Occasionally, a VPN is beneficial for things like gaming and shopping, among other activities. But its newer counterpart, SASE, may benefit you just as well. Let’s have a look at SASE vs VPN as alternatives or replacements. We’ll also detail how their usage differs and make other valid comparisons. Let’s jump in.
Bird’s Eye View of SASE vs VPN
This table says it all.
| Criteria | SASE | VPN |
| Architecture | SASE is an ideal cloud-based solution that addresses the long-standing issue of network security and enables you to safely link distant employees in multi-site and cloud settings. | On-site data centers often house the hardware needed to enable VPN architecture. |
| Scope | SASE has a wide range of security features, such as data loss prevention, firewalls as a service, and secure online gateways. | You may not be able to access every website or streaming service just because you use a VPN. |
| Security Model | A multi-tenant, multi-region security platform that is independent of staff, data centers, cloud services, or on-site offices. | An Internet security tool called a virtual private network (VPN) enables users to access the Internet as if they were linked to a private network. |
| Scalability | A scalable substitute for secure remote access is SASE. | Scaling VPNs is challenging for several reasons. |
| Performance | Through the use of SD-WAN to enable direct-to-cloud connections, SASE improves performance. | VPNs add delay since all VPN traffic must pass via a centralized VPN server before being routed to its destination, unlike direct connections inside SASE setups. |
What are the Advantages of SASE Compared to VPN?
As SASE gains popularity, more organizations prefer it to regular VPNs due to the benefits it provides. Although this is only a tiny portion of SASE’s entire capabilities, it is an excellent starting point for determining whether it is the perfect fit for your company. SASE has several advantages over VPN. The Benefits of using a VPN are detailed in the list below.
SASE Combines Many Tools into One
With the advent of remote work over the last year and a half, edge and cloud computing have taken on significant roles in business IT. Virtual private networks (VPNs) have practically become the norm in corporations, allowing distant employees to access protected data. However, latency has necessitated that businesses update their distribution techniques. SASE and edge computing bring resources closer to employees. Within the platform, SASE includes:
- Cloud access security brokers (CASBs)
- SD-WAN, Zero Trust Network Access, and Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS)
- Secure Web Gateway (SWG)
More Benefits of SASE, Versus VPN
Here is what we infer.
Zero-Trust Possibilities for Remote Employees
Home Wi-Fi networks are frequently not as secure as business networks. Because of this, plus the fact that employees are logging in from various places, zero trust is required for remote work to be successful. I9T additionally defends against internal risks by limiting staff access to only the data required to accomplish their tasks. This data separation helps to avoid data abuse and allows IT to swiftly isolate a breach if one occurs. Typically, VPNs do not provide the same level of access control.
Lower Latency Compared to Typical VPNs
Traditional VPNs allow employees to acquire access by impersonating the IP address of the central data server’s location. This causes a delay since the request must go all the way to the data center for approval before being returned to the user. Instead, SASE sends data to the network’s edge, allowing employees to access it more quickly. Net latency can frustrate employees and lead to significant delays over time.
SASE Saves Money
While it may appear to be pricey at first glance, SASE helps firms save money on both capital and operating expenditures. SASE is often less expensive than acquiring many separate apps since it combines them. Furthermore, IT personnel simply have one application to learn and administer, lowering operational expenses. Traditional VPNs require you to acquire numerous extra products to achieve the same level of capability.
Secure your Data
Sensitive data such as business emails, financial information, and location tracking are routinely exchanged online. This information is easily trackable and exploitable, especially on a public network where anyone with network access has the ability to access your personal data. A VPN connection scrambles your data into code, making it unintelligible to anybody without an encryption key. It conceals your browsing history so that no one else may see it.
Key Benefits of SASE: Work at Home
Today, remote work is more common than ever before. Remote workers can use a VPN to access business resources via a private connection from anywhere, as long as they have access to the internet. This gives employees more flexibility while simultaneously protecting and securing corporate data, even while using a public Wi-Fi network.
Access and Watch Regional Content from Anywhere
Some websites and services restrict media content depending on geographic location, so you may be unable to access some types of content. A VPN disguises, or spoofs, the location of your local server, making it appear to be located somewhere else, such as another nation.
Bypass Censorship and Monitoring
Government limitations, censorship, or monitoring may prevent some areas from accessing specific sites or services. Location spoofing allows these users to bypass firewalls, access prohibited websites, and navigate freely online.
Prevent ISP and Third-Party Tracking: Cloud Based Remote Access VPN
Internet service providers (ISPs) log and track your surfing history using your device’s unique IP address. This information might possibly be sold through third-party advertising, provided to the government, or made exposed in the event of a security breach. A VPN hides your IP address, stops ISP tracking, and protects your personal information by routing to a distant VPN server rather than your ISP’s servers.
What are the Disadvantages of SASE vs VPN?
SASE can make network configuration more challenging. In other circumstances, corporations have lately adopted SD-WAN, or edge systems. Adding SASE might cause redundancies and inefficiencies and make debugging more complex. However, Internet-based VPNs can enable organizations to tap into existing network lines and network capability, thereby improving reach and service quality for remote and foreign sites.
Will SASE Make VPNs Obsolete in the Future?
The VPN’s primary use case is to allow users with remote access, which proved useful during the COVID-19 epidemic. Now that remote and hybrid work has become the norm in office settings, businesses are seeking new solutions to provide remote access. Alternatives can give network teams a more comprehensive security plan, even though VPNs are unlikely to go away. Technologies such as ZTNA, SD-WAN, SDP, IAM, PAM, and others may help create a zero-trust security approach, which may subsequently be utilized as a security element in a SASE architecture.
The Verdicts
The goal of both SASE and VPNs is to provide safe access to network resources. Significant security features in SASE’s existing architecture, however, could beat VPNs’ one-connection function. The notion that SASE will make VPNs obsolete has started to gain traction. This is partially because SASE may provide context-aware, secure access directly in the cloud, potentially reducing the need for conventional VPNs.
Can SASE Completely Replace a VPN?
Yep! SASE has the potential to take the place of VPN since it offers direct cloud connections and enhanced network security services that make access easier for both individual and mobile users. SASE, unlike typical VPNs that are tethered to office networks, provides a comprehensive security solution that is appropriate for cloud-based organizations.
More on ZTNA
SASE and zero-trust network access (ZTNA) technologies are predicted to increasingly replace VPNs because they provide a cloud architecture that enables flexible, secure cloud connections for mobile users and cloud computing environments. These developing technologies improve network security while simplifying access control for distributed users and cloud assets.
Is SASE More Expensive Than a VPN?
VPNs provide small organizations a cost-effective way to obtain secure access without the hassles associated with more complex solutions. VPNs’ simplified design enables these smaller organizations to minimize costs while preserving secure network access. Cost-effectiveness emerges as a key consideration in small business decision-making when evaluating SASE and VPN solutions from a financial standpoint.
Conclusion
So, to summarize, we can say that though VPN is still widely used, SASE may present as a better alternative. It depends entirely on your goal, though. Factors like cost, time, and ease of use are key to remembering what SASE vs VPN can accomplish. VPNs are especially appealing to businesses with smaller budgets because of their low cost and simplicity of setup. But over time, SASE can save money by lowering maintenance and reliance on hardware.
FAQS
1. Can SASE fully replace VPNs for all businesses?
SASE can replace VPNs in many modern organizations, especially those with remote or hybrid teams. It offers better scalability, security, and performance. However, small businesses or companies with simpler network needs may still prefer VPNs due to ease of setup and cost-effectiveness.
2. Is a VPN still useful for personal use?
Yes. VPNs are still incredibly useful for individual users who want to protect their privacy, access geo-restricted content, or use public Wi-Fi safely. SASE is typically designed for enterprise-level use, not casual consumer needs.
3. Why is SASE considered more secure than VPN?
SASE integrates multiple security tools like Zero Trust Network Access, firewalls, and secure web gateways directly into its architecture. It offers dynamic, context-aware access policies, unlike VPNs, which simply create a private tunnel but do not inspect or control traffic as deeply.
4. Does SASE improve internet speed compared to VPN?
Generally, yes. SASE uses direct-to-cloud architecture and SD-WAN, which reduces the need for data to be routed through centralized servers. VPNs, on the other hand, can slow down performance by adding latency through central tunnelling points.
5. What makes SASE more scalable than VPN?
SASE is cloud-native and can easily scale with your organization’s growth. You don’t need to invest in extra hardware or worry about geographic expansion. VPNs require more infrastructure and manual configuration as user numbers grow.
6. Are there any drawbacks to adopting SASE for Corporate VPN vs Consumer VPN?
Yes, there can be. Transitioning to SASE might be complex for companies with legacy systems or those that recently adopted SD-WAN. Also, configuring SASE correctly requires solid IT expertise, especially in the beginning.
7. How do costs compare between SASE and VPN?
VPNs are usually cheaper upfront, which is attractive to small businesses. But SASE can reduce long-term costs by combining multiple services into a single solution and lowering operational overhead. The total cost of ownership is often lower over time with SASE.
8. How can a VPN be made more secure?
You focus on strong encryption, secure protocols, and a zero-logs policy.
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