Security service edge (SSE) refers to the security components of the secure access service edge (SASE) model. SSE secures access to the Internet and to applications for remote users.
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Security service edge (SSE) is the security aspect of secure access service edge (SASE). SASE is a cloud-native IT model that combines wide area network (WAN) edge networking and security services in a way that is better suited, compared to traditional network architectures, for how modern businesses operate.
SASE can be divided into two sets of interwoven capabilities: networking services and security services.
Gartner, the research and advisory firm that first coined the term "SASE," considers wide area network (WAN) edge services, including software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN), to be the networking capability upon which SASE is built. WANs connect local networks across vast distances. Moving those capabilities to the edge better serves branch offices, mobile users, and cloud infrastructure. Edge-delivered WAN services are also more scalable and flexible than traditional, MPLS-based WANs.
SSE includes three core components, along with some additional capabilities:
Together, these areas make up SSE — with other security capabilities like firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) and remote browser isolation (RBI) often included as well. When cloud-centric edge WAN services and SSE are delivered from the same network architecture, an organization can fully deploy a SASE model.
Cloudflare has a network with over 320 locations around the world, and Cloudflare has long been a leader in security, network performance, and edge computing. The Cloudflare One platform includes all the aspects of SSE listed above, and it combines this with network-as-a-service for a full SASE deployment. Learn more about Cloudflare One.