By shifting from point-solutions to a cybersecurity platform approach, IT and security teams significantly improve their efficiency and security outcomes. Security Service Edge (SSE) projects are often an excellent first step in taking a platform-centric security approach. SSE optimizes hybrid work with secure, high-performance, application access that is coupled with integrated threat defense and data protection. Cloud-delivered, it simplifies deployment its operational elasticity flexibly grows with you.

Guiding principles for successfully adopting a cybersecurity platform

1. Simplify — According to Gartner, 75% of organizations are aiming to consolidate security vendors. Cisco supports this customer objective with its broad and tightly integrated cybersecurity platform. Our approach complements your existing security investments and honors your preferences. For proof of that commitment, look no further than the new Cisco XDR — it integrates with Cisco SSE and our Cisco Secure Endpoint EDR, as well as EDR capabilities from other vendors.
2. Address today’s realities — Business thinker Peter Drucker noted, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” Managing poorly integrated point-security solutions is a dead end. Don’t let yesterday’s logic for bespoke point solutions, which heightens integration costs and creates visibility and policy gaps, dictate your go-forward security strategy. Our new User Protection Suite cost-effectively simplifies cybersecurity platform adoption with cloud-native SSE, plus Cisco Duo multi-factor authentication, Email Threat Defense, and our Secure Endpoint EDR.
3. Select tooling carefully — A cybersecurity platform must be built for the real world. Operational agility requires careful tool selection that accommodates your security maturity plan. With the dissolution of traditional perimeters, Cisco Secure Access SSE uniquely combines ZTNA with VPNaaS. Unlike competing solutions, it ensures workforce access to all required applications and resources, uniquely enabling an evolution to ZTNA on your timeline.

Think tightly integrated Swiss Army Knives

One way of thinking about Cisco’s cybersecurity platform approach in that it delivers a series of tightly integrated Swiss Army Knives. Cisco Secure Access SSE delivers ZTNA, VPNaaS, DNS-layer security, CASB, DLP, SWG, and more. The Cisco Secure Client that our SSE integrates with merges five installer packages into a single client, reducing IT overhead and enhancing your security framework. Modules include:

• Cisco AnyConnect ZTNA/VPN
• Cisco Secure Endpoint EDR
• SSE Secure Web Gateway (SWG) + DNS-layer protection

Our approach reduces complexity in multiple ways: First, our SSE includes unified policies across security functions, then Cisco Secure Client reduces the number of endpoint installations you must test and deploy. Because of this investment, we’ve been able to recently announce the end-of-life of the Cisco Umbrella Roaming Client, as all roaming client functionality is now available in Secure Client’s Umbrella Roaming Module. Read more about the migration of Umbrella Roaming Client to Cisco Secure Client on our Umbrella blog.

The move to Cisco Secure Client is an opportunity to reduce complexity and enhance security, with a pathway for enabling Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).

This year, Forrester Consulting interviewed Cisco customers and performed an independent Total Economic Impact study of Cisco SSE, reporting that Cisco SSE customers realized a:

• 231% return on investment over three years
• 65% reduction in the effort to deploy and enforce web and cloud security policies
• 30% security efficacy improvement that helped reduce data breaches by 21%

Case study: Homes England

Take the case of Homes England, where Justin Hannan, Head of Platforms & Infrastructure, experienced firsthand the benefits of security integration. By incorporating part of our Secure Access SSE portfolio, Cisco Umbrella, Hannan noted, “We have integrated the Cisco Umbrella solution, which helps us shift more to cloud delivered services and with the integration of these two solutions [Umbrella, AnyConnect VPN/ZTNA] it gives a more efficient management of both.”

Embracing a unified strategy and integrated future

Cisco’s XDR, SSE, the consolidated Secure Client, and our security suites demonstrate Cisco’s commitment to comprehensive cybersecurity that delivers better efficacy and business outcomes. For more information, talk with a Cisco User Protection expert today.

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