Security Service Edge (SSE) is a Profound Moment for Cloud, Data, and Network Security

Today we are very excited to share that Netskope has been named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner ® Magic Quadrant ™ for Security Service Edge (SSE). This Magic Quadrant for SSE* is the first such SSE analysis of its kind, and I invite you to read the full SSE report (available here) to learn how Netskope was recognized for its completeness of vision and ability to execute. 

SSE marks a profound moment for the evolution of security, and for our industry. As a term, SSE captures the security stack necessary to deliver a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture. SSE also describes the convergence of several previously distinct security technology categories, including cloud access security broker (CASB), secure web gateway (SWG), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS).

This is big. No longer do enterprises need to purchase these or other related technologies in individual pieces, or from individual vendors. The intent with SSE is that these critical services are provided from one elegantly unified platform, and are the building blocks on which organizations can design a SASE architecture and fully deliver on the promises of cloud and digital transformation.

As you’ve heard me say before, the vision for Netskope in 2012 came from several fundamental ideas. First, that the use of cloud applications and the need for enterprise-grade internet access from anywhere in the world would take off faster than most people anticipated at the time. Second, that security would need to fundamentally change to keep up with those rapidly accelerating trends. Third, that the most valuable non-human asset of a company is its data, and protecting that while simultaneously enabling the business and improving end-user experience was key. We didn’t call anything SSE or SASE back then—those terms came later. But the ideas that underpin SSE and SASE are directly in-line with what we sketched on a notepad and built our company around nearly a decade ago: 

• That cloud traffic would become over 60% of all web traffic in the enterprise in less than a decade
• That cloud would become the vector of choice for malware and other threats
• That the traditional security perimeter would cease to exist and security would need to move with data and people wherever they go
• That security would need to be enriched with context so that it could adapt to the nuanced ways that people would interact with data, applying principles (which came to be known as Zero Trust) for real-time access control and protection of a company’s data
• That a virtual enterprise edge would be needed as an onramp to the internet, and that robust security and reliable and fast network connectivity can never degrade one another—that is, can never be a trade-off—if any of the above is to be successful. 

We believe the results of the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SSE validate that early vision, and, today, serve as an important analysis for organizations that want to understand the difference between SSE and SASE marketing and the true delivery of SSE capabilities. Despite all the noise out there, legacy security and networking technologies that are retrofitted to be “SSE” or “SASE” are struggling to keep up with the enterprise demands of today and the near future. We are honored that so many have believed in our vision for solving security in a cloud-first and data-centric environment. Even more of the world’s biggest and most impactful organizations become Netskope customers every day and continue with us on their SASE journey.

I invite you to read more about what customers say about Netskope in Gartner Peer Insights reviews and in the stories they have provided to us. And to learn more about SSE, please access your free copy of our new book, Security Service Edge (SSE) for Dummies. We’re all working together to train current and future security professionals who will manage and implement this necessary and core technology and help us all maximize our use of the web, cloud, and private applications while staying secure and connected, and build the kind of infrastructure that will deliver maximum business value and long-term growth. 

This is a journey, and we’re so proud to be on it with you!

*Gartner, “Magic Quadrant for Security Service Edge,” John Watts, Craig Lawson, Charlie Winckless, Aaron McQuaid, February 15, 2022

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