Security "Bits"

At Bitglass, customers and prospects are rapidly architecting and deploying their SASE architecture and approach. In particular, we are commonly asked how they should go about prioritizing such a comprehensive approach; there is no shortage of functionality that customers can use to secure interactions between any devices, apps, web destinations, on-premises resources, and infrastructure.

Gartner recently published the 2021 Strategic Roadmap for SASE Convergence, outlining the migration to a Secure Access Services Edge (SASE) architecture. In it, the document acknowledges that the transition to a complete SASE model will take time. Beyond the practical challenges that come with refresh cycles, staff expertise, and the maturity of SASE offerings to truly harness the collective power of a converged architecture; it reflects a broader point of guidance: teams need to develop a three- to five-year roadmap for SASE. That guidance coincides with a period when organizations are beginning to plan for their future after one of the most disruptive global periods in recent history.

As we start the new year and see companies begin their plans and execution for “the new normal”, a topic of discussion from a past Customer Advisory meeting has become much more pronounced: what is the relationship between Zero Trust and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)? Is one more relevant as security teams begin preparing for either a return to the office or an increasingly distributed environment?

We recently observed another near-compromise / near-breach event.

At a time when the focus has been on adversaries that develop increasingly complex and sophisticated attacks, tried and true techniques such as compromised credentials continue to be amongst the most potent weapons. According to Verizon’s annual DBIR Report, 80 percent of confirmed data breaches involved weak, default or stolen passwords; or brute force credential compromises.