SASE Revenue Grows Above 20 Percent as SD-WAN Reaccelerates in 2Q 2026, According to Dell'Oro Group
Branch Refresh and Expanding AI Security Requirements Reshape the SASE Growth Mix
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recently published report from Dell'Oro Group, the trusted source for market information about the telecommunications, security, networks, and data center industries, the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) market reached $3.5 B in 2Q 2026 and extended its run of growth above 20 percent year-over-year (Y/Y) to a fifth consecutive quarter. Underneath the headline, however, the composition of growth changed meaningfully as branch-network modernization strengthened while Security Service Edge (SSE) expanded into a broader set of data, experience, and AI-related controls.
"The more interesting story this quarter is not simply that SASE remained a strong-growth market, but that the sources of growth are changing," said Mauricio Sanchez, Sr. Director, Enterprise Security and Networking at Dell'Oro Group. "Branch refresh became more prominent as enterprises addressed aging infrastructure, support requirements, security exposure, and higher capacity needs.
"At the same time, SSE is becoming more than an access-and-inspection platform. Enterprises are increasingly looking to the same control point for data protection, AI governance, operational visibility, and policy consistency. That broadening opportunity is creating new areas of competition without eliminating demand for the core SSE functions," added Sanchez.
Additional highlights from the 2Q 2026 SASE and SD-WAN Quarterly Report:
- SD-WAN strengthened materially as branch modernization moved higher on enterprise priority lists. The evidence points to selective replacement of aging or higher-risk infrastructure rather than a broad, simultaneous refresh of entire branch estates.
- SSE Core remained the foundation of SASE security spending, although growth moderated as vendors and customers continued migrating from legacy products toward broader cloud-delivered security platforms.
- SSE Extended grew faster than the Core market as Data Security and Digital Experience Management became more meaningful monetized extensions. AI governance is reinforcing this expansion, although AI is not yet a standalone explanation for overall SASE growth.
- Access Routers remained under pressure as more branch value migrated toward SD-WAN and security-converged platforms, although traditional routing performed better than previously expected as some legacy equipment still required replacement.
- SASE architecture remains contested. Single-vendor consolidation continues to appeal to customers seeking operational simplicity and accountability, while multi-vendor designs remain viable in complex enterprises which value control-point choice and have the operational maturity to integrate multiple platforms.
The Dell'Oro Group SASE & SD-WAN report includes manufacturers' revenue covering the SASE and Access Router markets. The report also analyzes the SASE market from two perspectives: technology (SD-WAN networking and SSE security) and class (single-vendor and multi-vendor). Moreover, SSEs are further broken down into core (CASB, FWaaS, SWG, and ZTNA) and extended (data security and digital experience management) functions, while SD-WAN data is also provided by customer size (Large Enterprise and SMB). The report also provides unit information for the Access Router market. To purchase this report, please contact us at [email protected].
Dell'Oro Group is a market research firm that specializes in strategic competitive analysis in the telecommunications, security, enterprise networks, and data center markets. Our firm provides in-depth quantitative data and qualitative analysis to facilitate critical, fact-based business decisions. For more information, contact Dell'Oro Group at +1.650.622.9400 or visit https://www.delloro.com.
SOURCE Dell'Oro Group
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