Tata Communications’ SASE solution unifies SD-WAN and SSE capabilities into a single, cloud-native platform—reducing infrastructure complexity, eliminating point-product sprawl, and optimising security operations with measurable business impact.

Why SASE ROI Matters

As businesses increasingly adopt SASE (Secure Access Service Edge), the return on investment (ROI) has become a key consideration. SASE delivers significant value by converging networking and security functions into a unified cloud-delivered platform—driving cost savings, efficiency, and scalability.

Recent studies show that SASE can reduce infrastructure and operational costs while improving security posture and performance, making it one of the most strategic investments for organisations pursuing secure digital transformation.

1. Cost Savings

By consolidating security tools such as SWG, CASB, ZTNA, and FWaaS into a single cloud-native solution, SASE reduces redundant infrastructure and lowers licensing and operational costs.

2. Improved Efficiency

SASE enhances operational workflows by integrating security directly into the network fabric, improving productivity and minimising disruptions.

3. Reduced Risk

With policy-based access, identity-aware segmentation, and least privilege enforcement, SASE improves network visibility and reduces exposure to lateral threats.

4. Improved Network Reliability

SASE ensures reliable performance by monitoring and analysing network activity through centralised orchestration and real-time analytics.

5. Consistent Data Protection

With uniform security policies applied across all user and application touchpoints, SASE ensures consistent data protection across branches, endpoints, and cloud environments.

6. Increased IT Staff Effectiveness

Unified policy enforcement and centralised orchestration free IT staff to focus on business-critical innovation, reducing manual effort in policy management and incident handling.

Bottom line: SASE ROI strengthens security, reduces cost, and boosts productivity—crucial for sustainable, future-ready operations.

Defining ROI in Network Security Transformation

Return on Investment (ROI) in network security measures the value gained from cybersecurity investments relative to their costs. It helps organisations evaluate whether spending on solutions like SASE is generating tangible business value.

ROI Formula:
ROI (%) = (Net Gain from Investment / Cost of Investment) × 100

In the context of SASE, ROI includes:

• Cost savings from tool consolidation and licensing efficiencies
  
  
• Productivity gains from simplified operations
  
  
• Reduced risk and fewer breach-related incidents
  
  

A consistently positive ROI indicates that SASE investments are delivering on both cost-efficiency and risk reduction, validating the security transformation strategy.

Metrics to Evaluate SASE ROI

To measure SASE ROI effectively, businesses must track both financial and operational metrics:

1. Automation Metrics

Track the performance of policy automation, threat detection, and orchestration. Metrics like policy push frequency, breach response time, and automated remediation cycles provide insights into operational maturity.

2. Cost Savings

Measure direct and indirect cost reductions—including licence rationalisation, incident recovery savings, and time freed up by automation.

3. Customer Satisfaction

Improved security posture and lower downtime contribute to better user experience. Positive CSAT, NPS, or churn rates directly reflect the business impact of a resilient SASE framework.

4. Operational Overhead Reduction

Tata Communications’ managed SASE services leverage AI-driven threat intelligence and automated playbooks to offload day-to-day security operations, enabling leaner and more effective IT teams.

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Overcoming Challenges in Measuring SASE ROI

1. Accuracy

SASE benefits like risk reduction or brand trust are hard to quantify. Organisations should factor both hard metrics (e.g., number of incidents avoided) and soft outcomes (e.g., employee productivity) into ROI calculations.

2. Time Frame

Short-term ROI may appear modest, but long-term SASE returns include greater scalability, enhanced resilience, and improved vendor consolidation. A rolling 12–24 month evaluation gives a more accurate picture.

3. Attribution

When multiple transformations occur in parallel, isolating SASE’s impact can be difficult. Use before-after benchmarking to attribute gains in performance or breach reduction specifically to SASE.

4. Long Sales Cycles

In industries with long decision or buying cycles, ROI may not be immediately visible. Track intermediate indicators like faster onboarding, reduced MTTR, or better audit scores to demonstrate value early.

Steps to Maximise SASE ROI

To fully realise the benefits of a SASE implementation, businesses should take a strategic, outcomes-oriented approach:

1. Analyse IT Budget Breakdowns

Understand current spends on point security solutions, MPLS, and branch appliances. Identify areas where SASE can consolidate and optimise both CAPEX and OPEX.

2. Set Measurable Goals

Define KPIs around incident response, latency reduction, network availability, or user satisfaction. Clear goals drive accountability and allow for iterative improvement.

3. Engage Stakeholders

Align business, security, and IT leaders early in the SASE journey. Ensure collective buy-in on architectural shifts and how cloud-delivered security supports broader transformation goals.

4. Align with Business Objectives

Map SASE outcomes to enterprise goals—whether it’s improving compliance posture, enabling remote work, or reducing attack surface.

5. Analyse the Process

Audit current security operations for inefficiencies. Automate high-volume, low-complexity tasks like user access reviews or firewall rule pushes via the SASE platform.

6. Build a Compelling Business Case

Showcase how SASE accelerates cloud adoption, simplifies branch expansion, and strengthens governance. Use real or modelled TCO and ROI numbers to make the business case airtight.

Conclusion

Understanding and optimising SASE ROI is essential for security leaders navigating digital transformation. By tracking meaningful metrics—cost savings, efficiency gains, and risk mitigation—enterprises can validate and enhance the value of their Secure Access Service Edge investments.

Tata Communications delivers managed, end-to-end SASE solutions tailored for secure digital ecosystems. From cloud policy orchestration to real-time threat response, we help businesses maximise ROI, performance, and trust.

Contact us today to learn how SASE can transform your network security architecture and bottom line.