Mobile connections were often relegated to the failover connection option. Due to its mobile or remote nature, 5G was used as the primary communication for automobiles, IoT devices, and remote workers in places where wired broadband will not work or is not available.
But this feeling is changing. Many organizations are recognizing 5G for its flexibility to support connectivity needs regardless of business environment. According to Cradlepoint’s 2024 Global State of Connectivity Report, 40% of Australian organizations indicated that improving connectivity is a business priority. This is because Australian executives believe that improved communication is directly linked to revenue growth, with over a quarter of businesses saying that better communication will lead to 20 to 29% revenue growth over the next 12 months by enabling things like faster transactions, more efficient operations . performance, and improved productivity.
However, as more devices reside at the edge of the network, businesses are scrambling to protect a larger attack surface from bad actors. Australia has had its fair share of major corporate security breaches in recent years, with more than 40% of organizations reporting that they have experienced a network security attack in the past 12 months.
Among this background, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is gaining momentum and it’s not hard to see why. This cloud-based architecture is designed to protect today’s corporate networks and protect businesses with extended attack surfaces and distributed workforces.
5G vs wired broadband: what’s the difference?
The flexibility and reliability offered by 5G WAN is attractive, but before implementing this technology, businesses should understand how it differs from wired broadband and why combining it with SASE for a fast, secure network makes sense.
First, 5G enables the mobile part of your network. This creates a mobile WAN connection for any size organization that uses multiple vehicles and needs to connect to the vehicle. 5G bandwidth also varies depending on the signal strength and quality from the connected cell tower. Metered links can also be an important consideration and many organizations need to track data plan usage across all wireless WAN connections.
As carriers complete their rollout of 5G standalone (SA) networks, organizations can sign up for network segments with low latency or high bandwidth—or both—to accommodate their requests. This is similar to the MPLS services available in wired broadband so that, when necessary, link performance can be guaranteed.
Finally, when your WAN connection is delivered via mobile, there are no physical links to help you understand all the connections and dependencies in your network. This means that having the right tools seems more important than ever for troubleshooting and management.
It combines 5G and SASE
The combination of 5G and SASE requires a comprehensive network management solution. Since mobile network visibility and analysis can be difficult, it will help if you can use a network management solution that delivers important mobile health metrics to make troubleshooting less difficult.
There are times when using network security features takes up bandwidth and affects network performance. For example, IPsec tunneling is often used to protect data as it travels through your network. In some cases, network security or IT staff will use a solution that encrypts the tunnel to protect traffic to an application that is already encrypted. This “double encryption” has a negative impact on bandwidth and can slow down the application someone on the network is trying to run. Alternatively, micro tunneling, as part of your 5G and SASE architecture, creates a network security mechanism that protects data in transit without affecting performance and bandwidth usage.
While micro tunneling facilitates secure data transport, SIM authentication plays an important role in securing endpoints in the 5G WAN. For IoT devices, laptops, and mobile devices, SIM authentication enables a secure yet simple way to provide a source of identity that can be used to create a security policy. This enables a clientless security solution for all unmanaged and managed devices.
5G and SASE: Preparing for the future
For any organization, it is important to integrate the latest technology with the best security features. 5G WAN is no different. 5G and SASE help you take your network to new places while ensuring your network remains secure.
Looking ahead, as 5G private networks pave the way for traditional network slicing, a comprehensive network approach that combines 5G and SASE will provide the efficiency and security of today’s networks—while laying the foundation for the networks of the future.
Schedule a meeting to discuss your SASE strategy with Ericsson experts.
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