Why Network Security's Future Is in the Cloud

Orans pointed to the growing adoption of secure access service edge (SASE). Businesses are buying more cloud-delivered security services and fewer physical appliances as they adopt SaaS applications like Microsoft 365 and Salesforce.

"We need to secure how our branch offices are connecting to the Internet, we need to secure how our mobile users are connecting to the Internet, and things are changing rapidly," he explained in a Gartner Summit session on network security. Analysts expect organizations will spend between $80 billion and $100 billion on SaaS applications through 2023, affecting the way they design and rearchitect their wide area networks.

There is a lot of conversation around moving the cloud, Orans said. These discussions usually focus on moving workloads from private data centers up to public clouds like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and other public clouds. While these transitions are critical, more money is being spent on SaaS applications, which are the "key driver changing network security."

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