Tata Communications partners with Versa Networks on hosted SASE

Tata Communications has entered the fast-growing SASE market with a hosted offering for global enterprises.

It said that Hosted Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), offered in partnership with unified SASE platform vendor Versa Networks, “converges software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) and secure service edge (SSE) capabilities in a single pass technology.”

[ Download Network World’s Buyer’s Guide to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Secure Service Edge (SSE) ]

Versa Networks chief development officer Kumar Mehta said, “There is a huge amount of interest for unified SASE from enterprises today, with many organizations looking for a managed solution. The demand is primarily driven by the need to support hybrid work and digital transformation.”

This aligns with trends noted by analysts at Dell’Oro Group. In the first quarter of this year, they saw a 23% growth rate for SASE revenue, the 17th consecutive quarter with over 20% growth. And the unified SASE market, Dell’Oro said, especially appeals to the mid-market thanks to its simplified networking and security integration.

“Enterprises realize that legacy networks and security architectures are inadequate and cannot provide the necessary security and performance in a user and application environment that has become highly distributed, interactive, and mobile across the internet,” said Mauricio Sanchez, senior research director, enterprise networking and security at Dell’Oro Group, in a blog post. “As a result, enterprises are thinking differently about networking and security. Instead of considering them as separate toolsets to be deployed once and infrequently changed, the problem and solution space is conceptualized along a continuum in the emerging view.”

Globally distributed

Tata Communications will host and manage the service on its globally distributed network, providing “carrier-grade performance”, it said, adding that the service also offers detection and real-time protection through a threat intelligence platform which integrates data from its own network and other sources.

Versa’s Mehta said the unified SASE platform also provides disaster recovery via Versa’s backup cloud gateways.

Tata Communications chief digital officer Srinivasan CR said the company’s customers operate in a hyperconnected environment. “It is vital that they are able to access data anytime, anywhere, without compromising on security or user experience,” he said in a statement. “Our Hosted SASE solution powers global businesses with secure communication and collaboration, weaving all of their data and applications into a single digital fabric that enables end-to-end control and visibility.”

Tata Communications said that the solution also improves return on investment. It estimates that the hosted solution costs nearly 40% less than point solutions, noting, “it caters to enterprises seeking to simplify their network and security infrastructure, aiming for a seamless and consistent user experience, and avoiding costly integration challenges of SDWAN & SSE.”

However, Ghassan Abdo, research vice president, worldwide telecommunications at IDC, thinks the solution is less appropriate for large enterprises.

“Tata Communications’ Hosted SASE solution aligns well with the needs of remote workers and small enterprises, as it simplifies the management and operation of software defined networking and related security services,” he said in an email. “On-device security may be a better option [in large enterprises].”