues, hidden costs, and visibility gaps of traditional options.
Zenarmor offers a compelling, agile, effective, and clear approach. It fulfills the SASE promise while removing the drawbacks, helping you to truly protect your network without compromise.
Ready to discover a modern way to secure your network that eliminates the weaknesses of traditional SASE? Learn more about Zenarmor and try it for yourself today. Zenarmor offers a user-friendly trial policy of 15 days for regular users, and 3 months for partners.
