Colt Technology Services is leveling up its SD-WAN services by folding in a new Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution by Versa.

The Colt SASE Gateway solution is built on long-time partner Versa's SASE platform, which includes the Versa Secure Web Gateway (SWG). Colt has worked with Versa on SD-WAN since 2016.

This new SASE service "comes as a result of the changes in how people are working and accessing systems, combined with increasingly complex enterprise networks and rapidly changing security threats," said Peter Coppens, VP of product portfolio for Colt, in a statement. Coppens added that Colt's customers are shifting from "more traditional network security solutions to a SASE approach" to provide employees with secure access to the corporate network.

In addition to SWG, Versa SASE includes services such as Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), SD-WAN, next-gen firewall as-a-service (NGFWaaS), data loss prevention (DLP), user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) and remote browser isolation (RBI), Versa CMO Mike Wood told Light Reading in an email.

The SASE services can be deployed via the cloud and/or on-premises; Colt is deploying the Versa SWG plus other Versa services via the Versa Operating System (VOS) within Colt's own cloud, added Wood.

"Colt needed a fully integrated solution to be able to deliver security and networking via their cloud to protect cloud services, applications, resources and infrastructure for their customers," said Wood.

Colt's SASE service also integrates with its SD-WAN Remote Access feature, which it launched last year together with Versa. The service provider said Remote Access provides users with secure access to their business data and applications, based on their role or profile, from any location.

Colt made the Challenge Tier on Vertical Systems Group's Mid-2021 Global Provider Carrier Managed SD-WAN Leaderboard. The Challenge Tier includes operators with between 1% and 5% of SD-WAN site share globally.

In addition, Dell'Oro ranked Versa among the top five global SD-WAN vendors in 2021, which included Cisco, Fortinet, VMware, Versa and HPE Aruba. In all, the top six vendors carved out over 70% of SD-WAN market share for the first half of 2021.

— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading