IBM Security and Zscaler expanded their Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) partnership, introducing additional blueprints aimed at common business goals.
According to Laurène Hummer, Product Manager and Program Director for IBM’s Digital Trust Security services, the goal is to help enterprises adopt a SASE framework and extend a zero-trust architecture to the edge. “Enabling SASE is a key element of a zero-trust security posture.”
SASE Security Services builds on IBM’s zero-trust blueprints, which were launched in May and provided a framework for implementing and managing zero-trust architectures.
Many of the challenges faced by enterprises as they return to work are addressed in the new blueprints. IBM provides security and cloud support services, as well as security monitoring, management, and threat mitigation, as part of the service, while Zscaler provides the majority of the SASE security stack.
Hummer said “Speaking with a lot of our customers, we realize that many CISOs understand the benefits of moving security controls to the edge,”
“The tricky part is how to actually do that for a complex organization.”
The solution connects customers with an IBM security and cloud specialist who will guide them through a five-step “maturity model” to help them plan for and build a SASE architecture, in order to overcome this difficulty and drive more customers toward a zero-trust architecture.
From the start, IBM is focusing on five SASE business outcomes. The shift to remote or hybrid work; access for third-party contractors; mergers and acquisitions; broader network transformation initiatives; and emerging 5G, IoT, and edge applications, are among them.
However, according to Hummer, businesses do not have to complete all of them at the same time. “It can be a multi-step trip,” she added, adding that the journey “doesn’t have to be full bang all of a sudden.”
IBM SASE Powered by Zscaler
Many of these use cases, such as hybrid work and third-party access, rely on Zscaler’s Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Secure Web Gateway (SWG) features to replace legacy VPN technologies.
Similarly, IBM bills the service as a way to make mergers and acquisitions easier. In this scenario, IBM’s SASE service acts as a bridge between the two companies’ existing WAN infrastructure, even if the two companies’ are from different vendors.