How to Reduce Risk & Secure Data With Security Service Edge (SSE)

These days, cloud applications are practically universal. Whether it’s SaaS apps like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Salesforce or enterprise apps running in IaaS platforms like Amazon Web Services, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, your organization is likely relying on the cloud to get work done. 

With all these cloud apps have come a host of new cloud-based risks that didn’t exist during the days of the perimeter, ranging from misconfigurations to shadow IT. In 2019, Gartner introduce the idea of secure access service edge, or SASE, which codified the security requirements of organization adopting cloud technologies, and in 2021, they furthered that vision with the introduction of security service edge, or SSE, which laid out the specific capabilities organizations need to stay secure in the cloud age. 

While it might be easy to drown in this alphabet soup, the idea of SSE boils down to consolidating your security technology in the cloud, reducing complexity and enhancing data security so employees can access the web, cloud services, and private apps from anywhere. In this blog, I’ll break down why SSE matters, along with the data security capabilities an SSE platform should have to keep your resources safe in the cloud. 

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Protecting data when remote work and cloud services circumvent perimeter security

With apps and data increasingly residing in the cloud, users now expect seamless access from anywhere and on any device. But security controls have been deployed with disparate on-premises tools that are anchored to data centers. As a result, most organizations have lost the ability to secure their data as they migrate to the cloud.

This is where the SASE promise comes in, converging key networking technologies, such as software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN), with technologies that secure both access and data which Gartner calls SSE. The SSE technologies that may be most familiar are cloud access security broker (CASB), zero trust network access (ZTNA), and secure web gateway (SWG). 

However, the real value is in the data protection services that ensure data is not exposed when it is copied or downloaded from the cloud. The idea is that, by integrating data security natively with these access technologies, organizations can implement a streamlined platform that gives organizations back control of their data by securing it wherever it goes, reducing risk and simplifying security operations.

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SSE’s core purpose: protect your data

Just like how traditional security was costly and inefficient because it was a mishmash of disparate products, SSE technologies have to be integrated and with the goal of securing sensitive data and reducing risk. To do so effectively, security teams need integrated insights into users, endpoints, data, and apps.

Here at Lookout, we expanded the SSE framework with the integration of endpoint security, and advanced users and data protection capabilities. With these native to our platform, we can enforce intelligent zero trust access to varying degrees of granularity that matches both the risk level of users and endpoints and the sensitivity level of the data.

UEBA: stop insider threats and compromised accounts

Your data is often put in harm's way due to stolen credentials or an insider taking a malicious action – intentionally or unintentionally. This is where user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) comes in, monitoring the fluctuating risk levels of your users. By understanding how your users typically behave, you can spot when an account — whether it’s compromised or being used by a legitimate user for malicious activities — is putting your data at risk.

DLP: discover and secure your data

To make smart access decisions, you also need to know the sensitivity level of the data your users seek to access. With advanced data loss prevention (DLP) integrated, Lookout enables security teams to take granular actions. For example, you may want to watermark or redact certain content instead of blocking access so you protect sensitive information while allowing work to get done.

EDRM: encryption that follows your data

The final layer of data security is the ability to automate encryption. In 2021, 12,000 sensitive files were stolen from pharmaceutical company Pfizer, including trade secrets related to its COVID-19 vaccines. While Pfizer later knew the sensitive nature of the data taken and which user did it, they weren’t able to stop it. With enterprise digital rights management (EDRM), organizations can encrypt data while it's downloaded so that only authorized users can access, even when shared offline.

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Reduce risk and protect your data with Lookout SSE

At the end of the day, SSE and SASE are just frameworks. It's up to individual organizations to find a vendor that suits their requirements.

To secure data and reduce risk, Lookout delivers a platform that integrates endpoint security with an SSE that natively integrates UEBA, advanced DLP, and EDRM to keep your data secure where it goes. The Lookout cloud security platform provides the insights that enable organizations to implement zero trust to protect data, reduce risk and increase operational efficiency by closing gaps created by disparate point products. To learn more about the advantages of a platform approach, check out our free resource, Standalone Tools Create Complexity: Why You Need to Simplify Security.