SASE explained: what single-vendor platforms offer, and how to choose one
SASE combines networking and security into one cloud service. Gartner expects most companies buying SD-WAN to get it as part of a single-vendor platform within a few years.
Secure access service edge, or SASE, is the idea of delivering network connectivity and security as one cloud service, instead of routing traffic back through firewalls at headquarters. It grew out of a simple problem: users, applications and data left the office, but security stayed there.
A single-vendor SASE platform is one product from one provider that covers both the networking and the security side. The alternative is two or more vendors, typically one for SD-WAN and another for the security services.
What a SASE platform includes
According to Virtualization Review's summary of Gartner's 2025 criteria, an enterprise-grade SASE platform should provide:
| Capability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Secure web access through a proxy | Filters and inspects internet traffic (often called a secure web gateway) |
| Inline SaaS access controls | Sees and controls use of cloud applications |
| Identity-based access to private applications | Replaces VPNs with per-application access (zero trust network access) |
| A branch appliance | Routes traffic by application across links (SD-WAN) |
| Firewalling in both directions | Firewall as a service |
| Central management with GUI and API | One place to set policy |
Optional extras include remote browser isolation, sandboxing and premium backbone networks.
Where the market is heading
Gartner projects that by 2028, 70% of SD-WAN purchases will be part of a single-vendor SASE platform, up from 25% in 2025, according to Virtualization Review. In practice, that means the networking and security budgets for branch offices and remote workers are converging into one contract.
Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms named Fortinet a Leader, Cisco a Challenger and Cloudflare a Visionary, among other vendors, according to a summary published by Softprom.
How to choose
The criteria Virtualization Review drew from Gartner's assessment:
- One console and one policy model across all capabilities, with an API.
- Points of presence near your users, with high availability and a published uptime SLA.
- Inline inspection for malware and sensitive data, and single sign-on with your existing identity provider.
- Endpoint agents for every operating system your staff use.
- Vendor viability and support with 24/7 global coverage.
Ask for a pilot at a real branch and with real remote users before signing. SASE replaces infrastructure that every employee touches, so performance problems show up fast.
What IT teams should do
- Note when your current firewall, VPN and SD-WAN contracts end; SASE is easiest to adopt at renewal.
- List where your users and applications actually are today.
- Run a pilot with one branch and one remote team before committing.