Security Service Edge (SSE) is a cloud-based security service that provides secure access to enterprise systems, SaaS applications, and the Internet. The core technologies that make up SSE are Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Secure Web Gateway, and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).
Microsoft, which shared its SSE plans last year, this month announced the Microsoft Entrance Suite, which includes ZTNA and Secure Web Gateway. In addition to these two core SSE services, the Microsoft Entrance Suite includes Identity Governance and Management, Identity Protection, and Identity Assurance.
The new components added to Microsoft Entra Suite are Internet Access, Private Access, and Verified ID Premium. Microsoft Entra ID Protection and ID Governance were previously available on the Entra ID P2 SKU and Entra ID Governance SKU.
One important thing missing from the Microsoft Entra suite is a CASB. Microsoft offers a separate CASB product, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, but it’s not included in the Entra suite because most customers use it through their Microsoft 365 E5 subscription.
“But where it’s relevant for customers, we will complement the Entra suite with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to ensure they get a complete solution,” said Irina Nechaeva, Microsoft’s general manager of identity product marketing. “Microsoft Defender is a component of the SSE solution, and it integrates with Microsoft Entra Identity and the rest of the Entra portfolio through the Conditional Access policy engine,” she added.
“Microsoft’s SSE offering can also be deployed side-by-side with other SSE vendors, allowing customers to mix and match different components of their SSE stack,” Nechaeva added.
According to Gartner, the current leading companies in the SSE market are Netskope, Zscaler, and Palo Alto Networks. In addition, many other companies are competing, including Cisco, Fortinet, Versa Networks, Cloudflare, Broadcom, iBoss, Skyhigh Security, and Lookout.
Forrester Research analyst David Holmes said Microsoft’s SSE solution will put considerable pressure on other vendors in the space. “Microsoft has all the pieces,” Holmes said. Netscope and Zscaler will be pressured as well, but smaller companies will be hit the hardest. “They didn’t have much to offer to begin with. And in today’s startup environment, it’s hard to expect M&A,” he added.
Holmes believes that companies currently using SSE for small businesses may consider switching vendors, but they may also be able to hold out for the time being, as other changes are occurring that could render all of this useless in the long run, such as the recent release of enterprise browsers by Google, Palo Alto, and others that include all the essential security technologies built into them.
A major factor working against Microsoft in the SSE market is that most enterprises are already using SSE, while some are looking for a complete SASE solution that includes SD-WAN.
When the pandemic first hit, there was a lot of interest in SSE. “We were getting phone calls,” Holmes said. “But then a few months ago, that really stopped. Microsoft got into this space too late. Everyone who was trying to go in that direction is already there.”
Opportunities will be customers of smaller SSE vendors that are renewing their subscriptions but are dissatisfied with their current vendors or are going out of business. Holmes says Microsoft could be an attractive option because it is much cheaper than other SSE vendors. Plus, many companies already use Microsoft for their core services, and Entra Suite is tied into Microsoft’s user identity ecosystem.
“A lot of companies are going to adopt it because it’s Microsoft, because it’s cheaper, and because they trust Microsoft, for better or worse,” Holmes said. “It’s happening again and again, it’s not new. The SSE market will do the same.”
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Source: www.itworld.co.kr
