Xalient, a global provider of expert advisory and managed services in identity, cybersecurity, and networking, has today released its UK research report: Why SASE is the Blueprint for Future-Proofing Your Network in 2025 and Beyond. The study found that a staggering 99% of UK respondents have experienced a security attack in the last 12 months. The research, which was conducted by independent market research company Opinion Matters, surveyed 250 IT, network and security leaders from organisations with 2000+ employees from the UK. It finds that organisations are struggling to keep up with the evolving threat landscape and this is a primary driver for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) adoption.
On the back of this, a key challenge for 40% of organisations is the difficulty in delivering consistent performance and enforcing policies, as they must lock down so much of their network.
The Alarming Impact of Cybersecurity Attacks
- 99% of organisations have experienced a security attack in the last 12 months
- 85% of organisations surveyed say new cybersecurity threats are taking advantage of gaps in their network
Organisational challenges
According to the report, 85% of UK organisations surveyed admitted that new cybersecurity threats are taking advantage of gaps in their network, while 42% agree that they struggle to detect threats and protect against ransomware; a slightly higher trend than the 38% response within the global SASE report. Adding to this, 79% of organisations surveyed said that recruiting and retaining the specialist security skills they need to protect their organisation from new and growing threats is a key challenge and top of mind.
These organisational challenges amongst others, are fuelling SASE adoption.
The driving factors behind SASE implementation
Any investment in technology must deliver a valuable return. In the case of SASE adoption, respondents largely agreed that the three main business drivers for moving to a SASE solution were the rising costs of traditional network architecture (14%), a desire to move away from the use of legacy VPNs (14%) and addressing performance issues with business-critical SaaS apps (14%).
This differs slightly from global respondents, who rated securing remote access (14%) higher than the UK (8%): indicating the costs of traditional networking architecture and legacy systems and infrastructure are more of an issue in the UK than in other regions.
The benefits of SASE adoption
There was a wide range of cited benefits of SASE adoption in the UK, with the top benefit being the improved performance of business-critical SaaS apps (35%), which aligned to the primary business motivator pushing organisations toward the SASE path. This was followed by secure remote access which was listed as the second highest benefit following adoption (30%).
Single vendor vs multi-vendor SASE
According to the research findings, 50% of UK organisations had adopted a single-vendor SASE solution, while 42% had gone down the multi-vendor SASE route. However, as was witnessed in the global report, closer examination of the UK’s key SASE vendor selection criteria reveals a level of confusion around the benefits organisations think they will derive from each SASE model.
Single Vendor SASE Benefits and Challenges
The top benefits of a single vendor SASE solution include:
- More tightly integrated components (30%)
- Simplified deployment, management, and operations (29%)
- Greater economies of scale (27%)
However, challenges with this approach include:
- Difficulty obtaining the necessary controls (27%)
- Issues with getting the right security controls (29%)
- Vendor lock-in concerns (25%)
Multi-Vendor SASE Benefits and Concerns
In contrast, the multi-vendor SASE approach was praised for:
- Better security controls (31%)
- Greater flexibility to introduce best-of-breed vendors (27%)
- Achieving single-vendor-level integration (27%)
Yet, concerns around unclear pricing (26%) and the need for a partner to manage these solutions (27%) were also highlighted by respondents.
The Role of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in SASE Adoption
“It is great to see within this research that UK companies are seeing value from their SASE solution, whether they opted for a single vendor or multi-vendor solution,” said Stephen Amstutz, Director of Innovation at Xalient.
“As SASE covers both network and security, it can be challenging for organisations to choose the right model and balance their networking and security needs—particularly for resource-stretched teams. A strong Managed Service Provider (MSP) can ease the selection process and ensure the organisation continues to manage the right SASE solution for its business,” Amstutz added.
SASE Adoption Will Continue to Grow
SASE adoption is set to continue growing as organisations seek to close the security gaps created by new and evolving threats. The goal is to enhance network resilience and performance, ultimately providing a better user experience.
Read the full UK SASE Report.
