“The goal of SASE is two-fold. Number One: About the Analyst improving application performance; Number Two, improving security. Everything else is marketing,” said Rich Korn, security product specialist at Masergy, a software defined networking services company based in Plano, Texas. “There is so much marketing out there, it is impossible for the customer to truly understand what their options are. And that’s why they need the Trusted Advisor. In looking at SASE as a framework, the customers’ Ken Presti develops the strategic framework questions are, what do I need from a connectivity and manages the process of leveraging standpoint, on a site-by-site basis, and what do AVANT’s internal data and external data to I need from a security standpoint on a site-by- drive high-value market research designed site basis, taking into consideration each site’s to help consultants, agents, channel partners, application performance requirements, security and other members of the Trusted Advisor requirements, redundancy requirements, and community more effectively help their budgetary requirements. These will vary from business customers understand and site to site, depending on the circumstances.” evaluate Information Technologies (IT). The transition to SASE is widely recommended to Presti brings a wealth of experience in market be done on an incremental basis, as opposed to all research, survey development, focus group at once, with buy-in secured from multiple teams moderation, interviewing, and content within the customer organization. By introducing development for the technology industry. new technologies consecutively, as opposed to His primary area of expertise focuses on go- concurrently, any glitches are generally easier to-market and channel strategies spanning to identify, locate, and resolve. networking, cloud, security, and telecom. A former Research Director of IDC’s Network “It’s a different kind of platform that moves away Channels & Alliances service, he has served from the current paradigm of appliance-rendered as a Trusted Advisor to several key networking capabilities for networking and security,” said vendors and service providers. Presti also Mark Peay, channel director at Cato Networks, has led his own market research and channel an Israeli SASE company that converges SD- advisory firm, Presti Research & Consulting, WAN and network security into a cloud-native and has worked with other prominent channel service. “Technology needs to be looked at more consultancies. Presti specializes in combining holistically; to center the enterprise network empirical data and his experience partnering around the user and identity, as opposed to with industry leaders to fully illustrate the data center.” technology trends, business model evolution, likely outcomes, and strategies for success. Copyright © 2021 AVANT Communications, Inc. AVANT | SASE 6-12 Report | 7