SASE vs. VPN: Which Is Better for Secure Remote Work?

The Evolution of Remote Work

Along with advancements in mobility and the cloud, remote work has become a core operating model for many organizations. Security strategies have had to evolve in kind, moving from perimeter-focused solutions to those designed for dynamic environments spanning multiple devices and platforms.

For years, VPNs were the go-to choice for secure connectivity. By encrypting traffic between the user’s device and internal networks, VPNs provided an effective layer of defense. However, they were built for a world with simpler architectures and fewer remote workers, mainly accessing on-premises resources.

The shift to cloud-first models and distributed teams has exposed VPNs' limitations, including performance bottlenecks, an expanded attack surface, and inadequate support for zero trust frameworks. SASE and VPNs both provide secure access, but SASE embeds security functions into a cloud-based network infrastructure. This enables seamless scaling and better visibility, making it a more adaptive solution for today's complex demands.

What Is SASE and How Does It Work?

Secure access service edge (SASE) is a cloud-delivered cybersecurity framework built to address modern distributed workforce challenges. It unifies essential network capabilities and advanced security services to better support the demands of remote and hybrid work.

SASE leverages core cloud-driven technologies to deliver flexible, identity-aware, and high-performance connectivity. It eliminates the reliance on traditional perimeter-based security by shifting security and networking functions into the cloud, where traffic is encrypted, monitored, and optimized.

Organizations increasingly prefer SASE for its ability to mitigate threats in real time, enforce dynamic access policies, and scale without the constraints of physical infrastructure.

Key Components of SASE

• Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) optimizes traffic routing across cloud environments, offering high efficiency and minimal latency.
• Secure web gateway (SWG) protects users from web-based threats like malware and phishing.
• Cloud access security broker (CASB) enables monitoring and security for cloud-based applications.
• Firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) provides scalable protection against external attacks.
• Zero trust network access (ZTNA) provides remote users direct, identity-based access to internal resources, but does not place them on the network, reducing lateral movement of threats.

What Are VPNs and How Do They Work?

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are widely used secure remote access tools built to create encrypted "tunnels" between a user’s device and a corporate network. Client VPNs usually require a software agent installed on the device to handle authentication and facilitate routing of traffic. The same technology is used to build site-to-site VPNs, which older SD-WAN solutions use to secure WAN traffic across the internet.

VPNs are simple in concept: they connect authenticated users directly to the network and enable them to interact with resources there. This makes VPNs suitable for legacy environments where most systems are still on-premises. However, because they rely on static gateways that expose public IP addresses, and have limited ability to inspect or optimize cloud traffic, they are less viable in the cloud era.

Remote Work Security Challenges

Since VPNs were designed for centralized, on-premises environments, they have trouble addressing many modern security challenges.

• VPNs rely on perimeter security, focusing on encryption but lacking proactive defense mechanisms like threat detection and dynamic access policies.
• VPNs expose IP addresses on the public internet, providing an attack surface through which they can be compromised.
• VPNs lack granular visibility into user activity across SaaS and cloud environments, making it difficult to monitor usage and respond to anomalies.
• VPNs cause performance issues, as encrypted tunneling introduces latency and slows response times for users.
• VPNs grant users direct network access and rely on basic authentication, meaning compromised credentials can quickly lead to a breach.

These pain points are driving many organizations to consider more scalable, comprehensive options like SASE for secure remote work and site-to-site communications.

Why Businesses Are Reevaluating Traditional VPNs

As organizations adopt hybrid and cloud-first models, many are finding traditional VPN solutions inadequate. For one, VPNs were built for a time when applications resided solely on private data centers and scalability was rarely a concern. Today, with users needing real-time access to the cloud from anywhere, VPNs only add to complexity, latency, and bandwidth strain.

Security challenges compound this issue. IT teams struggle to enforce zero trust principles with legacy VPNs, especially when managing a large global workforce. For decision-makers, the operational expense of deploying, managing, and patching on-premises VPN gateways and device agents is difficult to justify when next-generation solutions like SASE can provide seamless agility alongside advanced security.

Key Benefits of SASE Over Traditional VPNs

SASE delivers a powerful combination of benefits that align with modern security demands:

• Improved security: SASE leverages zero trust architecture to eliminate the attack surface and enforce identity-centric, context-aware policies while detecting threats dynamically.
• Enhanced performance: Using SD-WAN, SASE eliminates the bottlenecks typical of VPN tunneling, ensuring fast and reliable connectivity.
• Unified management: SASE integrates multiple security technologies within a single cloud framework for simpler oversight.
• Cost efficiency: Relying on SaaS-based solutions instead of physical hardware reduces hidden costs like maintenance and scalability.

Choosing Between SASE and VPNs for Remote Access

For organizations looking to modernize their remote access strategies, SASE represents a compelling alternative to VPNs that accelerates access to cloud services.

SASE is more secure. Security risks are heightening across distributed environments, and SASE excels by offering adaptive, identity-first defense well beyond what VPN can provide.

SASE is more scalable. With its cloud native architecture, SASE can scale effortlessly to meet the needs of growing organizations, eliminating the server limitations tied to VPNs.

SASE is simpler. By replacing fragmented systems with a unified cloud-driven architecture, SASE simplifies management processes while reducing overhead costs.

The advantages of switching architectures are undeniable. Decision-makers should evaluate their existing infrastructure, weigh VPN limitations, and determine the best path forward.

How to Transition from VPN to SASE

Start with these steps to implement key components of SASE. The integration of SD-WAN, SWG, CASB, FWaaS, and ZTNA enables centralized management of security and connectivity.

1. Evaluate your existing infrastructure. Assess your VPN setup. Determine limitations you need to address as well as your performance, scalability, and security requirements.
2. Plan for a seamless transition. Transitioning to SASE involves adopting a cloud native architecture that eliminates the constraints of physical infrastructure.
3. Implement changes gradually. Migrate critical apps and services first. You can build your SASE architecture in parallel, moving users to it progressively and as confidence grows.
4. Engage stakeholders and train users. Make sure your IT teams are fully trained on the SASE solution and that stakeholders understand its benefits and changes.