A reactive, tick-box approach to staying ahead of tightening regulations and increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks is no longer sustainable or cost-effective. Organizations should seek adaptive, scalable solutions that align with business needs; however, selecting the right one can be challenging. 

Beyond the selection of a security solution, correct integration is also essential, as poorly implemented security controls can introduce user friction, leading to employee frustration, security bypasses and an overwhelming volume of support requests. While security service edge (SSE) can be an effective solution for many organizations, unlocking its full potential demands careful consideration and strategic implementation that minimizes disruption and improves the security posture of the organization.  

How SSE Addresses the Human Risk Element  

SSE core services include secure web gateway (SWG), zero-trust network access (ZTNA), cloud access security broker (CASB) and firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS). SSE capabilities secure access to the web, cloud services and private applications from any authorized location. Employees can benefit equally from SSE security outcomes regardless of whether they work remotely, hybrid or on-site.  

One of its key benefits is that it enhances cybersecurity controls by mitigating the risk employees pose to the organization. The human element is often the most vulnerable element within an organization for several reasons and can be generalized into three personas:   

• The first is an employee with limited awareness of today’s threat landscape, making them more prone to poor cyber hygiene (such as reusing credentials) and more vulnerable to phishing, social engineering, and credential compromise.   

• The second is an individual who knowingly bypasses existing security controls and processes, for either less scrutiny or more operational freedom. Whatever the motivation, their actions can introduce malware into the business, expose credentials or sensitive data and reduce the effectiveness of existing security services by limiting visibility into business activity and data.  

• The third can be classed as a disgruntled employee, whose motivation is malicious with an intent to disrupt or steal business data. The extent of damage or data exposure will depend on the combination of permissions assigned to them and any other credentials they can access.  

SSE can help manage the risk for each scenario through its contribution to a zero-trust framework, which encompasses a comprehensive security model with its ‘never trust, always verify’ approach. A zero-trust approach to SSE delivery minimizes the blast radius of identity-based attacks. It also checks every user’s access to resources through identity and contextual security posture checking to identify whether an approved user is behaving in an expected way, or whether they are compromised.   

SSE User Experience and Adoption Challenges 

SSE’s strict controls are essential for security, but they can create usability concerns. One of the biggest technical challenges in SSE adoption is secure sockets layer (SSL) inspection. SSL encryption secures communications, preventing unauthorized access. However, SSE’s inbuilt firewalls don’t detect concealed threats because they cannot inspect encrypted traffic, meaning threat actors can share malicious payloads within a system.  

SSL inspection allows organizations to analyze the encrypted traffic to mitigate this; however, the decryption, processing and re-encryption process can be complicated and time-consuming. Within SSE, this process can be automated. However, it is essential to properly integrate the SSE solution to ensure its components work efficiently and do not impact the user experience.  

A poorly implemented SSE solution can result in poor security outcomes, as user friction often leads to poor adoption (for example, SSL inspection). This can lead to significant friction for employees as access is denied, the system fails and overall productivity is decreased. A natural reaction here is to simply deactivate the SSL inspection, as employees are measured on their productivity rather than their adherence to security solutions. This can leave the organization vulnerable to attacks, making it essential to strike a balance between security and user experience.  

The Benefits of an Outcomes-Based Approach 

To maximize the value of SSE, organizations should focus on strategic implementation rather than rushing the deployment. A structured, outcomes-based approach ensures both security efficacy and minimized employee friction. Organizations unfamiliar with SSE may benefit from working with an experienced, specialist, managed services provider.  

Before adopting SSE, organizations should conduct a pilot phase and stagger the integration. This phased approach ensures that organizations can effectively monitor and troubleshoot the SSE implementation in stages and put robust support mechanisms in place. Simultaneously, employees can be familiarized with the system and receive training to support the adoption. Rather than tackling the entirety of the SSE solution in one go, organizations can secure better business outcomes by addressing the SSE solution’s components separately.  

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