In the enterprise world, firms like Forrester and Gartner are recognized as authorities in IT decision-making. Clients take their findings seriously. Since 2019, Gartner has leveraged its research and proprietary Magic Quadrant reports to define Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). Now, Gartner is further defining the marketplace with a unified, single-vendor SASE approach.
Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Single-Vendor SASE
Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Single-Vendor SASE highlights the clear advantages of delivering services through a native technology stack. The latest report introduced new players in the Leader quadrant, while some well-known vendors were noticeably absent. However, the Magic Quadrant only briefly mentions a core adoption method that C3 believes holds significant value in the WAN market: Managed SASE.
The Struggle for IT Resources
Organizations of all sizes continue to face limited resources to support network, cloud, and IT environments. Many prioritize developers and data analysts as revenue-driving roles, leaving smaller teams to handle operational and administrative support. This is exacerbated by the current cyber security skills gap present in hiring new security administrators and analysts. A managed SASE solution offers a unified customer experience by transitioning IT responsibility into service partner accountability with enterprise level SLAs.
Currently, most SASE offerings do not include managed services beyond optional security and network monitoring. This often necessitates either managing the solution with in-house personnel or procuring additional 3rd party managed services.
Benefits of Managed SASE
One of the primary benefits of Managed SASE is the operational efficiencies gained in administration and troubleshooting. This is achieved by combining top network and security technologies with managed services via a unified technology platform, which providers can manage on your behalf.
For example, Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Single-Vendor SASE cautioned that Versa Networks' product “…is more aligned with service providers and very large global enterprises.” (Gartner). At C3, we see this alignment as a value for customers who prefer the service provider model. A Single-Vendor approach simplifies deployment, management, maintenance, and troubleshooting for service providers.
Success with Managed SASE
Managed SASE can also be highly effective when adopting a Single-Vendor SASE platform and wrapping it with exceptional customer service to fill any service gaps between the vendor and service provider. In some cases, Managed SASE is also successful when delivered through a combination of the best network elements (e.g., SD-WAN, Cloud Firewall, Zero Trust Remote Access) in a best-of-breed approach, provided the managed services efficiently support the solutions. C3 cautions against considering MSPs that did not demonstrate a high-quality customer experience before offering SASE services.
Circuit Aggregation Challenges
Most Single-Vendor SASE providers cannot aggregate circuits as part of their offerings, often relying on 3rd party aggregators or bring-your-own-network options. However, with a Managed SASE approach, circuit aggregation is often included, covering procurement, billing, ISP troubleshooting, and ticket management—all under one contract.
Additional Managed Services Benefits
Adopting SASE with a managed services provider offers additional benefits outside of WAN. Most managed services provide the ability to outsource lower-priority processes, such as:
- Continuous network monitoring
- LAN management
- Enterprise support
Many SASE offerings also include managed security services like NOC/SOC monitoring, MDR/XDR, and Incident Response. A deep bench of service capabilities give organizations the ability to enhance your SASE and overall IT investments with managed services and support. Keeping all of these services with a single provider can streamline support, troubleshooting, and overall customer experience.
The Future of Managed SASE
Managed SASE offerings are relatively new to the managed services market and are still evolving. Providers are working to improve internal capabilities, optimize processes, build experience, and integrate with service provider tools and additional services.
Given the value of the current WAN-centric Magic Quadrant reports, C3 hopes to see research on Managed SASE from Gartner in the future.
Final Thoughts
This blog is an opinion piece by Steve Mockaitis, Lead Network Solutions Engineer at C3 Technology Advisors. The insights shared here reflect his extensive experience and deep understanding of the evolving SASE landscape.
At C3, we aim to provide our clients with valuable perspectives on industry trends, helping them navigate the complexities of IT and network solutions. As Managed SASE continues to develop, we hope these insights offer guidance and provoke thoughtful consideration for your organization’s technology strategy.
