The modern workplace no longer operates from a single, trusted corporate network. Employees work from homes, cafés, airports, and customer sites, often using personal or unmanaged networks. This shift has made traditional perimeter-based security models, such as VPNs and fixed firewalls, insufficient and risky.
To address this, Microsoft has introduced an identity-aware, cloud-delivered network perimeter, known as Security Service Edge (SSE). SSE shifts security enforcement from the network boundary to the identity, the device, and the context of access.
Microsoft’s SSE solution is called Microsoft Entra Global Secure Access, which consists of:
Global Secure Access is built on Zero Trust principles, meaning:
Scenario Explanation
Consider a sales representative working from a coffee shop who needs access to sensitive customer data stored in Microsoft 365. Instead of connecting through a traditional VPN, the user connects through Microsoft Entra Private Access. The user’s identity is verified, device posture is evaluated, and Conditional Access policies are enforced. Access to the data happens securely, without exposing internal resources to the public internet.