SASE and CASB in the Cloud-First Era

Overview

• Presenter: Steve Murphy, VP at ARG (opinions are his own)
• Focus: Security in a post-COVID cloud-first environment

Introduction to SASE

• SASE (Secure Access Service Edge): Ensures secure work posture regardless of location, device, or network access.
• *Two Main Categories of SASE:
  • Network as a Service: Carrier services, SD-WAN, managed access
  • Security as a Service: Cloud-based firewall services, secure web gateways (SWGs), cloud access security brokers (CASBs), zero trust networking
• Focus on CASB: Fundamental for building a SASE strategy

Why a CASB is Necessary

• Cloud-First Environment: Organizations moving services to the cloud, leaving firewalls less significant
• Cloud Benefits: Direct cloud access improves efficiency and user experience, helps with data governance and compliance
• Unique Cloud Risks: End-user behavior, potential security exploits in cloud services
• Personal vs. Business Activities: Potential risks from intermixing personal and business activities in cloud access

How CASB Works

• Intermediary Role: CASB acts as a bridge between cloud environments and users
• Supported Environments: Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS)
• *Key Pillars of CASB:
  • Access control
  • Data protection
  • Threat protection
  • Visibility and policy management

CASB Deployment Models

1. API Deployment Model: Custom code between CASB and applications
   • *Drawbacks:
     • Not real-time (out-of-band signaling)
     • May require custom development
2. Agent-Based Deployment Model: Agent on managed endpoints
3. Agentless Deployment Model: Reverse proxy for non-managed devices (home computers, mobile devices)
   • Compliance Considerations: Avoids violating confidentiality/privacy regulations

Benefits of CASB

• Access Control: Manages how users access cloud environments and sets specific policies
• Visibility: Tracks who accesses information, where, and the security posture at the time of access
• Data Control: Regulates copying, downloading, uploading, and deletion of data
• Behavioral Monitoring: Monitors unusual access patterns and sets policies accordingly
• Governance: Reports on data access to ensure compliance
• Encryption: Protects data with strong encryption capabilities

Ancillary Benefits

• Policy Enforcement: Establishes policies for data loss prevention, such as controlling uploads to personal cloud resources
• Compliance Reporting: Generates required compliance reports

Next Steps

• Contact Information: Provided in the video description
• Call to Action: Like, subscribe for more content

Thank you!