Cradlepoint unveils 5G-optimised SASE to deliver agile enterprises

With the increased enterprise adoption of 5G networks driving the need for simplified, scalable and specialised network security solutions that extend beyond fixed sites to secure dynamic environments, Cradlepoint has launched secure access service edge (SASE) solution NetCloud SASE.

The Ericsson-owned company cited IDC research forecasting that the 5G and 4G/LTE Enterprise Wireless WAN market will reach $5.5bn in revenue by 2027. It added that while this adoption allows organisations to extend their reach and move services closer to customers, an influx of connected devices increases the attack surface. This is driving the need for SASE solutions that extend to secure dynamic environments, such as shifting locations, roaming vehicles, multiplying IoT devices and employees connecting from anywhere.

Designed to serve agile enterprises – such as securing environments such as roaming vehicles, internet of things (IoT) devices and pop-up locations – NetCloud SASE integrates cellular-centric SD-WAN and security into a fully unified solution. Significantly, Cradlepoint believes that the cloud-delivered platform can allow IT teams to provision true zero-trust networks in as little as six minutes.

“Cradlepoint has more than a decade of experience simplifying cellular networking for enterprises operating in the most challenging environments on the planet,” said Cradlepoint head of enterprise networking and cyber security products, Pankaj Malhotra.

“We are now enhancing the simplicity of enterprise-class network security for even the leanest IT organisations by introducing a SASE solution that integrates cellular, SD-WAN and security in a unified platform.”

GigaOm senior industry analyst Ivan McPhee added: “Streamlining the transition from wired to wireless WAN, NetCloud SASE provides a common networking and security policy engine and consistent provisioning experience across all SASE features.”

Functional elements of the solution include wireless WAN optimisations that preserve bandwidth, improve performance and deliver a 5G standalone slicing-ready solution. SD-WAN with intelligent bonding provides a zero loss WAN for mission-critical communications from vehicles and sites. Avoiding unifying management across multiple disjointed products, NetCloud SASE is based on a single pass architecture designed to deliver one platform, one policy engine and a consistent provisioning experience across all services.

The solution looks to obscure all IP addresses and blocks east-west traffic, minimising the attack surface and preventing lateral movement, as the network grows and scales. It also uses isolation technology to block zero-day exploits, deploying remote browser isolation to airgap users from malicious web activity.

Said to be able to act without affecting the browsing experience, the solution aims to protects organisations against phishing attacks (even when a user clicks on the link), retaining intellectual property from potential leaks and disarms embedded malware in attachments. It implements isolation-based security to airgap corporate applications from unmanaged devices – mitigating the risk of malware infection.

An early-access version of NetCloud SASE is available immediately and general availability will follow in late Q2 2024.