SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solutions are poised to continue growing in adoption over the next year. According to projections by Gartner, by 2024 over 40% of enterprises will have explicit strategies in place for SASE adoption compared to just 1% in 2018. As remote work becomes more permanent and cloud-based applications proliferate, SASE will become increasingly critical for securing modern network architectures.

What exactly is SASE and what is driving this rapid growth? Here is an overview of key SASE trends to watch in 2024:

1. Increased Cloud Adoption Accelerates SASE

More organizations are adopting multi-cloud environments across SaaS, IaaS and PaaS solutions. IDC predicts over 90% of enterprises will be relying on a mix of on-prem and cloud infrastructure. As the network edge extends into the cloud, security must follow. SASE delivers integrated network security services via the cloud. Gartner notes that traditional network security approaches like VPNs, firewalls, and data centers often struggle to provide consistent security across cloud environments. SASE is purpose-built for cloud-centric networks. As cloud adoption grows, enterprises will shift towards SASE architecture.

2. Edge Computing Drives Remote SASE Deployments

Edge computing is pushing applications and processing power closer to users and devices outside the traditional data center perimeter. This supports lower latency use cases like IoT, VR, and smart vehicles. As edge deployments grow, securing them becomes crucial. SASE delivers cloud-native security services that can be deployed out at the edge, close to users and devices. Its identity and context-based policies follow users no matter where they access cloud apps. Enterprises will increasingly utilize SASE to secure distributed edge networks and users.

3. Zero Trust and SASE Convergence Accelerates

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) and SASE converge around a shared cloud-first architecture founded on identity-based access control. As zero trust networking gains traction, integrating with SASE becomes a logical next step for enterprises. According to Gartner, at least 70% of new remote access decisions will be delivered via ZTNA or SASE, up from 40% today. Organizations will shift towards converged SASE and ZTNA frameworks for consistent security across all access scenarios, whether on-prem or cloud.

4. Advanced Threat Protection Becomes Integral

Early SASE solutions focused mainly on networking and VPN capabilities. But as architectures mature, native threat prevention is becoming table stakes. Leading solutions now integrate cloud access security brokers (CASBs), intrusion prevention systems (IPS), malware sandboxes, and other threat detection tools as core components. In 2024, advanced threat prevention like antivirus, anti-malware, URL filtering, and file sandboxing will be standard in SASE platforms. Some will also utilize AI and machine learning to uncover zero-day threats based on behavior analytics. Real-time threat intelligence sharing will help stop attacks across ecosystems.

5. Vendors Expand SASE Solution Breadth

Most vendors began offering SASE through partnerships that integrated SD-WAN, firewalls, and cloud security. But as competition heats up, standalone and end-to-end solutions are emerging. This provides enterprises simpler, unified SASE management. Market leaders offer SASE suites encompassing SD-WAN, SWG, CASB, ZTNA, and other components. Converged stacks simplify procurement and deployment. They also enable tighter integration between networking and security. Expect single-vendor SASE platforms to gain favor in 2024.

6. New Pricing and Delivery Models Emerge

Early SASE services involved complex a la carte pricing models. But subscriptions based on seats or network bandwidth usage will become more common as services standardize. Consumption-based billing aligned to business needs will drive faster SASE adoption. Managed service providers (MSPs) will also offer new SASE platforms and bundles tailored to SMBs. Unified SASE delivery via a single dashboard will appeal to organizations lacking security specialists. MSPs will effectively become MSSPs as more operationalize managed SASE offerings.

SASE adoption will ultimately accelerate in 2024 driven by remote work, cloud migrations, and edge computing. As zero trust principles and threat prevention capabilities converge into SASE, it will emerge as the de facto security framework for the future enterprise network edge. Simplified delivery and pricing models will also enable broader access to integrated SASE services.