Viavi Solutions is bringing advanced performance testing to the table for secure access service edge (SASE) networks with a platform called the TeraVM SASE Test.
TeraVM SASE Test is a virtualized platform that tests the limits of any SASE solution by imitating large-scale traffic, then measuring the performance across multiple vectors, according to a new press release. The architecture combines networking and security capabilities as a service to provide secure access to applications and data.
The test works by pushing networking and security companies’ SASE solutions to the limits in order to scope out and fix any issues, which will additionally aid these companies in meeting service level agreements (SLAs) for their customers, according the company.
This technology is all made possible through “realistic user end point emulation at scale to measure traffic volumes, connection limits, redundancy options, latency allowances, cloud access and most importantly, performance,” according to a company press release about the test.
Cloud is the magic word
The punchline? The solution is tuned to run on any cloud environment. This includes testing technologies and protocols from SD-WAN, zero trust network access (ZTNA), secure web gateway, data loss prevention (DLP), and firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) with additional support for secure VPN services.
The SASE architecture will be deliverable wherever an enterprises’ users, applications or devices are located — a sigh of relief for companies with a large hybrid or remote workforce managing a public cloud.
Today, more and more enterprises are looking to SASE solutions — Gartner predicts that by 2024, 40% of enterprises will have explicit strategies to adopt SASE. SASE architectures intend to tie down consistent, secure user experiences in a time where public cloud service dependence is ramping up to accommodate hybrid users.
“TeraVM SASE Test will give [enterprises] confidence in their capabilities through rigorous testing using emulated workers, real office applications and loaded networks,” Viavi's Ian Langley, vice president and general manager, Wireless Business Unit, told Silverlinings.
Great power, greater responsibility
The TeraVM SASE Test is based on the vendor's history of test leadership, according to the company.
Viavi is not the first SASE test provider — Spirent has had similar efforts publishing a three-step guide to help tame company SD-WAN complexity and realize untapped potential.
"Even if Viavi may not be able to claim to be first, having a diversity of test tools is always a good thing. Test tool vendors, like Viavi and Spirent, have respective strengths; when multiple are used, product quality usually increases," said Dell'Oro Group's Mauricio Sanchez, research director, network security and SASE/SD-WAN, via email to Silverlinings.
Even so, companies should not blindly throw their trust onto any tool claiming to cover issues from A - Z, especially when it comes to security cases.
"We must be careful to think that any test tool can cover all possible test cases. When it comes to security, there are just too many corner cases," Sanchez said. "As long as SASE vendors (who develop SASE solution) internalize this, tests tools do have a role and are vital to the overall QA process."