Issue link: https://insights.oneneck.com/i/1469039
8 Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) For Dummies, Cisco Special Edition These materials are © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Any dissemination, distribution, or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. of the workforce will be roaming by 2021, and a February 2019 Forbes article noted "Remote work is no longer a 'perk,' 'lifestyle' or 'policy'. Remote work, telecommuting and workplace flexibil- ity have officially become a global industry." A roaming user is any employee that works from a home office or from another noncorporate location (such as at a customer's office or on the road) at least one day a week. Roaming users may use corporate-owned devices and/or personal devices and they may access the corporate network via a VPN or connect directly to the Internet to access cloud applications in order to perform their job functions. More network traffic New apps, including public cloud storage and video conferenc- ing, are data-intensive and require large amounts of network traffic to support the increasing demand from employees. This increased traffic load is putting an ever greater strain on exist- ing network infrastructure and centralized security processes, leading to reduced performance, lower productivity, and a poor overall user experience. Understanding Networking and Security Challenges Many new networking and security challenges have also been created over the past decade, requiring innovative new solutions to address them effectively. Rising costs of traditional networking architecture The traditional function of a WAN was to connect users at the branch or campus to applications hosted on servers in a central- ized data center. Typically, dedicated MPLS circuits were used to help ensure security and reliable connectivity. However, these dedicated circuits are costly to provision and maintain, especially when compared to the widespread availability of other, less costly DIA options available to businesses today.