Cybercrime has continued to steadily increase in recent years. According to Statista, three out of four companies in the United States faced the risk of a material attack in 2023. Projections for 2024 estimated cybercrime cost the U.S. over $452 billion.
Remote work has also increased. According to the latest 2025 State of Secure Network Report, 63% of organizations now embrace a hybrid work model and 19% operate fully remotely. Unlike office environments with controlled security measures, remote employees connect to company resources from multiple locations, devices, and networks which are often less secure, making cybercrime easier for hackers.
For mid-sized companies with limited IT resources, managing security tools in these environments can be challenging. As businesses adopt more cloud-based tools and software-as-a-service (SaaS), sensitive data extends beyond secure boundaries, heightening exposure and making it more complicated to protect.
This underscores the need for solutions like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), which combine all the crucial security elements necessary to keep your network and distributed workforce safe from cyberattacks in one easy-to-use, cloud-centric, unified framework.
While investing in SASE may seem like a clear solution, many mid-sized organizations are struggling to justify its cost and measure the return on investment (ROI), particularly with constrained IT budgets.
What is the ROI of SASE?
Let’s examine the cost and risk of NOT investing in SASE.
Data breaches
As of 2024, the average cost of a data breach in the United States was $9.36 million, a slight decrease from $9.48 million the previous year, according to Statista. Globally, the average cost per data breach stood at $4.88 million in 2024.
The financial repercussions of a data breach go well beyond the initial incident. It can have lasting effects on customer trust, leading to reputational damage, customer loss, and significant revenue decline.
Brand reputation
Even large and well-known brands suffered from data breaches in 2024. Recently there was an attack on a large banking/financial company where hackers accessed the personal data of more than 28,000 customers. In April, hackers stole personal information from 73 million customers from a large telecom company and posted it on the dark web. In May, hackers accessed customer information at a well-known technology/computer company, and in June a breach at a tech and analytics company compromised customer information at a large ticket purchasing platform and other organizations. Size and scale alone do not protect businesses from modern cyber threats.
Customer trust
Customer trust can take years to establish but only moments to damage after a security breach. According to a PwC Consumer Trust Survey, 79% of consumers consider data protection essential for building trust, while 91% of business executives believe that maintaining trust directly benefits their bottom line.
Lost revenue
One of the most significant setbacks for businesses who experience cybercrime is declining annual revenue. Losses can result from customer attrition, canceled contracts, and reduced membership, while new customer acquisition rates may also slow.
Regulatory fines
Sizable fines assessed for data breaches suggest that regulators are getting more serious about organizations that don’t properly protect consumer data. For example, T-Mobile paid $350 million for a data breach in 2022 that impacted an estimated 77 million of its customers.
Staffing
Hiring, retaining, and training cybersecurity staff is costly and challenging, especially since economic pressures have led to budget and workforce reductions. In the latest ISC2 Cybersecurity workforce study, 67% of respondents indicated they had a staffing shortage this year and almost 60% agree that cybersecurity skills gaps have significantly impacted their ability to secure the organization, putting them at a significant risk.
Training and upskilling
Adding to this challenge is the rapid advancement of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), which makes it increasingly difficult for cybersecurity teams to stay ahead with the latest tools to defend against emerging threats.
The Financial Benefits of SASE
The financial benefits of SASE far outweigh the costs. For mid-sized companies with distributed workforces, SASE components like Security Service Edge (SSE) platforms provide layered protection. When integrated with Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), and Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB), they help prevent data loss and ensure secure access.
Balancing cost management and security over time
Organizations with limited budgets can control costs by gradually implementing SASE components as finances allow, ultimately building a comprehensive SASE architecture that provides robust protection against modern threats at an affordable price.
Organizations should focus on identifying specific integration points where SASE can provide immediate value, such as enhancing cloud security visibility or improving remote access management. Partnering with a SASE provider that offers built-in integration, APIs, and automation features can reduce the burden of policy management and limit downtime.
SASE is flexible, scalable, and future proof
With SASE, a managed security service provider (MSSP) hosts your security infrastructure in the cloud, delivering the efficiency, flexibility, and scalability needed to support your business as it grows. Security experts assist in evaluating, designing, implementing, and managing a robust security strategy that safeguards your business both now and in the future.
SASE protects your data everywhere
No matter where or how your business operates, a SASE solution ensures your data remains protected. It enables seamless, secure connectivity for employees working remotely, in the office, or on the go—without compromising security.
Meet compliance requirements
SASE streamlines compliance by centralizing security controls across all network locations and users. This enables organizations to consistently enforce security policies and data protection measures, ensuring adherence to regulatory standards while reducing the risk of data breaches.
Improve productivity
In the 2025 State of Secure Network Report, 50% of respondents noted enhanced productivity and secure access for remote workforces as key benefits, underscoring the importance of seamless, secure access for distributed teams. In addition, 49% highlighted improved application performance and bandwidth optimization thanks to SASE’s ability to use SD-WAN for intelligent traffic routing.
Access to cybersecurity expertise
It takes years for security staff to develop real cybersecurity proficiency. Partnering with an experienced MSSP gives you immediate access to decades of cybersecurity expertise, reducing the risk of cyber threats and high costs of staffing.
Faster detection and resolution
Centralized monitoring and reporting, backed by a team of experienced security experts 24/7, allows for quicker detection and resolution of security incidents.
Is SASE Your Next Step?
As digital transformation accelerates and IT landscapes evolve, the need for a unified, cloud-centric approach to secure network access has intensified. SASE combines networking and security into a single, cloud-native framework, providing a comprehensive solution that addresses the needs of remote work, cloud migration, and increasingly distributed workforces.
At its core, SASE safeguards your network and data, while improving efficiency, reducing costs, and strengthening customer trust.
An experienced SASE provider like Hughes can deploy, manage, and support your entire SASE architecture for you—or simply augment your existing security staff and resources to maximize their impact. Read the State of Secure Network Access Report to learn more about SASE solutions and contact us to explore how we can work together.