Best Cloud Edge Security Software
Cloud edge security solutions provide companies with a cloud-delivered solution to securely access the internet, cloud-based applications, and business networks. The products are delivered using SD-WAN technology, which combines software-defined networking with a wide area network. This allows cloud edge security solutions to operate anywhere and combine security functions to protect all network activity.
Companies use these tools combine security functions of traditional tools such as secure web gateways (SWG), cloud access security brokers (CASB), and web application firewalls (WAF). This helps businesses and security teams create a single point of visibility for security policies, activities, and risks without forcing the user to interact with numerous tools or provide recurring authentication. The unified security solutions are designed to provide complete visibility across complex, hybrid environments. This simplifies work for administrators by using a single tool to classify, govern, and report on all user activity and network traffic without impacting end-user experiences. There is some direct relationship between cloud edge security tools and the other technologies mentioned above, but traditional CASB, WAF, and SWG products operate independently and do not provide the same level of visibility and accessibility across hybrid environments. The closest solution would be a software-defined perimeter (SDP), which provides unified network security but not unified access to cloud-based applications, networks, and web browsers.
To qualify for inclusion in the Cloud Edge Security category, a product must:
Best Cloud Edge Security Software At A Glance
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- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Palo Alto Networks Prisma® Access protects the hybrid workforce with the superior security of ZTNA while providing exceptional user experiences from a simple, unified security product. Purpose-built
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 45% Enterprise
- 30% Mid-Market
126,891 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Cisco Umbrella simplifies cybersecurity and compliance by providing a converged set of capabilities in a single, cloud-native solution. Its combination of DNS-layer security, secure web gateway, CASB,
- Network Engineer
- Software Developer
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer & Network Security
- 48% Mid-Market
- 29% Enterprise
728,492 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
At Forcepoint, we understand the transformation our customers currently face. A cloud-based security reality is a journey. And we’re thoroughly committed to helping our customers make it. Forcepoint
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer & Network Security
- 50% Enterprise
- 38% Mid-Market
66,488 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Cato provides the world’s leading single-vendor SASE platform. Cato creates a seamless and elegant customer experience that effortlessly enables threat prevention, data protection, and timely incident
- Information Technology and Services
- Financial Services
- 59% Mid-Market
- 22% Enterprise
12,158 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Todyl empowers businesses of any size with a complete, end-to-end security program. The Todyl Security Platform converges SASE, SIEM, Endpoint Security, GRC, MXDR, and more into a cloud-native, singl
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer & Network Security
- 88% Small-Business
- 12% Mid-Market
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Netskope is the leader in cloud security — we help the world’s largest organizations take advantage of cloud and web without sacrificing security. Our Cloud XD™ technology targets and controls activit
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer & Network Security
- 61% Enterprise
- 30% Mid-Market
11,097 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Cloud Edge Unified threat management as a service for managed service providers
- Information Technology and Services
- 47% Mid-Market
- 41% Small-Business
112,774 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
- 47% Mid-Market
- 26% Enterprise
118,574 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Check Point Harmony Connect redefines SASE by making it easy to access corporate applications, SaaS and the internet for any user or branch, from any device, without compromising on security. Built to
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer & Network Security
- 44% Small-Business
- 28% Mid-Market
71,052 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The internet is the new corporate network, leading organizations to transition to their network security to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). However, current solutions break the user experience with
- Computer Software
- Information Technology and Services
- 50% Mid-Market
- 35% Small-Business
71,052 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The Fastly Next-Gen WAF provides advanced protection for your applications, APIs, and microservices, wherever they live, from a single unified solution. Built on Fastly’s proprietary SmartParse detect
- 48% Mid-Market
- 38% Enterprise
29,235 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Twingate is a secure remote access solution for an organization’s private applications, data, and environments, whether they are on-premise or in the cloud. Built to make the lives of DevOps teams, IT
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- 51% Mid-Market
- 43% Small-Business
2,285 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
- 61% Enterprise
- 17% Small-Business
16,563 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
- Information Technology and Services
- 38% Small-Business
- 38% Mid-Market
59,945 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Overview Webscale is the Cloud Platform for Modern Commerce, offering security, scalability, performance and automation for global brands. The Webscale SaaS platform leverages automation and DevOps pr
- Information Technology and Services
- 56% Small-Business
- 38% Mid-Market
1,362 Twitter followers
Learn More About Cloud Edge Security Software
What is Cloud Edge Security Software?
Cloud edge security software provides enterprises with a cloud-delivered solution to securely access the internet and cloud-based applications that run at the cloud edge or where compute capabilities are run closer to end devices. The software is delivered using software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) technology. This allows cloud edge security solutions to operate anywhere and combine security functions to protect all network activity.
What Are the Common Features of Cloud Edge Security?
To address the need for cloud edge security software, many organizations are turning to secure access service edge (SASE) platforms, which converge SD-WAN capabilities with network security functions as a cloud-delivered service.
SASE framework: The SASE framework includes capabilities such as cloud access security broker (CASB) software, zero-trust networking software, and firewall as a service (FWaaS) —all available in a single cloud-delivered service model that simplifies IT.
SASE architecture: SASE architecture also enables companies to return networking and security to the cloud where the applications and data are located. It helps ensure secure access regardless of device location. It provides a set of best practices to secure applications and data in an era where work happens everywhere, and users are the new network perimeter.
What are the Benefits of Cloud Edge Security Software?
There are several benefits to using cloud edge security software, as mentioned below.
Secures data: A major advantage of cloud edge security platforms is that it helps secure the data already being processed at the cloud edge. The sheer volume of data produced by devices at the edge connecting to the internet requires vastly more processing.
Secures real-time transactions: Edge computing moves processing and storage resources closer to the source of cloud data to manage loads. However, the movement of data from the cloud to the edge makes it very vulnerable to attacks. Cloud edge security software helps secure real-time edge data transactions that might take place in the Internet of Things (IoT), such as smart applications in retail or manufacturing. These tools make these transactions more secure and reliable.
Secures endpoints: Examples of cloud edge security software capabilities include web filtering, anti-malware, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and next-generation firewalls that permit or deny traffic based on IP addresses. These functionalities are often built into the organization's SD-WAN. Effective cloud edge security software enables IT to secure all edge endpoints or devices easily.
Who Uses Cloud Edge Security Software?
IT and cybersecurity staff: IT and cybersecurity staff use cloud edge security tools to securely monitor the data traffic at the cloud edge, ensuring safe B2C and B2B transactions. Securing these transactions keeps intruders from attacking these otherwise vulnerable internet transactions, which may be numerous in volume.
Industries: As enterprises move cloud capabilities across the WAN to users at the edge, industries such as healthcare and finance have more burden to protect sensitive data that comes with strict compliance requirements. Cloud edge security software can prioritize important security fundamentals such as encryption for data stored locally and in transit between the network core and edge computing devices.
Challenges with Cloud Edge Security Software?
There are some challenges IT teams can encounter with cloud edge security software.
Potential design flaws: With edge computing comes devices that can take virtually any form, from micro-data centers at remote locations, or a vast array of IoT devices. An example is the rapid shift to hybrid work models in response to the global pandemic, where millions of distributed remote offices and BYOD devices suddenly had to be managed simultaneously.
However, the design of these edge devices prioritizes functionality and connectivity over security. A poorly designed cloud edge security software approach by buyers does not secure the edge and makes it vulnerable to zero-day threats.
Increased cybersecurity risks: Edge computing increases the risk of cybersecurity threats entering the corporate network. Deploying hundreds of edge computing devices creates hundreds of potential entry points for security attacks and breaches. Cloud edge security solutions must have a 360-degree view of the attack surface and provide a built-in security stack to protect against zero-day threats, malware, and other vulnerabilities at the point of access.
How to Buy Cloud Edge Security Software
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Cloud Edge Security Software
If an organization is just starting and looking to purchase cloud edge security software, g2.com can help select the best one.
Most business pain points might be related to all the manual work that must be completed. If the company is large and has a lot of networks, data, or devices in its organization, it may need to shop for cloud edge security platforms that can grow with its organization. Users should think about the pain points in security to help create a checklist of criteria. Additionally, the buyer must determine the number of employees who will need to use the cloud edge security software and if they currently have the skills to administer it.
Taking a holistic overview of the business and identifying pain points can help the team springboard into creating a checklist of criteria. The checklist serves as a detailed guide that includes both necessary and nice-to-have features, including budget features, number of users, integrations, security staff skills, cloud or on-premises solutions, and more.
Depending on the deployment scope, it might be helpful to produce an RFI, a one-page list with a few bullet points describing what is needed from cloud edge security software.
Compare Cloud Edge Security Software Products
Create a long list
Vendor evaluations are essential to the software buying process, from meeting the business functionality needs to implementation. For ease of comparison, after all demos are complete, it helps to prepare a consistent list of questions regarding specific needs and concerns to ask each vendor.
Create a short list
From the long list of vendors, it is helpful to narrow down the list of vendors and come up with a shorter list of contenders, preferably no more than three to five. With this list, businesses can produce a matrix to compare the features and pricing of the various solutions.
Conduct demos
To ensure the comparison is comprehensive, the user should demo each solution on the short list with the same use cases. This will allow the business to evaluate like for like and see how each vendor stacks up against the competition.
Selection of Cloud Edge Security Software
Choose a selection team
Before getting started, creating a winning team that will work together throughout the entire process, from identifying pain points to implementation, is crucial. The software selection team should consist of organization members with the right interest, skills, and time to participate in this process. A good starting point is to aim for three to five people who fill roles such as the main decision maker, project manager, process owner, system owner, or staffing subject matter expert, as well as a technical lead, head administrator, or security administrator. The vendor selection team may be smaller in smaller companies, with fewer participants multitasking and taking on more responsibilities.
Compare notes
The selection team should compare notes, facts, and figures noted during the process, such as costs, security capabilities, and alert and incident response times.
Negotiation
Just because something is written on a company’s pricing page does not mean it's final. It is crucial to open up a conversation regarding pricing and licensing. For example, the vendor may be willing to give a discount for multi-year contracts or for recommending the product to others.
Final decision
After this stage, and before going all in, it is recommended to roll out a test run or pilot program to test adoption with a small sample size of users. If the tool is well used and well received, the buyer can be confident that the selection was correct. If not, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.
What does Cloud Edge Security Software cost?
Cloud edge security software is considered a long-term investment. This means there must be a careful evaluation of vendors, and the software should be tailored to each organization's specific requirements. Once cloud edge security software is purchased, deployed, and integrated into an organization’s security system, the cost could be high, so the evaluation stage of selecting the right tool is crucial. The notion of rip-and-replace cost can be high. The cloud edge security software vendor chosen should continue to provide support for the platform with flexibility and open integration. Pricing can be pay-as-you-go, and costs may also vary depending if cloud edge security is self-managed or fully managed.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Organizations decide to purchase cloud edge security software with some type of return on investment (ROI). As they want to recoup the money spent on the software, it is critical to understand the costs that will be saved in terms of efficiency. In the long run, the investment must be worth preventing the downtime and loss of revenue that would be caused by a security breach.
