What does SASE stand for?
SASE stands for Secure Access Service Edge. Secure access service edge: networking (SD-WAN) and security services (SWG, CASB, ZTNA, firewall) delivered together from the cloud, close to users.
SASE combines wide-area networking and security into one service delivered from the cloud. The networking side is typically SD-WAN. The security side includes a secure web gateway, a CASB, zero trust network access and a cloud firewall. Users and branches connect to the nearest point of presence and policy follows the user's identity, not the office they sit in.
SASE in practice: an example
A company with thirty branches used to send all traffic back to headquarters for inspection, which made cloud applications slow. With SASE each branch and each remote laptop connects to a nearby cloud point of presence, where the same web filtering and access rules are applied before traffic goes on to the application.
What SASE is confused with
SASE vs ZTNA: what is the difference?
ZTNA is one component of SASE: the part that gives access to private applications. What ZTNA stands for
SASE vs CASB: what is the difference?
A CASB is another component of SASE, the one focused on cloud applications. What CASB stands for
Which exams cover SASE?
SASE is on the official CompTIA acronym list for two of the four exams covered here.
- CySA+ CS0-004: 1.1 (Security Operations).
- Network+ N10-009: 1.0 (Networking Concepts).
Each number is a CompTIA exam objective and the name in brackets is its domain. The exam puts the term in a scenario; it does not ask you to recite the expansion.
Check yourself: two practice questions
Written by CertSprint for this page. They are not taken from any exam.
1. Remote staff complain that cloud applications are slow because all traffic is tunnelled to the data centre for inspection. Which architecture addresses the cause?
- SASE
- A larger tape library
- Static routing only
- A second domain controller
Show the answer
A. SASE. SASE applies security at cloud points of presence close to the user, so traffic no longer detours through the data centre.
2. Which pair of functions does SASE bring together?
- Backup and archiving
- Wide-area networking and security services
- Printing and scanning
- Email and calendaring
Show the answer
B. Wide-area networking and security services. SASE converges SD-WAN with cloud-delivered security such as secure web gateway, CASB, ZTNA and firewall as a service.
Sources: NIST glossary: secure access service edge; NIST SP 800-215, Guide to a Secure Enterprise Network Landscape. The acronym and its expansion come from CompTIA's official acronym lists, linked from each exam glossary above. The explanation, example and questions are CertSprint's own, checked against these sources on 11 November 2026.