In the final week of the Tour de France, cyclists endure grueling conditions of hills, heat, and pain over 21 days, with the race often won by mere seconds. Achieving victory requires a lifetime of training, a strong team, mental strength, and technology. Every detail matters, from the choice of helmet to the equipment used. This analogy sets the stage for understanding the necessity of modernizing network security in the face of digital transformation.
Our world is constantly changing and evolving. Over the decades, humanity has continually innovated, inventing and refining technologies to make our lives easier and more efficient. This drive for progress is evident in businesses’ perpetual search for competitive advantages. What offered an edge 20 years ago is unlikely to do so today due to continuous advancements and learnings.
The 1989 Tour de France, won by Greg LeMond using the era’s technology, illustrates this point. The same equipment and strategies from 1989 wouldn’t stand a chance in the 2024 race. As professional cyclists’ training, diet, and technology have evolved, so must our approach to networking and security.
Reliance on outdated methods designed 25 years ago puts us at a disadvantage in networking and security. These legacy systems expose us to risks, add complexity, and fail to provide a competitive edge. Old methods result in problems such as a lack of end-to-end visibility, fragmented technology stacks, policy sprawl, and multiple vendors with no integration support.
These outdated technologies are not meeting modern cybersecurity needs. Unlike the relatively unchanged conditions of the Tour de France, the world of cybersecurity is rapidly evolving with the increasing sophistication of cyber threats. Data compromises and ransomware attacks have surged, making them board-level discussions due to their severe implications.
The past year alone has seen high-profile ransomware incidents involving companies like Lockbit, Caesars, and MGM. The typical attack follows a predictable pattern: phishing for identities, creating MFA fatigue, gaining access, escalating privileges, moving laterally within the network, and then leaking or holding critical data for ransom. With only a third of cybersecurity professionals confident in their current solutions, a new approach is needed.
The enterprise landscape is undergoing significant transformation. Businesses are demanding more from IT departments, pushing for distributed architectures, automation in factories through IoT, and supporting a hybrid workforce. This shift necessitates a 24/7, always-on IT infrastructure. Meanwhile, the average data breach cost in 2022 was $4.25 million per incident, with the U.S. seeing costs double to $9 million. Hybrid work remains prevalent, and IoT devices are expected to reach 15 billion by 2029, further accelerating the need for robust security solutions.
Despite these demands, many businesses still operate with outdated security models. The traditional hub-and-spoke network design, suitable when all data was within the “castle walls,” is now obsolete. Modern enterprises adopting cloud-first approaches and hybrid work models require a new security paradigm that eliminates the need for risky, complex VPN solutions.
Virtualized firewalls are often presented as a solution but merely add complexity without addressing the core issues. Managing more firewalls increases costs and complexity while still exposing the network to risks. This is akin to telling modern Tour de France riders to use equipment and strategies from 25 years ago.
Businesses need solutions that provide fast, reliable access to applications with optimal paths and visibility. They require SaaS performance monitoring, automation across network environments, real-time application experiences, and secure access to cloud and legacy applications. Complete visibility into user sessions and traffic inspection is crucial for defending against threats like ransomware.
The solution lies in the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). Introduced by Gartner in 2019, SASE combines WAN capabilities with comprehensive network security of the Security Service Edge (SSE). SSE includes Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). This approach resolves the modern dilemma of choosing between speed and security, offering a balanced solution.
SASE leverages cloud infrastructure to provide scalable, resilient, redundant security solutions. They eliminate the need for physical hardware-based POPs, offering a cloud-native architecture that can quickly adapt to customer demands. This ensures high availability, automatic load balancing, and disaster recovery capabilities.
In conclusion, just as technology has revolutionized the Tour de France, it must also transform our approach to network security. Businesses must embrace modern solutions like SASE to protect their digital assets, ensure seamless access, and stay competitive in an ever-evolving landscape. By adopting these advanced security frameworks, enterprises can achieve the balance between performance and protection, positioning themselves for success in the digital age.
