The modern workforce has fundamentally changed, with most organizations operating in a hybrid model and a growing reliance on cloud applications. However, traditional security architectures—built around VPNs, firewalls, and network perimeters—are struggling to protect users, data, and applications against sophisticated threats in dynamic,
distributed environments. The result is a fragmented
security model that increases complexity, creates blind spots, and leaves organizations vulnerable to credential
theft, ransomware, and insider threats.
Security leaders recognize that stacking more tools on outdated architectures is not sustainable. This is why Security Service Edge (SSE) is emerging as the primary solution for modern access security, delivering Zero Trust
enforcement, cloud security, and access control in a single framework. While many organizations plan to expand their security transformation into a broader Secure Access
Service Edge (SASE) strategy, most begin with SSE as the security foundation.
The 2025 SSE Adoption Report analyzes exclusive survey data from 713 IT and cybersecurity leaders on how organizations adopt SSE and SASE and their challenges, priorities, and deployment strategies.
Key findings from this report include:
• SSE and SASE adoption are surging – 79% of organizations plan to implement SSE within 24 months, and 62% consider SASE very important for their security
strategy.
• Zero Trust is a priority – 46% of organizations are starting SSE adoption with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) as they prioritize securing the increasingly mobile workforce and their private business applications.
• Shift towards consolidation – 61% of organizations favor a single-vendor SASE solution that unifies security and networking, specifically integrating SSE and SD-WAN. This strategy consolidates these services under one provider, offering customers a comprehensive and streamlined solution.
• Visibility gaps create major security risks – Organizations report low confidence levels in monitoring employee access (scoring 5.3 out of 10) and third-party users (4.9 out of 10), leaving blind spots that increase risk from lateral movement and credential-based attacks.
• SSE replaces legacy security appliances – 62% of organizations plan to eliminate VPN concentrators. At the
same time, many seek to reduce reliance on dedicated SSL
inspection, DDoS, and firewall appliances, signaling a shift
to cloud-delivered SSE security that simplifies infrastructure
while strengthening protection.
These findings provide critical, data-driven guidance for security leaders navigating the shift toward SSE and SASE, ensuring a secure, scalable, and simplified approach to modern access security.
