Mastering FortiSASE: Your Ultimate Guide to Proactive Network Monitoring for Fortinet SASE Solution

As organizations embrace distributed work environments and cloud-based applications, the need for secure, agile, and high-performing networks has never been more pressing. That’s where SASE comes in! Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) networks converge networking and security functions into a unified cloud-native platform, making them extremely popular for large enterprises nowadays.

However, deploying a SASE solution like FortiSASE is only the first step in ensuring a resilient network infrastructure. Monitoring and optimizing network performance are equally crucial components of this endeavour. In this article, we delve into the importance of monitoring the security and performance of FortiSASE networks, exploring how Network Performance Monitoring tools enhance visibility, identify potential issues, and ultimately optimize the user experience.

Fortinet has a well-established reputation for providing cybersecurity solutions, including intrusion detection systems, firewalls, and endpoint security. With FortiSASE, a single-vendor SASE solution, it has enhanced those offers. FortiSASE offers remote users networking and security via the cloud.

SWG, Universal ZTNA, CASB, FWaaS, and safe SD-WAN integration are just a few of the networking and security features it provides; all are controlled via a single user interface. Businesses using FortiSASE have the option of utilizing the company's firewall, FortiGate, locally or connecting branch offices to FortiSASE for cloud-based security inspection via FortiGate NGFW and Fortinet Secure SD-WAN.

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Unified Agent and Universal ZTNA:

To provide tracking and awareness, compliance enforcement, and reporting, the Fortinet unified agent guarantees that all components of the Fortinet Security Fabric have a single view of endpoints through telemetry. For both local and remote endpoints, FortiClient offers security and protection.

Regardless of the user's or application's location, Fortinet Universal ZTNA offers the most adaptable zero-trust application access control in the market. IT departments can authenticate, secure, and keep an eye on individual user and session access to business-critical apps with ZTNA. The ZTNA's universal capability applies to all users and devices, regardless of their location.

Unified management and DEM:

Unified SASE provided high visibility to both on-premises and remote users. Organizations may benefit from a single policy engine and administration system that spans all edges and users, wherever they may be, with FortiManager.

Organizations are empowered by DEM's holistic visibility of consumers' interactions with apps and devices. DEM includes users, apps, endpoint devices, and on-premises networking. It enables businesses to get a complete picture of the end-user experience and convert it into quantifiable financial results.

FWaaS and SWG:

For cloud traffic, applications, and services, FortiOS makes high-performance SSL inspection and sophisticated threat detection approaches possible. The Fortinet bi-directional FWaaS solution analyzes inbound and outbound traffic while establishing and maintaining secure connections for remote users without compromising the user experience.

The SWG's extensive capabilities for safeguarding web traffic, including encrypted traffic, enable it to defend against even the most sophisticated online threats. Together, its file filtering, web filtering, antivirus, data leak prevention, and other features allow managed and unmanaged devices to implement a defence-in-depth strategy.

Secure SD-WAN:

Fortinet’s solution uses packet duplication and forward error correction to solve WAN issues. Moreover, businesses can easily migrate to SD-Branch and SASE thanks to the close integration between the LAN, WLAN, WWAN, and ZTNA.

By automatically determining the shortest path to each application, including VoIP and other unified communications applications, FortiSASE SPA (Secure Private Access) enables wider and seamless access to every private application at private data centres or public cloud environments, enabling a superior user experience without the need for infrastructure upgrades.

SASE Monitoring: How to Monitor & Optimize A SASE Architecture

Unlock the power of your SASE architecture with effective monitoring. Learn how to optimize SASE performance and security with data-driven insights.

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SASE is the future for many large, enterprise networks, and FortiSASE is no exception. Fortinet SASE was specifically designed to merge networking and security into an integrated and adaptable solution to supply businesses’ hybrid workforces with optimal and secure connectivity.

Reliable cybersecurity for users, both on and off the network: For WFA users, Unified SASE provides consistent protection through the native integration of ZTNA and full cloud-delivered security.

Unified agent: A single unified agent can handle several use cases. It is not necessary to employ different agents for every use case when using the FortiClient agent for ZTNA, traffic redirection to SASE, and endpoint protection.

Unified management and visibility: Fortinet Universal SASE provides excellent visibility for both remote and on-premises users, guaranteeing the security of today's hybrid workforce. Businesses may take advantage of a single policy engine and management system across all edges and users—regardless of location—by utilizing FortiManager.

Better user experience: Applications are dynamically and intelligently guided across suitable links, guaranteeing both business productivity and a high-quality user experience. With SD-WAN SPA, WFA users may take advantage of the enhanced user experience to safely access corporate apps.

Using the same underlying operating system, AI-powered services, unified agent, management, and experience monitoring as their on-premises solution, Fortinet SASE is a full cloud-centric SASE solution that protects WFA users.

As businesses increasingly adopt cloud-based solutions like Fortinet SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) to meet the demands of a distributed workforce, they need to remember that monitoring SASE networks is just as important as implementing them.

Why? Well, downtime is simply not an option. The number one way to ensure that your SASE network is working as it should be is by continuously monitoring its performance. While native SASE monitoring features offer some visibility into network performance, they often merely indicate if your network is up or down. This limitation significantly impacts your ability to sustain healthy business operations and provide a great user experience.

On the other hand, leveraging a Network Performance Monitoring (NPM) solution like Obkio takes your monitoring practices to a whole new level, providing distinct advantages:

1. Balancing Security and Performance in SASE Environments:

In the realm of SASE, striking a delicate balance between security and performance is paramount. While robust security measures are essential, they must not harm the network's responsiveness. Achieving equilibrium between security and performance metrics entails establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) that uphold security objectives while preserving the user experience.

This endeavour demands a modern network performance monitoring solution like Obkio that provides nuanced comprehension of the network's distinctive requirements, encompassing application characteristics, and user behaviours, without compromising security protocols.

2. Comprehensive Visibility:

Native SASE monitoring features may offer limited insights, often focusing on specific aspects of network monitoring, and lacking a complete picture of network performance. In contrast, an NPM solution like Obkio provides comprehensive visibility into every aspect of your SASE network, from the WAN to the LAN. This broader perspective allows for a more thorough understanding of network behaviour and performance.

3. Proactive Issue Identification:

With Obkio's proactive monitoring approach, potential network issues can be identified proactively before they impact the end-user experience. By continuously monitoring network metrics such as latency, packet loss, and throughput in real-time, Obkio enables prompt detection and resolution of performance deviations, minimizing downtime and optimizing network efficiency.

4. MSSP & MSP Visibility:

While native SASE monitoring features may offer standardized monitoring capabilities, an NPM solution like Obkio allows for tailored monitoring strategies to suit your specific network architecture and requirements. Whether you need to monitor specific network segments or devices or assess overall network performance, Obkio provides MSSP and MSP businesses with the flexibility to customize monitoring agents and sessions accordingly.

Learn more in our article: How to Monitor MSP Networks for 360-Degree Visibility

5. Regular SASE Network Audits and Assessments:

Obkio allows network admins to perform regular network assessments to evaluate the holistic health, security posture, and performance efficiency of your Fortinet SASE infrastructure. These routine assessments serve to pinpoint areas for enhancement and validate adherence to industry standards, performance benchmarks, and overall operational robustness.

For end-to-end visibility of your SASE network, you need an end-to-end network monitoring tool that’s equipped for the job!

Obkio's Network Performance Monitoring tool was created for monitoring modern, distributed networks like SASE. Businesses can continuously monitor performance metrics across all network segments, including branch offices, data centres, and cloud environments, using Obkio's end-to-end insight into SASE networks. You can locate and resolve problems anywhere in your network infrastructure thanks to this visibility.

As a pure-play network monitoring solution, Obkio collects critical network metrics at every network location by using monitoring agents that exchange synthetic traffic. This gives you total visibility and control over your network by enabling Obkio to locate and fix underlying issues influencing network performance.

It's vital to remember that Obkio offers vendor-neutral SASE monitoring, even if this article primarily focuses on Fortinet SASE. Most SASE vendors’ (including Fortinet) implementation procedures are quite similar. Obkio's comprehensive approach to network monitoring is what makes it unique.

Are you prepared to advance your network monitoring? Get useful insights into your network's performance by trying Obkio's SASE monitoring solution today.

Don't let network challenges hold you back - sign up for Obkio's SASE monitoring solution now.

• 14-day free trial of all premium features
• Deploy in just 10 minutes
• Monitor performance in all key network locations
• Measure real-time network metrics
• Identify and troubleshoot live network problems

Now that you understand the importance of SASE network monitoring, as well as the performance problems you should stay away from, it’s time to start monitoring your network. However, how is a tool for monitoring the Fortinet SASE Network actually implemented? We've got you covered, so don't worry.

We'll guide you through the process of using Obkio to monitor your Fortinet SASE and guarantee optimal network performance and security in the upcoming part. We'll go over everything you need to know to get started with SASE monitoring, from choosing the best monitoring tools to configuring policies and alarms.

Designed to make network monitoring easier for modern distributed network architectures like SASE, SD-WAN, Hybrid, Multi-Homing, and more, Obkio is an active, end-to-end Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for network monitoring and troubleshooting.

Obkio lets you monitor network performance from WAN to LAN, using distributed Monitoring Agents and simulated traffic, so you can proactively identify network, application, device, and Internet performance issues before they negatively impact the end-user experience.

Thanks to its user-friendly design, deploying Obkio only requires just 10 minutes of your time. Furthermore, you can reach out to our sales team to schedule a quick meeting. Our team of network experts will assist you in troubleshooting any issues within your SASE network.

A distributed monitoring strategy is required for end-to-end visibility and the depth required to monitor every end of your SASE network.

To analyze network metrics (latency, jitter, and packet loss), monitor your SASE network locations and Internet performance, and notify you of any potential network difficulties, Obkio's Network Monitoring Agents are a special kind of software that is installed in strategic network sites.

For decentralized network monitoring from the source (your computer or office) to the destination (another office, data centre, or cloud), they create Monitoring Sessions and use synthetic UDP traffic.

Monitoring a SASE network requires keeping an eye on both network sessions that travel via the SASE architecture to each site and the local firewalls at each site. In order to accomplish this, you can either go around or through the SASE. You'll need a variety of Agent types to accomplish this:

• One local agent is deployed in the specific network locations you wish to monitor, such as data centers, remote offices, etc. The same functions are offered by other Agent types, which can be installed on a variety of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
• Three Public Internet-monitoring agents: Obkio is in charge of these agents, which are distributed via the Internet. They swiftly determine whether a network problem is widespread or unique to the destination by comparing performance up to the Internet. Assess the network performance, for instance, between your firewall and head office.

The agents establish Monitoring Sessions by exchanging synthetic UDP packets every two sets of agents in order to track performance metrics and raise alerts in the event that network problems are discovered.

The network diagram above shows an Obkio Chord Diagram, and agents are keeping an eye on the following:

• ISP-1: A UDP flow from Branch 5 is sticky on the first Internet connection
• ISP-2: A UDP flow from Branch 5 is sticky on the secondary Internet connection
• SD-WAN Internet: UDP flows are load-balanced across the two Internet links following the SD-WAN algorithm
• SASE: Internet experience through the SASE service
• 8 Remote Branches
• 2 Data Centres

Either you can go through or bypass the SASE architecture when monitoring the Fortinet SASE network. Depending on the precise goals and required visibility level, this will change.

Bypassing the Fortinet SASE

Direct monitoring of particular network segments or devices is possible when the SASE is bypassed, as traffic is not routed through the SASE architecture. This method works well when monitoring is to be limited to a certain site or subnet and fine-grained visibility into local networks or devices is needed.

Bypassing the SASE: Install monitoring agents on particular devices that require monitoring or directly within the local network. Local traffic can be captured and analyzed by these agents independently of the SASE infrastructure.

Going Through the Fortinet SASE

A centralized and thorough picture of the entire network is provided by routing traffic through the SASE architecture. This is crucial for keeping an eye on end-to-end connections, evaluating SASE service performance, and guaranteeing that security rules are implemented consistently throughout the network.

How to Get Through the SASE: To navigate the SASE architecture, use synthetic traffic that imitates real-world events. This technique aids in evaluating SASE services' performance in real-world usage scenarios, such as FWaaS and SD-WAN.

The objectives of a SASE architecture are well aligned with the dynamic and application-aware routing capabilities of SD-WAN, which helps create a high-performance, scalable, and secure network infrastructure.

In fact, it has multiple functions inside the SASE architecture.

Dynamic Traffic Routing: SD-WAN uses real-time conditions to intelligently route traffic, allowing for dynamic modifications to guarantee peak performance. This is especially crucial in a SASE context where cloud-based apps and distributed users interact.

Application-Aware Routing: SD-WAN recognizes and ranks various forms of network traffic according to the particular requirements of each application. Streamlining the route for crucial apps guarantees reliable performance and a positive user experience.

Integration with Security Services: Within the SASE architecture, SD-WAN is frequently integrated with security services like ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) and FWaaS (Firewall-as-a-Service). Network administration is made simpler by this integration, which enables a smooth mix of performance and security.

Load balancing: SD-WAN maximizes traffic distribution over open paths to avoid bottlenecks on particular routes. The load-balancing function makes the network more responsive and dependable.

You need to install Network Monitoring Agents in the client LAN, behind the SD-WAN appliance, in order to access the degree of detail necessary for SD-WAN network monitoring. This is due to the fact that in order to compare the performance, you must both monitor the end user's experience and the underlying connections of their own.

Therefore, you need:

• Data centres, distant offices, and other network locations each have 1 Local Agent.
• The Internet will be observed by 3 Public Monitoring Agents.

Fortunately, Obkio has the ability to track both the overall performance of the SD-WAN network and the usage of each connection by the SD-WAN appliance.

A dashboard featuring three network monitoring sessions, for instance, can be seen in the screenshot that follows. The configuration of the monitoring sessions is between:

• Behind the SD-WAN appliance is a local Monitoring Agent.
• Three remote monitoring agents are placed in the same location (head office, data center, or cloud).

Using various connections, the three network monitoring sessions keep an eye on the network performance between the two locations:

• Performance as perceived by the end user (using the SD-WAN algorithm to balance load across the connection) - upper graph
• The center graph displays the ISP A connection's performance.
• The bottom graph shows the ISP B connection's performance.

Many SD-WAN clients utilize this configuration. In this way, they can both monitor every ISP connection and validate the actual network performance of the end consumers' traffic. The actual network performance for the branch end users is represented by the top graph in that case. In this particular instance, there are three connection changes:

• A little after 18:00: ISP A has congestion, which soon switches to ISP B;
• At about 18:20, the congestion fades away and ISP A resumes service;
• Just before 20:00: ISP A experiences packet loss and increased latency/jitter, and ISP B takes over.

Before any Internet traffic reaches your network, it is first filtered by your firewall to ensure that there are no possible security threats. But this can cause network congestion because there is so much potential traffic. You must identify if your firewall has become overloaded before it compromises your network as a whole. That is the role of Obkio.

SNMP polling is used by Obkio's Network Device Monitoring tool to track the functionality of firewalls and other essential network devices. For total visibility, place Monitoring Agents next to your firewall. The traffic between your firewall agent and the agents installed in your offices, LAN, and WAN will then be exchanged, allowing you to see detailed information about the operation of your firewall.

On-Premises at Network Edge: Agents can be deployed either on-site at the network edge or in close proximity to it. This gives information about traffic patterns and local network security prior to FWaaS processing in the SASE environment.

Within FWaaS Infrastructure: Use virtual appliances or APIs to deploy agents directly within the FWaaS infrastructure. This records detailed data about SASE network performance, rule enforcement, and FWaaS processing.

At Remote Offices/Branches: Deploy agents to branches or remote offices to get insights specific to the area. Keeping an eye on traffic before it enters FWaaS, helps to keep the SASE network secure.

Endpoints and User Devices: Install agents for user-specific insights on user devices. It is particularly useful in the SASE context for remote user monitoring via FWaaS connections.

VPN Connection Points: To monitor encrypted traffic, deploy agents at VPN connection points. Monitor VPN speed and user authentication within the SASE architecture.

Obkio's network device monitoring tool will interact with your firewall or an SNMP-enabled device to give you important firewall performance data, provided that your firewall supports SNMP Polling.

Latency: Measures the time taken for data to pass through the firewall from source to destination. High latency can hinder user experience and application performance. Monitoring latency ensures responsive data transfer within acceptable limits.

Throughput: The volume of data transmitted through the firewall within a set timeframe. Monitoring throughput ensures the FWaaS handles network traffic efficiently without becoming a bottleneck, which is crucial for consistent network performance.

CPU, Memory, and Storage Usage: Keep track of CPU, memory, and storage resource usage on the FWaaS platform. High resource usage can affect traffic processing efficiency. Monitoring aids in resource planning, scaling, and performance optimization.

Packet Loss: Measures the percentage of data packets that fail to reach their destination. Packet loss affects network connection reliability and quality. Monitoring identifies issues impacting data integrity and network performance.

VPN Performance: Monitor the Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections, vital for secure remote access in FWaaS. Identifying issues affecting encrypted communication is crucial.

Quality of Service (QoS) Metrics: Monitor FWaaS impact on specific application performance. QoS metrics ensure FWaaS doesn't degrade critical application performance, allowing adjustments for security and application responsiveness balance.

As FWaaS is a managed service, you can also keep an eye on performance all the way up to your Fortinet's network to make sure there aren't any problems there that could compromise your service provider's ability to provide your firewall.

Obkio's Network Monitoring tool will begin continuously exchanging synthetic traffic as soon as your Monitoring Agents are deployed, allowing you to monitor network performance from any point in your Fortinet SASE network. Measuring important network metrics is crucial to comprehending the performance of your SASE network.

In addition to assisting you in understanding how your network is operating, network metrics can also assist you in identifying any possible problems that your network may be hiding.

1. Latency: Latency is the amount of time data takes to get from a source to a destination. For apps to be responsive and real-time, low latency is essential. Keep an eye on the SASE network's end-to-end latency for both local and remote users.
2. Throughput: The speed at which data is sent over a network is known as throughput. Evaluate the network's ability to transport data. Assure steady throughput in the SASE system for different users and applications.
3. Packet Loss: The percentage of data packets that are lost on route is known as packet loss. The communication quality may suffer from packet loss. Reduce packet loss as much as possible to preserve the SASE network's data transmission integrity.
4. Jitter: Variability in the intervals between datapackets is known as jitter. Inconsistent performance can result from high jitter, particularly in real-time applications. A robust SASE network requires jitter monitoring and control.
5. Utilization of Bandwidth: The proportion of available network bandwidth that is being used. Examine patterns of bandwidth utilization to make sure resources are allocated effectively and keep the SASE network from becoming congested.
6. Metrics for Firewall Performance: Examine metrics unique to firewalls, such as connection and session limits, rule processing times, and so on. In the SASE network, firewall monitoring guarantees effective security policy enforcement and peak firewall service performance.
7. VPN Performance: Evaluate the VPN connections' performance, latency, and stability. SASE requires VPNs to provide secure remote access. Keep an eye on VPN performance to guarantee a safe and easy user experience.
8. Metrics for Quality of Service (QoS): metrics about the distribution and prioritizing of particular traffic types. Examine QoS data to make sure that on the SASE network, important applications are given the bandwidth and priority they require.
9. Utilization of Resources: Check how much of the CPU, memory, and storage resources on the network are being used. To keep your SASE network robust and responsive, maximize scalability and resource allocation.
10. Redundancy and Failover Performance: Evaluate the efficacy of redundancy and failover measures by conducting performance assessments. Assure minimal disturbance in the SASE framework during failover situations to preserve network reliability.

Network administrators can make decisions regarding network improvements and proactively detect performance issues before they impact end users by keeping an eye on these network metrics, which offer a comprehensive picture of the SASE system.

Proactively detecting and resolving performance problems is one of the main goals of SASE network monitoring. Network administrators and IT specialists can use their network monitoring tools, which are intended to assess important metrics, to quickly identify any performance deviations from ideal performance in this endeavour.

Network monitoring tools, such as Obkio, continuously gather information and examine network performance to provide real-time insights into security incidents, latency, throughput, and other important metrics.

Most importantly, a strong network monitoring tool does more than just watch. It actively monitors your SASE network and uses advanced algorithms to find abnormalities and behaviours that deviate from norms. It serves as a proactive guardian, making sure that possible problems with performance are found before they become more serious.

The network monitoring tool is like having eyes and ears all over your SASE architecture; it doesn't end there. When deviations, bottlenecks, or possible security concerns are detected, it becomes your proactive guardian by automatically issuing network monitoring alerts. Administrators can react swiftly and decisively to new problems by using these notifications as an early warning system.

It's not a question of whether network problems will occur, but rather when. Due to their size and complexity, SASE networks are susceptible to a wide range of network problems due to their numerous moving components. You should still be aware of these even though your network monitoring software will identify them for you:

1. Problems with Latency:

• Cause: Long-distance data transfers, ineffective routing, and network congestion can all lead to high latency.
• Solution: Reducing latency can be achieved by streamlining routing, utilizing content delivery networks (CDNs), and making sure the network has enough capacity.

2. Limitations on Bandwidth:

• Cause: Poor speed and sluggish data transfer can result from insufficient bandwidth.
• Solution: One potential solution to bandwidth limits is to upgrade network infrastructure, establish Quality of Service (QoS) policies, and optimize traffic prioritizing.

3. Dropped Packets:

• Cause: Dropped packets caused by hardware malfunctions, network congestion, or faulty connections can all lead to packet loss.
• Solution: Use error detection and correction mechanisms, troubleshoot hardware issues, and identify and handle network congestion.

4. Jitter:

• Cause: Variations in network traffic frequently result in jitter, which causes uneven data packet delivery.
• Solution: To reduce jitter, prioritize real-time traffic, use buffer management, and optimize network routing.

5. Processing Delays in Firewalls:

• Cause: Slow firewall processing can cause delays in traffic inspection and permissions.
• Solution: Make sure the firewall can efficiently manage the network load, optimize firewall configurations, and make use of hardware acceleration.

6. Problems with VPN Performance:

• Cause: Network congestion, encryption overhead, or incorrect setups can all lead to performance problems with VPN connections.
• Solution: Make sure there is enough bandwidth available for VPN traffic, optimize VPN setups, and employ effective encryption techniques.

7. Insufficient Delivery of Content:

• Cause: Slow content delivery may be the consequence of ineffective CDN configurations or a lack of a content delivery network (CDN).
• Solution: To reduce latency and improve speed, utilize a content delivery network (CDN) to cache and deliver content closer to end users.

8. Overuse of Resources:

• Cause: Performance degradation may result from excessive usage of network resources, including CPU, memory, and storage.
• Solution: To ensure effective network functioning, track resource use, grow infrastructure as necessary, and optimize resource allocation.

9. Delays in Device and User Authentication:

• Cause: Slow authentication procedures can affect how long it takes for devices and users to establish a secure connection.
• Solution: Apply effective user/device onboarding procedures, optimize authentication systems, and employ multi-factor authentication sparingly.

10. Problems with Redundancy and Failover:

• Cause: Delays or incorrect setups in failover mechanisms can result in service interruptions.
• Solution: Make sure redundancy setups are correct, test failover processes on a regular basis, and take quick action to resolve any problems.

11. Inadequate Visibility and Monitoring:

• Cause: Delays in identifying and resolving performance issues can be caused by inadequate monitoring tools and network visibility.
• Solution: Put in place proactive alerting systems, make use of analytics tools, and deploy all-inclusive network monitoring solutions.

12. Inaccuracies in Configuration:

• Cause: Performance problems may arise from incorrect settings of network devices, security rules, or routing tables.
• Solution: Perform routine configuration audits, use automation to ensure consistency, and quickly correct any misconfigurations.

13. Issues with Remote User Connectivity:

• Cause: SASE performance may be impacted by problems with distant user connections, such as unstable VPNs or lost connectivity.
• Solution: Assure a dependable and secure connection for users who are located remotely, optimize VPN configurations, and offer user support.

The quest for optimal performance in Fortinet SASE networks is an ongoing endeavour. Keeping an eye on your SASE network is essential to comprehending and maximizing performance. This vigilant observation of network activity and measurement of important indicators turns into a transformational force that reveals insightful information about security, bandwidth, latency, and other topics.

In this stage, we will delve into the relationship between optimization and monitoring, where opportunities for improvement are found by network administrators using their sharp eyes and powerful technologies.

Actively controlling and maximizing available bandwidth guarantees effective use, avoiding bottlenecks, and improving total data transmission performance. Effective bandwidth control is necessary for a SASE network to be high-performing and responsive.

Optimizing a SASE network's performance requires locating and resolving delay sources. To reduce latency difficulties, techniques including improving network pathways, utilizing edge computing, and cutting down on needless protocol overhead might be used. Organizations may provide a dependable and responsive network experience for users, especially in remote work settings, by mitigating latency.

To streamline data flow inside a SASE network, effective routing and traffic control policies must be implemented. Organizations can decrease latency, minimize congestion, and improve the overall responsiveness of their network by utilizing effective routing algorithms and policies. A seamless user experience is facilitated by effective traffic management, particularly in situations involving remote and distributed work.

Within a SASE framework, content delivery networks, or CDNs, maximize the performance of web applications and services. CDNs dramatically lower latency by using geographically dispersed servers to cache and deliver content closer to end users. This optimization technique guarantees a responsive and consistent user experience in a variety of geographical areas while also improving the speed at which content is delivered.

Within a SASE network, implementing Quality of Service (QoS) policies aids in prioritizing traffic and key applications. Organizations may guarantee that high-priority apps get the resources they need for best performance by allocating proper bandwidth and latency priorities.

It is imperative to conduct routine reviews and optimizations of firewall configurations in order to sustain a balance between security and performance in SASE networks. Effective firewall settings guarantee that traffic inspection procedures are expedited and help remove needless bottlenecks. Building a robust and responsive network infrastructure requires striking the correct balance between security precautions and network performance.

In a SASE context, effective Virtual Private Network (VPN) setups are critical to guaranteeing uninterrupted remote access. Organizations can optimize safe connections by allocating enough bandwidth, using authentication techniques, and optimizing encryption algorithms in their VPN settings. This optimization technique is especially pertinent given the expanding demand for safe remote work options.

In a SASE framework, connectivity to cloud services must be optimized. Businesses may improve the speed of connections to cloud apps and services by selecting the best access points and making sure they comply with SASE guidelines. The total network infrastructure's flexibility and responsiveness are enhanced by cloud service optimization.

In a SASE context, avoiding downtime and optimizing network performance depend on the planning and testing of redundancy and failover procedures. When tested frequently, robust failover procedures guarantee smooth transitions in the event of outages.

Working together for performance optimizations with SASE service providers is a strategic collaboration that takes advantage of their knowledge. Collaboration between companies and service providers can yield significant insights and recommendations aimed at optimizing network performance. By working together, we can make sure that the network follows industry best practices and makes use of cutting-edge optimization techniques.

So you’ve just implemented a SASE network - well, it doesn’t end there! Now it’s time to proactively monitor your FortiSASE network.

In this article, we’ve discussed the importance of implementing robust network monitoring to help businesses monitor the performance of their SASE service, ensure that their FortiSASE is delivering on the promises made by the vendor, and preemptively detect and mitigate potential issues before they disrupt business operations.

With Obkio's vendor-neutral Network Performance Monitoring (NPM) solution, you can elevate your FortiSASE deployment to new heights. Access invaluable insights into network performance, bolster troubleshooting capabilities, and ensure a seamless user experience for your workforce.

Don’t wait for downtime - get complete visibility of your FortiSASE network now. Start your SASE monitoring journey today and unlock the full potential of your network infrastructure.

• 14-day free trial of all premium features
• Deploy in just 10 minutes
• Monitor performance in all key network locations
• Measure real-time network metrics
• Identify and troubleshoot live network problems