Why Hybrid SASE Is the Right Fit for the Real-World Edge
As computing shifts to the edge, security must follow — wherever data is generated, processed, and acted upon.
For the past decade, enterprises have focused on centralizing IT: consolidating infrastructure into cloud platforms and routing traffic through centralized security stacks. But a quiet reversal is now underway.
According to 451 Research [1], 60% of enterprises are reactively investing in edge infrastructure, driven by use cases that centralized clouds simply can’t support.
From smart factories to AI-powered logistics, organizations need to move computing, and security, closer to where data is generated and decisions are made.
But there’s a problem: most Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) vendors provide cloud-only platforms and are only starting to consider edge appliances.
The Latency Gap: Why Cloud-Only SASE Falls Short
Traditional SASE providers rely on centralized, cloud-only Points of Presence (PoPs). That model works well for securing users accessing SaaS from major cities. But it quickly breaks down in real-world edge scenarios:
- Factory floors with IoT devices generating data that must be secured and processed locally.
- Retail stores needing fast and reliable POS connectivity without backhauling traffic across continents.
- Bank branches and financial offices that require secure, real-time access to transaction systems and compliance monitoring tools, without routing sensitive data through distant cloud regions.
When these use cases are forced through distant PoPs, latency increases, bandwidth costs rise, and availability suffers. Worse, security becomes decoupled from performance, creating operational risk.
The new edge is sprawling and unpredictable. As 451 Research notes, it’s not just “remote sites” anymore — the edge includes warehouses, sensors, connected machinery, and even mobile endpoints in the field. And with AI workloads exploding, edge environments increasingly require real-time processing and policy enforcement.
This new paradigm calls for security that is:
- Deployed wherever needed: cloud, IaaS, or on-prem
- Low-latency: enforcing policies locally, not from a faraway PoP
- Flexible and scalable: easily deployable at new edge sites with minimal operational overhead (zero-touch provisioning) and centralized orchestration
Hybrid SASE from Open Systems: Built for the Real-World Edge
At Open Systems, we believe SASE should fit your network , not force your network to fit SASE. That’s why we’ve built a hybrid SASE architecture that supports SaaS, IaaS, and on-prem deployments.
- Decentralized Security Enforcement. Deploy enforcement points where your apps and users are, whether it’s a smart factory, a campus branch, or a remote site with intermittent connectivity. Avoid unnecessary latency and stay compliant without sacrificing speed.
- Edge-Ready Infrastructure. Our solution is tailored for hybrid environments. With edge gateways and flexible PoP deployment options, we enable low-touch security delivery across hundreds of distributed sites.
- 24×7 Expert Support. Unlike many cloud-only providers, our SASE is fully managed by designated Technical Account Managers and certified engineers who understand both the networking and security context of complex edge deployments.
Preparing for the Edge-First Future
The shift to the edge is accelerating, and enterprises can’t afford security architectures that assume everything lives in the cloud. Whether you’re expanding secure connectivity across international offices or supporting mission-critical workloads in regulated industries, your security model must move with your computing model.
At Open Systems, we’re building SASE to meet your business where it is today, and help you evolve securely in step with the realities of a distributed, edge-first world.
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To learn how Open Systems SASE Experience can benefit your organization, talk to a specialist today.
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