The widespread shift to the cloud has helped businesses become more scalable, agile, and data-driven. However, for those without a clear blueprint for their security, the degree to which security leaders have lost oversight of their threat surface has also accelerated.
Organizations that are moving into the cloud for the first time, such as small businesses, may struggle to do so on their own without exposing on-premise assets to the public-facing internet or losing control of machine identities that leave them vulnerable to compromise.
On the other hand, large enterprises with myriad staff accounts, devices, and cloud instances can struggle to dig a moat big enough to keep attackers out of their entire environment.
As security leaders grapple with cloud complexity, their problems are compounded by the security headache of remote workers connecting to corporate networks from all over the world.
Thankfully, there are solutions at hand. Approaches such as the next generation of firewalls, zero trust models, and network monitoring can provide businesses with peace of mind when it comes to linking users with their on-premise data and cloud applications. All of these can be leveraged through secure access service edge (SASE), a technology that converges the best of networking and security services via a cloud service.
While all of this is possible in theory, organizations need help from trusted security partners to properly implement this range of cloud security solutions. One such partner is Switchshop, which offers solutions ranging from SASE to cloud posture management and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR).
How SASE with Switchshop helps
SASE is a cloud-native architecture that combines networking and security solutions and can help alleviate many of the security problems associated with cloud complexity. It converges techniques such as software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN), zero trust network access (ZTNA), and next-generation firewalls to provide secure, remote access to enterprise workloads.
As all of this is run through cloud services, it’s scalable and can be easily observed by security teams. For example, firewall as a service (FwaaS) delivered as part of an organization’s SASE can protect user access to applications without the need for physical hardware and allows cybersecurity workers to apply organization-wide filters on traffic.
There’s evidence that SASE is becoming widely adopted to assist firms in the cloud. As many as 39% of CIOs and technology executives surveyed in a recent Gartner report indicated they have either deployed SASE or will do so in the next 24 months.
Implementing all of this requires a strict plan and technical insight, as converging one’s existing security and networking infrastructure into a combined plane can be complex to achieve. Depending on one’s cloud complexity, businesses can also struggle with retraining IT staff to use the new system.
Choosing the right security partner is integral to a smooth transition to SASE as well as for training.
Switchshop is the first UK-based reseller to become recognized for its Fortinet SASE specialization and achieved this year’s title of Fortinet UK Public Sector Partner of the Year. Throughout its years in partnership with Fortinet, Switchshop has helped to deliver Fortinet solutions such as its SD-WAN and next-generation firewall solutions across the public sector and provide organizations with training.
It was also the very first Fortinet partner in the UK to receive the Fortinet Engage Technical Support Partner status, in recognition of it technical expertise and ability to help organizations meet compliance goals.
Future-proofing with a trusted security partner
Switchshop’s accolades aren’t the only reasons why it would make an ideal security partner for business – but they are evidence of the strategic and technical excellence Switchshop brings to all of its customer and partner relationships.
Every good security leader knows there’s no such thing as a silver bullet when it comes to cybersecurity. The fight to keep one’s perimeter secure is never-ending, as new technologies come online to give businesses the edge over attackers until threat groups catch up.
While its history of delivering Fortinet services shows its commitment to this fight, Switchshop also recognizes the need for a diverse offering and therefore is also a specialized partner of HPE Aruba Networking, Acronis, and others.
In addition to its SASE prowess, Switchshop also offers a wide range of security solutions to meet the demands of a business including identity and access management (IAM) to control user permissions, managed detection and response (MDR), and phishing detection for customer email services.
Organizations in the public sector can also expect bespoke services from Switchshop. On top of its proven track record of delivering Fortinet solutions to the public sector, Switchshop has delivered communications networks and low-latency tracking for critical transport networks, secure networks for government, and scalable infrastructure for healthcare that meets compliance needs.
The firm’s focus on future-proofed security measures, rooted in its specialization with approaches that meet the demands of the moment, provides long-term reassurance for businesses without breaking the budget. It’s not just at the leading edge of security, but also ready to manage security services for businesses of all sizes, engage with hands-on training on the latest security risks, and help leaders meet their compliance needs.
On top of the solutions that Switchshop helps implement, its customers can expect IT monitoring, 24/7 support for critical security issues, and support with IT project management. This ongoing support helps to press the advantage possible through architectures like SASE, pairing oversight with proactive security checks for total reassurance.
Any leader looking to shore up their security processes and strategy should look to Switchshop as a potential security partner. Throughout its years in operation, it’s proved itself as a capable and adaptable security partner for businesses of all sizes.
