The research was based on more than 375 responses from IT/information security professionals responsible for evaluating, purchasing, and managing network security technology products and services. The primary goal was to determine which organizations are seeking to implement elastic cloud gateway (ECG solutions), and the trigger points for influencing network security investments. It examined the impact that cloud, mobility and distributed environments have on edge network security strategy. An ECG is a cloud-delivered solution that consolidates multiple edge network security controls into a unified solution offering centralized management and distributed enforcement. These are multi-mode solutions that provide elasticity around both services and consumption to better align security with how organizations are leveraging cloud resources overall. Rather than inspecting traffic via an appliance deployed at branch office/remote office locations, or routing back to the security stack at the main campus, traffic is sent directly to the internet where it is inspected. When deployed effectively, ECGs will help organizations converge tools to drive consistent policy, create operational efficiencies, and ultimately, help reduce the attack surface.
