The SASE Feature Race Is Over. The AI Operations Race Has Begun.

Zurich, Switzerland, 1 October 2026 - The first generation of SASE was defined by what vendors could put into the platform. Open Systems believes the next competitive battleground will be AI operations: how much work AI takes on, where humans stay in control and who ultimately owns the outcome.

Enterprises use one security and networking platform but choose how they want to operate it: themselves, augmented by AI, or fully managed by Open Systems. As their requirements change, they can move between operating models without replacing their underlying technology or changing provider.

The launch translates Open Systems’ AI strategy into a simpler commercial proposition: One platform. Three operating models. One vendor accountable for the outcome.

AI Operations as the Next Race Signal

SASE has spent years consolidating networking and security capabilities into increasingly unified platforms. That market is now entering a more mature phase: Gartner describes the SASE platform market as “maturing,” while vendors increasingly differentiate through areas such as AI security and sovereign controls. In separate 2026 research, Gartner advises cybersecurity and infrastructure leaders to focus on automation now to reduce the operational overhead of SASE rather than wait for the promise of fully autonomous AI agents.

For Open Systems, that signals the next shift. Enterprises no longer need only to ask which networking and security functions their platform provides. They increasingly need to decide how they want that platform to be operated, how much work AI should take on, and where human accountability remains necessary.

“SASE spent years becoming a product category. Now it has to become an operating model,” said Dennis Monner, CEO of Open Systems. “Customers don’t need another feature checklist. They need to decide who actually does the work: their team, AI or us. We’ve built one platform that lets them make that choice, and change it when their needs change.”

One Platform. Three Ways to Run It.

Open Systems now structures its offering around three operating models:

• Self-serve Platform - You run it. Enterprises operate the Open Systems platform themselves, via the portal and public API. The model is currently rolling out.
• AIOps - AI runs it with you. Customer and AI operate together through Lucy and the AI Matrix. AI performs defined operational work within bounded autonomy - propose, approve, act - with a human in the loop. The model is currently rolling out.
• Mission Control - We run it for you. Open Systems combines the same platform and AI capabilities with 24/7 operations and Level-3 engineering expertise, taking responsibility for day-to-day operations and critical incidents. Mission Control is live and available in three levels: Essential, Premium and Elite.

The underlying platform remains the same across all three. The difference is who operates, not what the customer gets. A customer can therefore start by operating security internally, introduce AI as requirements grow, or hand operations to Open Systems, without migrating to another security stack or provider.

AI Creates a Third Option

Traditionally, enterprises faced a binary choice: operate security themselves or outsource it. AI creates a third model. Routine operational work can increasingly be handled by AI, while customers retain control over the boundaries within which it operates. This gives security teams another way to address growing operational complexity and skills constraints without immediately handing over their entire environment to a managed service provider.

At Open Systems, that model is built around Ask. Approve. Document. AI can analyse, diagnose and propose or initiate actions. Customers and Open Systems engineers retain approval where required. Actions remain traceable, and Level-3 experts remain accountable for critical decisions.

“The goal is not maximum autonomy,” said Markus Ehrenmann, CTO of Open Systems. “Security teams are right to ask what AI can access, what it is allowed to change and what happens when it gets something wrong. We want AI to take more operational work off their hands, but autonomy has to be earned. Guardrails first, autonomy second.”

From Software Packaging to Operational Choice

The new model also changes how Open Systems packages and sells its portfolio. Instead of treating technology and managed services as separate propositions, the platform becomes the constant and the level of operational responsibility becomes the choice.

For customers, this is designed to simplify both buying and long-term architecture decisions. Organizations can adapt the operating model as internal skills, resources, regulatory requirements or business priorities change.

For partners, Open Systems is introducing a new commercial framework and partner experience designed to make the portfolio easier to understand, position and sell.

“Complexity is our problem, not our customers’ or partners’ problem,” CEO Monner said. “If it takes a spreadsheet and three calls to understand what something costs, we haven’t simplified enough. The same principle that drives our technology should drive the commercial experience around it.”

Built for a Market That Is Changing

The shift comes as SASE itself continues to evolve. Gartner forecasts continued growth for SASE through 2030, driven by hybrid work, multicloud adoption and the need to secure AI access. Its current research also highlights new differentiation around AI security and sovereign controls as the market matures.

Open Systems believes the next stage goes beyond securing AI itself. It is about using AI to operate security. The company began laying the foundation for that model with its AI Matrix, announced in September 2026. Its customer-facing AI operator Lucy provides a single interface into specialized AI capabilities, while 35 years of operational experience provide the context behind them.

From October 1, Open Systems is introducing its new portfolio and commercial model. Mission Control is live, while the Self-serve Platform and AIOps operating models are rolling out. With the new portfolio, those capabilities now sit within a commercial model that lets customers determine how much of the operation they want to own. The platform stays. The operating model changes.

About Open Systems:

Open Systems combines secure access and networking with an AI-powered operating model for enterprise security. Its platform unifies SSE capabilities including ZTNA, SWG, CASB and FWaaS with SD-WAN, end-to-end connectivity, unified policy management and advanced analytics in a single architecture.

Customers can operate the platform themselves, augment their teams with AI, or have Open Systems run it end to end with Level-3 accountability.

Founded in Switzerland in 1990 and part of Swiss Post since 2024, Open Systems generates more than USD 100 million in annual revenue and supports global enterprise customers operating in more than 180 countries.

AI-run. Human-backed. Sovereign by design.