SASE Tops 20% Growth as SD-WAN Rebounds: Branch Refresh 2026

Why are enterprises refreshing branches now? The Dell'Oro findings point to a practical answer: old branch infrastructure has become a liability on three fronts.

• Support risk. Equipment that has reached end of support leaves you without firmware updates or vendor help when something breaks. The data suggests enterprises are replacing aging or higher-risk devices selectively rather than refreshing every site at once.
• Security exposure. Edge devices are a favorite target for attackers, and unpatched appliances sit at the perimeter of every branch. Treating each site as an isolated box with its own rules makes consistent policy almost impossible.
• Capacity limits. Cloud applications, video collaboration, voice and now AI services all travel over the branch link. A circuit and router sized for 2019 traffic patterns struggle with 2026 demand.

The same report notes that traditional access routers remain under pressure as more branch value moves to SD-WAN and security-converged platforms, although routing performed better than expected because some legacy equipment still had to be replaced. In other words, the old model is fading but not disappearing overnight, and most enterprises live in a hybrid state for a while.

That is the real challenge for a CIO: you cannot switch off every legacy site on the same day. You need a sequence that decides which branches move first, how the new platform coexists with the old one, and how you keep voice, payment and ERP traffic stable during the transition. Underlying all of it is the quality of the connectivity itself. SD-WAN can steer traffic between links, but it cannot create bandwidth or resilience that the underlying circuits do not provide.

How does a SASE architecture actually protect a branch? Here is the typical flow, from the site to the cloud.

1. The branch connects over more than one link. A site uses dedicated internet, broadband, MPLS or wireless links. SD-WAN measures each path continuously for latency, jitter and packet loss.
2. Policies steer each application. Voice and video calls go over the best-performing path, a bulk backup uses the cheapest one, and a failed link triggers an automatic failover that users never notice.
3. Traffic reaches a nearby security point. Instead of hauling everything back to a headquarters firewall, the branch sends traffic to a cloud security edge close to the user.
4. SSE inspects and enforces policy. Secure web gateway, CASB, firewall as a service and zero trust network access check who is connecting, to which application and from what device. Each request is verified rather than trusted because of where it came from.
5. Data and experience controls come next. The extended functions Dell'Oro highlights, data security and digital experience management, grew faster than the core SSE market. They answer two questions: is sensitive data leaving, and why is the application slow?
6. AI governance joins the same control point. Enterprises increasingly want to see and govern which AI tools employees use. Dell'Oro notes that AI governance is reinforcing the SSE expansion, although AI is not yet a standalone explanation for overall SASE growth.

One design question remains open and worth deciding deliberately: single vendor or multi-vendor. Dell'Oro describes the architecture as still contested. A single vendor offers operational simplicity and one point of accountability, while multi-vendor designs preserve choice at each control point but demand more integration maturity. Neither answer is universally right. For organizations rethinking remote access in general, our guide on zero trust and managed security explains how the security half of SASE fits into a broader program.

What do enterprises gain from modernizing the branch with SD-WAN and SASE? When the project is scoped well, the benefits are concrete.

• Consistent security at every site. One policy set covers headquarters, branches and remote users, which shrinks the gaps attackers rely on.
• Better application performance. Traffic takes the best path for each application, so calls, video meetings and cloud tools stay responsive even when one carrier has a bad day.
• Resilience by design. Multiple links and automatic failover reduce the impact of a single circuit or provider failure, which matters for any site that cannot stop trading.
• Lower operational load. Centralized management replaces box-by-box configuration across dozens or hundreds of locations, freeing network and security staff for higher-value work.
• Predictable growth. Adding a branch, a new country or a temporary site becomes a repeatable process rather than a custom project.
• A foundation for data and AI controls. Because SSE is expanding into data protection and AI governance, the platform you select today can carry those controls tomorrow.

A realistic note for planning: avoid the temptation to refresh everything at once. The Dell'Oro data indicates that the market is moving through selective replacement, and that is usually the more manageable path. Prioritize the sites with the oldest equipment, the most critical traffic or the greatest exposure, prove the model, and then extend it.

Finally, remember the physical layer. Neat cabling, well-labeled racks and properly sized circuits are not glamorous, but they decide whether the shiny new overlay delivers the experience users expect. A surprising share of branch problems trace back to the infrastructure that nobody has looked at in years.

HIT Communications has more than 30 years of experience designing and operating enterprise connectivity across Latin America, the United States and Europe. We help organizations modernize their branch and WAN environments without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Our teams combine the pieces that a SASE project depends on: multi-operator connectivity, SD-WAN and dedicated internet so that every site has resilient, well-matched circuits; cybersecurity services such as a 24/7 SOC, SIEM and managed detection and response to monitor what the new architecture generates; and IT managed services including cloud infrastructure and backup to support the applications behind it.

Because we work with several carriers and technology vendors, we can recommend the architecture that fits your sites and your risk profile instead of pushing a single product. That includes helping you weigh the single-vendor versus multi-vendor question with real operating costs, not just feature lists.

A typical engagement starts with an inventory of your sites, circuits and equipment lifecycles, followed by a prioritized refresh plan, a pilot at a small number of branches and a staged rollout with monitoring from the first day.

SASE growth above 20 percent for five straight quarters, together with a stronger SD-WAN market, shows that enterprises are modernizing their branches and consolidating their security. The change is practical: replace aging equipment, secure every site consistently and prepare the platform for data protection and AI governance.

Your next steps can be simple. Inventory your branches and their end-of-support dates, rank them by risk and business criticality, decide how much consolidation you want in a single vendor, and pilot the design on a handful of sites before scaling.

If you would like an independent view of your branch and WAN strategy, contact the HIT Communications team and we will help you turn the data into a plan that fits your business.