Networking and Security Convergence: Assessing SASE Progress and Best Practices

Research from Principal Analysts John Grady & Jim Frey | Enterprise Strategy Group, June 2025

How far along are most enterprises in their SASE journey? What challenges are they facing in aligning networking and security? And more importantly what results are they seeing?

In this new study, Enterprise Strategy Group surveyed 428 cybersecurity, networking, and IT professionals across North America to uncover how organizations are approaching SASE, what’s working, and where convergence efforts are gaining traction.

Some Key Insights from the Study:

92% face challenges managing separate networking and security tools

Only 17% report full SASE adoption, but 66% are actively implementing

45% have improved user experience through convergence

46% report cost reductions, and 38% see fewer security incidents

The number expecting to use 3+ vendors for SASE dropped from 82% to 58%

As this study outlines in detail, SASE adoption is still maturing but the organizations that have moved forward are seeing measurable results – from improved operational efficiency to better threat protection and faster onboarding of users, sites, and apps.

What You’ll Learn in This Report:

The real-world state of SASE progress across industries and company sizes
What attributes and capabilities IT leaders value most in a SASE solution
Best practices to align networking and security for faster, more secure transformation
Where your organization stands compared to 400+ peers