EMA Webinar to Reveal New Research on SD-WAN to SASE Transition Best Practices

Survey of 226 IT professionals highlights adoption trends, challenges, and strategies for converging networking and security

LAFAYETTE, Colo., May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Management Associates (EMA™), a leading IT research and consulting firm, today announced it will host a research webinar, Hear from the Experts: Best Practices for Evolving from SD-WAN to SASE. The webinar will explore how enterprises are navigating the transition from SD-WAN to secure access service edge (SASE), based on new survey data from 226 IT professionals.

The webinar will feature Christopher M. Steffen, Vice President of Research at EMA, alongside industry experts Ciaran Roche, Co-Founder and CTO at Coevolve, Kevin Sheu, VP of Product Marketing at Versa Networks, and Ameet Naik, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Zscaler.

As organizations modernize their network architectures to support cloud-first and hybrid work environments, the traditional separation between networking and security is rapidly disappearing. While SD-WAN has enabled greater agility and cost efficiency, it has also introduced new security challenges by increasing reliance on direct internet access. In response, many enterprises are adopting SASE frameworks that unify networking and security into a single, cloud-delivered model.

SASE places identity at the center of access control, enabling consistent security policies regardless of user location. At the same time, advances in automation and artificial intelligence are helping organizations manage increasingly complex environments by improving visibility, accelerating response times, and supporting more adaptive network operations.

"The transition to SASE is a fundamental convergence where identity, not location, defines the network perimeter," says Steffen. "Leveraging AI-driven, self-healing architectures allows the enterprise to resolve the paradox between high-performance connectivity and rigorous, cloud-native security."

During the webinar, panelists will discuss:

• Proven best practices for transitioning from SD-WAN to SASE
• Strategies to balance performance and security in distributed, cloud-first environments
• The role of AI and automation in improving network resilience and operational efficiency
• Key findings from EMA's latest WAN transformation research

The webinar will take place Tuesday, May 12 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Registration is available at: https://info.enterprisemanagement.com/best-practices-for-evolving-from-sd-wan-to-sase-pr

A detailed analysis of the research findings is available in the report, "WAN Transformation 2026: Best Practices for Evolving from SD-WAN to SASE."


About EMA
Founded in 1996, EMA is a leading IT research and consulting firm dedicated to delivering actionable insights across the evolving technology landscape. Through independent research, market analysis, and vendor evaluations, we empower organizations to make well-informed technology decisions. Our team of analysts combines practical experience with a deep understanding of industry best practices and emerging vendor solutions to help clients achieve their strategic objectives. Learn more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services at https://www.enterprisemanagement.com and follow them on X and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Raleigh Gould
Enterprise Management Associates
303-543-9500
[email protected]

SOURCE Enterprise Management Associates