Businesses are at a critical juncture, as their workplaces evolve, they must reassess how they secure their most valuable assets – their data, networks, and people.
The rapid shift to remote and hybrid work and increased reliance on cloud services have exposed gaps in traditional security models, writes Aveshan Aiyer, channel manager: Check Point at Westcon-Comstor Southern Africa.
What once worked in a centralised office setting is now struggling to keep pace with a workforce that demands flexibility, speed, and security from anywhere.
Network security is no longer just a technical issue for business leaders—it’s a strategic imperative. Consistent connectivity, secure access to resources, and robust protection against evolving cyber threats are essential for maintaining trust, productivity, and long-term growth. The challenge lies in striking the right balance between securing the network and maintaining seamless, efficient user experiences for employees.
This is where Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is gaining traction. By merging networking and security into a unified, cloud-delivered framework, SASE is designed to address the growing complexities of modern work environments. It offers businesses the flexibility to adapt while maintaining the protection needed for their operations, especially in an increasingly decentralised world.
Navigating the Hybrid Work Landscape
The shift toward remote and hybrid work has introduced a new set of challenges for organisations. Employees working from homes, co-working spaces, or cafes are often connected to unsecured networks, making it difficult for businesses to ensure secure access to critical applications and data. Traditional solutions, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), can become bottlenecks, degrading performance and limiting visibility into network activity.
At the same time, IT departments face the complex task of protecting a widely dispersed workforce while ensuring that access to business-critical resources remains uninterrupted. Frustrating user experiences, mainly due to slow or clunky security measures, can directly affect productivity. On the other hand, weak security opens the door to potential breaches that can be financially and reputationally costly.
As a result, many businesses are rethinking their network security strategies, opting for approaches that can keep up with the speed and scale required in today’s environment.
A New Approach to Network Security
Traditional network security methods are built around centralised, perimeter-based systems. These approaches are becoming increasingly ineffective in a world where employees access resources from diverse locations and devices. The need for flexible, cloud-native security solutions has never been greater.
SASE offers a shift away from hardware-bound, legacy systems toward a software-defined, security-as-a-service model that can adapt to the fluid nature of modern workforces. Solutions, like Check Point Harmony SASE, combine Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and cloud-native security to ensure that every user and device is continuously authenticated and verified. This makes it possible to protect sensitive business information, no matter where employees are or what devices they use.
This approach reflects more than just an update in technology – it signifies a broader change in how businesses should think about security. Rather than focusing on securing the perimeter of the corporate network, the focus moves toward securing individual users, devices, and the data they access, wherever they are.
Trends Shaping the Future of Security
Companies are increasingly shifting operations to the cloud, creating new demands for secure, scalable access. Business leaders must ensure that their security architecture is adaptable to new trends such as the rise of remote work, the increased use of cloud applications, and heightened regulatory scrutiny around data protection.
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have become indispensable partners for businesses looking to scale and secure their operations. By offering security as a service, MSPs relieve the pressure on internal IT teams while ensuring that advanced security solutions, like Check Point Harmony, are properly implemented and maintained. This approach enables businesses to focus on their core activities without being bogged down by security concerns.
For MSPs, SASE presents a significant advantage. It simplifies the inherently complex nature of network security by merging multiple-point solutions into a unified platform. Harmony SASE’s architecture is designed with MSPs in mind, offering features such as multi-tenant management, which allows providers to manage multiple customers efficiently from a single dashboard. This not only improves service delivery but also provides scalability and cost-efficiency for MSPs and their clients.
Adopting a SASE framework can help organisations align their security strategies with these emerging trends. With security embedded into every network connection, businesses can better protect against threats while enabling a smooth, frictionless user experience.
Key Considerations for Business Leaders
Decisions around security are no longer the domain of IT departments alone they now have direct implications for business growth, scalability, and resilience. To remain competitive and secure, businesses – alongside their MSP partners – need to consider the following when implementing new security solutions:
- Securing a Distributed Workforce: Remote work is here to stay and with it comes the challenge of ensuring consistency and access across various environments. Companies need security that adapts to the behaviours and locations of their employees while safeguarding critical data. This requires a real-time, flexible, cloud-native solution like Check Point Harmony that goes beyond traditional perimeter defences.
- Scaling with Growth: As businesses expand, so does their need for scalable, seamless security solutions. Traditional methods often struggle to provide reliable protection as more users connect from various locations. The ability to scale security operations efficiently is crucial to keeping pace with organisational growth.
- Reducing Complexity in Security Management: Managing multiple-point solutions (such as VPNs, firewalls, and endpoint protection) becomes increasingly cumbersome. With Harmony SASE, MSPs can consolidate these tools into a single platform, enabling centralised control and better visibility. This reduces the burden on IT teams and provides MSPs with a streamlined approach to managing multiple clients’ security needs.
The Future of Network Security
Looking ahead, businesses need to invest in security solutions that meet today’s challenges and scale with tomorrow’s needs. With support from MSPs, the rise of SASE represents a critical step in future-proofing network infrastructure, offering organisations the ability to balance security, user experience, and operational efficiency.
By adopting solutions like Harmony SASE in partnership with MSPs, businesses can ensure they remain secure while empowering their employees to work productively, regardless of location. In the process, they can reduce management complexity, improve user experience, and position themselves to thrive in an interconnected world.