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Build a SASE framework by starting with the resources and people that need access, then defining identity-based policy, decision and enforcement responsibilities, required integrations, and tests for real access scenarios. Treat SASE as part of a broader security architecture—not a standalone product purchase—and adapt implementation examples to your own environment.
What a SASE framework needs to decide
A useful framework explains how the organization will protect access to enterprise resources across users, locations, devices, and hosting environments. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) frames its zero-trust implementation work around authorized access to enterprise data regardless of who makes a request, where it originates, or whether the resource is on premises or in the cloud.
For SASE planning, that means documenting more than network connectivity. The design should show how identity and access policy inform decisions, how decisions are carried out, where connections are enforced, and how the security and network capabilities fit with existing systems. NIST’s SP 1800-35 includes SASE-related zero-trust examples, but those lab implementations are examples to adapt, not a universal blueprint.
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Set the mission and scope
List the resources to protect, the user groups that need them, and the situations in which access occurs. Include employees, partners, contractors, and guests; corporate networks, branch locations, and public internet connections; and resources hosted on premises or in cloud environments. Record operational constraints and identify any areas that need a separate design effort.
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Be explicit about exclusions. NIST SP 1800-35 does not address zero-trust architectures for industrial control systems, operational technology (OT), or Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It also excludes the risk and policy requirements for discovering and classifying data. Do not treat its enterprise-access examples as validated designs for those problems.
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Define identity and access policy
Specify how user and device identity, roles, and other access attributes affect authentication and authorization. State which subjects may reach which resources, under what conditions, and when access should be denied or revoked. Identify the identity and credential-management capabilities that will supply information to those decisions.
Write policy in terms that can be tested. For example, define what should happen when a partner signs in from an unmanaged device to reach a private application, or when an employee’s access conditions change during an active session. The framework should say what information the decision uses and what outcome the enforcement point must carry out.
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Assign decision, administration, and enforcement roles
Separate the functions that decide access from those that execute and enforce the decision. NIST’s Enterprise 1 Build 5 describes three roles:
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- Policy engine (PE): decides whether to grant, deny, or revoke access using enterprise policy, information from supporting components, and a trust algorithm.
- Policy administrator (PA): executes the decision by directing the policy enforcement point.
- Policy enforcement point (PEP): guards the resource trust zone, establishes and monitors connections, terminates them when needed, and communicates with the policy administrator.
Document where each function sits in the proposed design, how decisions are conveyed, and what happens if a supporting component or connection is unavailable. The NIST example illustrates roles; it does not require every organization to use a particular vendor bill of materials or deployment topology.
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Choose and integrate the required capabilities
Translate policy and access scenarios into a list of functions the design must support. Consider secure access, identity management, endpoint monitoring, security analytics, network enforcement, and the cloud or private-resource connections in scope. Then map each function to an existing or proposed component and document its integration dependencies.
Assess whether candidate services work with the organization’s identity, endpoint, monitoring, network, and cloud components. Include configuration and ongoing integration responsibilities in the design: an architecture that relies on data or policy exchanges must explain how those exchanges are established and maintained.
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Validate representative access scenarios
Choose scenarios that cover the access paths the framework is meant to protect, such as employee access from a branch, partner access from the public internet, or access to a private application hosted in the cloud. For each scenario, record the identity and device information considered, the policy decision expected, the enforcement action, and the evidence the organization will review to confirm the intended behavior.
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NIST’s project includes common use cases and detailed functional demonstrations. Those are useful planning references, not proof that a design will perform or produce the same results in another organization’s environment. Validate the organization’s own scenarios before treating the architecture as fit for purpose.
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Map controls and maintain the design
Map implemented capabilities to the organization’s applicable security framework and control requirements. NIST SP 1800-35 provides mappings to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework versions 1.1 and 2.0, NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5, and critical software security measures. Use the mappings as references, then document the controls and assumptions relevant to the organization.
Record who owns policy, integrations, and operational decisions, and revisit the design when users, resources, access paths, or security requirements change. The NIST practice guide describes voluntary example solutions; it is not a regulation or mandatory practice and has no statutory authority.
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Compare implementations by fit, not by label
NIST documents several SASE-related lab builds. They demonstrate that different component combinations can support example architectures; their inclusion is not an endorsement, ranking, comparative performance result, or assurance of fit for a particular organization.
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| NIST example | Described approach | Named policy-engine components | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise 1 Build 5 | SASE and microsegmentation | Palo Alto Networks NGFW and Prisma Access | NIST NCCoE, Enterprise 1 Build 5 guide |
| Enterprise 2 Build 5 | Software-defined perimeter (SDP) and SASE | Lookout SSE and Okta Identity Cloud | NIST NCCoE, Enterprise 2 Build 5 guide |
| Enterprise 3 Build 5 | SDP and SASE | Microsoft Entra Conditional Access and Microsoft Security Service Edge | NIST NCCoE, Enterprise 3 Build 5 product guides and build index |
When evaluating options for your own environment, compare the capabilities against the same requirements:
- Scenario coverage: Can the design cover the users, resources, locations, and access paths in scope?
- Policy clarity: Are decision, administration, and enforcement responsibilities clear, and can they implement the required policy?
- Integration fit: How does the design connect to current identity, endpoint, monitoring, network, and cloud components?
- Operational ownership: Which components must be deployed, configured, and maintained, and who is responsible for each integration?
- Control alignment: Can the implemented capabilities be mapped to the organization’s applicable standards and control requirements?
NIST does not supply a universal scoring model, product ranking, or performance comparison for these examples. Use the criteria above to create organization-specific evaluation scenarios and document the evidence behind each decision.
What NIST SP 1800-35 can—and cannot—tell you
The final NIST SP 1800-35 guide, published in 2025, describes 19 example zero-trust implementations developed with 24 collaborators. Those figures describe the guide’s project scope; they are not SASE adoption rates, effectiveness measurements, or outcome statistics.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe guide is useful for understanding example architectures, connected components, and functional demonstrations. It cannot establish that a particular combination will suit every organization, prove security improvements or cost savings, or provide a guaranteed implementation timeline. Treat its builds as reference designs and validate your own requirements, integrations, and access scenarios.
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