SASE by Cato Networks - Detailed Review
Networking Tools
SASE by Cato Networks - Product Overview
Introduction to Cato Networks’ SASE Architecture
Cato Networks offers a comprehensive Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform, which is a cloud-native architecture that integrates networking and security functions into a single, unified solution.Primary Function
The primary function of Cato Networks’ SASE platform is to provide a secure, optimized, and simplified network connection for enterprises. It connects and secures all enterprise resources, including physical locations, cloud instances, and mobile users, ensuring consistent security policies and performance across the entire network.Target Audience
Cato Networks primarily targets mid-sized to large enterprise businesses that require secure and reliable network connections. The target audience includes:- Enterprise businesses with multiple locations and complex network infrastructures.
- IT professionals responsible for managing network security and connectivity.
- Global organizations with offices and employees spread across different geographical locations.
- Security-conscious businesses prioritizing data protection.
- Cloud-first companies relying on cloud-based applications and services.
Key Features
Cloud-Native Architecture
Cato’s SASE platform is built on a cloud-native architecture, ensuring multitenancy, scalability, velocity, efficiency, and ubiquity. This architecture allows for a global, scalable, and resilient SASE cloud service.Identity-Driven Security
The platform is fully identity-aware, allowing IT to tie security and networking policies to user identities. This is achieved through Cato SPACE, which extracts contextual elements from every flow.Support for All Edges
Cato connects all enterprise edges, including physical locations, cloud resources, and mobile devices, to one another and the Internet. This is facilitated through Cato SD-WAN devices, client and clientless access for mobile users, and agentless configuration for cloud resources.Global Distribution
The Cato Private Backbone is a globally distributed network with over 85 Points of Presence (PoPs), interconnected by multiple tier-1 carriers. Each PoP runs the complete Cato converged software stack, ensuring secure and optimized access to applications worldwide.Unified Management
The platform offers a unified management system, combining networking and security functionalities into a single cloud-based platform. This simplifies management for enterprises and ensures consistent security policies across all network edges. By integrating these features, Cato Networks provides a comprehensive solution that enhances security, optimizes network performance, and simplifies network management for its target audience. SASE by Cato Networks - User Interface and Experience
User Interface Overview
The user interface of Cato Networks’ SASE platform is designed with a focus on simplicity, elegance, and ease of use, making it accessible and efficient for IT teams.Unified Management
Cato’s SASE Cloud Platform offers a single pane of glass for managing all network and security solutions. This unified interface allows IT teams to monitor, configure, and enforce corporate policies across the entire business from one self-service console. This consolidation reduces the need to switch between multiple tools and consoles, streamlining the management process.Visibility and Insights
The platform provides exceptional visibility into network traffic and security events. With Cato DEM (Digital Experience Monitoring), IT teams can quickly pinpoint network problems impacting user experiences. This includes hop-by-hop visibility across Wi-Fi networks, the network edge, and the WAN, ensuring end-to-end visibility across all user experiences.Ease of Use
The interface is user-friendly, enabling IT teams to activate DEM through a simple toggle and leverage historical application usage data already captured by Cato. This instant Time-to-Value feature helps in quickly identifying and resolving user experience issues without extensive setup or training.Proactive Experience Management
Cato DEM continuously monitors network and device conditions, allowing IT teams to anticipate and mitigate issues before they affect the user experience. This proactive approach ensures smoother operations and higher productivity, making it easier for IT to manage and deliver optimal user experiences.AI-Powered Efficiency
The platform uses AI-powered engines to analyze complex data relationships and surface DEM recommendations within Cato XDR. This automation reduces operational overhead during troubleshooting, enabling IT operations to prioritize, investigate, and remediate user experience problems efficiently without switching to other tools.Cross-Team Collaboration
The unified interface facilitates better cross-team collaboration by providing a single, consistent view of network traffic and security events. This improves overall service delivery to the business, as IT professionals can configure and enforce policies more effectively.Conclusion
Overall, the user interface of Cato Networks’ SASE platform is engineered to be intuitive, efficient, and comprehensive, ensuring that IT teams can deliver optimized networking and powerful security with ease, thereby enhancing the overall user experience. SASE by Cato Networks - Key Features and Functionality
The SASE Architecture by Cato Networks
The SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) architecture by Cato Networks is a comprehensive platform that integrates networking and security into a single, cloud-native solution. Here are the main features and how they function, including the integration of AI:
Identity-Driven
Cato’s SASE platform is identity-driven, meaning that user and resource identity, rather than just IP addresses, determine the networking experience and access rights. This approach allows companies to develop a single set of networking and security policies for users, regardless of their device or location. This simplifies policy management and reduces operational overhead.
Cloud-Native Architecture
The platform leverages key cloud capabilities such as elasticity, adaptability, self-healing, and self-maintenance. This cloud-native architecture ensures the platform can scale efficiently, adapt to emerging business requirements, and be available globally. It also converges networking and security into a software platform, meeting attributes like multitenancy, scalability, velocity, efficiency, and ubiquity.
Supports All Edges
Cato SASE connects all enterprise resources, including datacenters, branch offices, cloud resources, and mobile users, into a single network. This is achieved through various on-ramp options such as Cato SD-WAN devices for physical locations, Cato ZTNA/EPP clients for endpoints, and cloud-interconnect and virtual SD-WAN for cloud data centers. This unified approach ensures consistent security and networking policies across all edges.
Globally Distributed
The Cato SASE Cloud is globally distributed, with a network of over 85 Points of Presence (PoPs) interconnected by multiple tier-1 carriers. Each PoP runs the complete Cato converged software stack, ensuring low-latency service delivery to all enterprise edges. This global distribution ensures that full networking and security capabilities are available everywhere, providing the best possible experience for all users.
Cloud-Native Security Stack (SSE 360)
Cato’s SSE 360 is a cloud-native security stack that includes capabilities such as network segmentation and zero-trust (FWaaS), threat prevention (SWG, IPS, NGAM, DNS Security, RBI), and application and data protection (CASB, DLP, ZTNA). This stack decrypts and inspects all enterprise traffic without the need for sizing, patching, or upgrading appliances. Security policies and events analysis are centrally managed through the Cato Management Application.
AI and Machine Learning Integration
Cato integrates AI and machine learning (ML) to enhance security operations. Here are some key AI-driven features:
- Threat Detection and Summarization: Cato uses generative AI to summarize security indicators into a concise paragraph, making it easier for security teams to communicate threats. ML algorithms identify and rank threats faster by comparing new security stories with similar past threats across all Cato accounts.
- Real-Time Protection: Cato has implemented real-time, ML-powered protection for malicious domain identification. AI and ML are used to perform offline analysis for OS detection, client classification, and automatic application identification.
- Threat Hunting and Incident Detection: AI and ML models run on Cato’s open data lake to detect network incidents and hunt for threats. This combines with human intelligence from Cato’s security experts to eliminate false positives and identify threats more accurately.
- Automated Policy Configuration and Data Sharing: The Cato API enables automation of policy creation, user, site, and other object provisioning. It also allows data extraction and sharing with third-party systems for further reporting or analysis.
Central Management and Analytics
The Cato Management Application serves as a single pane of glass to manage all policy configurations, network and security analytics, and real-time monitoring and troubleshooting. This centralized management ensures easy adoption by IT teams and quick delivery of new capabilities to the business.
Conclusion
In summary, Cato’s SASE platform offers a unified, cloud-native solution that integrates networking and security, leveraging AI and ML to enhance threat detection, policy management, and overall security operations. This approach simplifies security and networking management while providing a globally distributed, low-latency service.
SASE by Cato Networks - Performance and Accuracy
Performance
Cato Networks has consistently demonstrated high-performance capabilities in its SASE platform. For instance, the company recently set a new SASE throughput record by achieving 10 Gbps without any hardware upgrades, highlighting the efficiency of its fully cloud-native platform.
- This performance is particularly notable as it allows for significant data transfer speeds; for example, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team could transfer an entire season’s data in under 2.5 hours, a task that would otherwise take 3.5 days.
- Cato also achieved a previous record of 5 Gbps on a single encrypted tunnel with all security inspections enabled, significantly outperforming competitors.
Accuracy and Security
The Cato SASE Cloud Platform is recognized for its integrated SASE architecture, next-generation security, and comprehensive threat protection. It has received high scores in feature comparisons, particularly in key features and emerging features such as universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), AI-enabled automation, and managed SASE.
- The platform ensures seamless threat prevention, data protection, and timely incident detection and response, making it a reliable choice for enterprise security and networking.
Limitations and Areas for Improvement
Despite its strong performance and security features, there are some limitations and areas to consider:
- Network Configuration and Legacy Infrastructure: Adopting Cato’s SASE Cloud may require organizations to replace their current point services and adjust their legacy infrastructure, which can be a significant challenge.
- Lack of Network Sandboxing: Cato’s platform does not include network sandboxing, a feature used for detecting zero-day threats. Instead, it relies on advanced antimalware solutions, which might not fully address all zero-day threats.
- Potential Performance Issues: Like other SASE implementations, Cato’s platform can introduce latency, especially if traffic is routed through cloud-based security services. However, Cato mitigates this with a dense network of Points of Presence (PoPs) that ensure traffic is within 25 ms of users.
- Interoperability and Scalability: Integrating SASE with existing legacy systems can lead to interoperability challenges and potential performance degradation if the infrastructure is not scalable. Cato’s solution requires careful planning and regular assessment of scalability needs.
Conclusion
Cato Networks’ SASE platform stands out for its high-performance capabilities, integrated security features, and comprehensive threat protection. However, it is important for organizations to consider the potential need to replace legacy infrastructure, the absence of network sandboxing, and the careful management of performance and scalability during implementation. By addressing these areas, organizations can fully leverage the benefits of Cato’s SASE solution.
SASE by Cato Networks - Pricing and Plans
Pricing Structure of Cato Networks’ SASE Solution
When considering the pricing structure of Cato Networks’ SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solution, here are some key points to note, although the exact pricing details are not publicly disclosed on their website.Bundled Pricing
Cato Networks offers a simplified pricing model that bundles several key features and services into a single license. This includes:- Cato SSE 360, which encompasses capabilities such as zero-trust network access (ZTNA), cloud access security broker (CASB), remote browser isolation (RBI), and more.
- Clientless connections, ZTNA Client licenses, and technical support are all included within the Cato SASE Cloud license.
Features Across Plans
While specific tiers are not detailed, the features available in Cato’s SASE solution are comprehensive:- Global Private Backbone: A privately-owned, high-speed backbone infrastructure with worldwide points of presence (PoPs).
- Hardware-as-a-Service: Includes maintenance contracts for patching, updating, upgrading, and replacing hardware, avoiding delays and IT team involvement.
- Cloud-scaled Security: Features firewall, anti-malware, and packet inspections performed in the cloud to ensure scalability without performance hits.
- Bandwidth Flexibility: Allows for flexible pricing without overcommitment.
- Inspection Everywhere: IPS and anti-malware applied to all traffic, including cloud and remote assets.
- Optimized Traffic Routing: Automatically minimizes latency and packet loss between users, applications, and resources.
Additional Services
Cato also offers optional managed services, including:- Internet service provider management
- SASE management
- Managed detection and response (MDR)
- Deployment and designated support services.
Pricing Calculator
For a more precise quote, Cato and its partners provide a pricing calculator. For example, IPknowledge offers a calculator that allows you to estimate the cost of a Cato SASE SD-WAN network based on your specific needs. This tool promises transparency in pricing, customization of features and costs, and the ability to generate multiple estimates before committing to a plan.No Free Options
There is no indication of free options or tiers available for Cato’s SASE solution. The pricing is generally based on the bundled services and features provided. To get a detailed and accurate quote, it is recommended to use the pricing calculator or contact Cato Networks or their authorized partners directly. SASE by Cato Networks - Integration and Compatibility
Integration with Third-Party Tools
Cato Networks provides a single, universal API that allows for seamless integration with a wide range of third-party tools and services. This API enables the convergence of security, networking, and access data, making it easier for developers to fetch information on specific objects, classes of events, or timeframes from any location, user, or cloud resource.
For instance, Cato integrates with security information and event management (SIEM) systems like Sumo Logic, allowing users to add critical context to their security analytics and correlate Cato security alerts with other signals. Similar integrations exist with other vendors such as Sekoia.io XDR, Artic Wolf, Axonius, and Google, among others.
Compatibility Across Platforms and Devices
The Cato SASE Cloud Platform is highly versatile and can co-exist with current IT networking and security infrastructure. This includes compatibility with routers, firewalls, and cloud-based security services. Organizations can deploy Cato selectively and gradually, addressing different use cases, geographies, or organizational units without disrupting existing systems.
Cato offers multiple on-ramp options to connect different types of locations and devices to the platform. These include Cato SD-WAN devices for physical locations, the Cato ZTNA/EPP client for endpoints, and cloud-interconnect and virtual SD-WAN for cloud data centers. This flexibility ensures that various devices and platforms can be integrated into the Cato SASE Cloud.
Endpoint and Client Integration
The Cato Client, an endpoint agent, provides risk-based zero-trust network access with built-in endpoint protection and detection. This client can be easily deployed through a self-service portal or enterprise endpoint management (MDM) platforms, ensuring seamless integration with existing endpoint management systems.
Centralized Management
All capabilities of the Cato SASE Cloud Platform are managed through a single pane of glass using the Cato Management Application. This application allows users to configure policies, monitor network and security analytics, and perform troubleshooting across all aspects of the service. This centralized management approach simplifies the integration and management of various tools and platforms within the Cato ecosystem.
Data Sharing and Access
The Cato API enables customers and partners to extract granular data from the platform for processing by external solutions such as SIEM systems. This data can be accessed and integrated into other business processes and third-party applications, enhancing the overall compatibility and integration of the Cato SASE Cloud with other tools and systems.
In summary, Cato Networks’ SASE platform is highly integrative and compatible with a wide range of tools, platforms, and devices, making it a versatile solution for organizations looking to enhance their network security and WAN capabilities.
SASE by Cato Networks - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support
Cato Networks offers comprehensive customer support as part of their managed SASE service. Here are a few highlights:
Personalized Customer Support
AireSpring, in partnership with Cato, provides personalized customer support from a team of experts. This ensures that customers receive dedicated assistance for any issues or queries they may have.
AIreCONTROL Platform
Customers have access to AIreCONTROL, AireSpring’s IT service management platform, which provides full visibility and control over their network. This platform helps in monitoring, managing, and troubleshooting network and security issues efficiently.
Additional Resources
Cato Networks provides several additional resources to support their customers:
Cato Management Application
This is a single pane of glass for managing all policy configurations, network and security analytics, and real-time monitoring and troubleshooting. It simplifies the management of the SASE platform and ensures uniform policy enforcement across all edges.
API and Automation
Cato offers an API that enables automation of configuration, data extraction, and integration with third-party systems. This API allows customers to automate policy creation, user management, and other tasks, streamlining resource provisioning.
Training and Certification
Cato provides the option to become a certified SASE expert through available courses and exams. This helps customers gain a deeper understanding of the SASE platform and its capabilities.
Data Lake and Analytics
Cato’s open data lake stores and processes large volumes of data, providing a high-performance interface for accessing and investigating events data. This helps in threat hunting and incident detection using AI/ML models and third-party feeds.
Integration with Third-Party Systems
Cato periodically releases formal integrations with different third-party systems for security analytics, enterprise workflow management, and ticketing systems. This ensures seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure.
Global Infrastructure
Cato’s global private backbone, with over 85 Points of Presence (PoPs) interconnected by multiple tier-1 carriers, ensures global connectivity and optimized network performance. This infrastructure supports the delivery of SASE services worldwide, providing reliable and secure access to applications and resources.
By offering these comprehensive support options and resources, Cato Networks ensures that customers can effectively manage, secure, and optimize their network environments with ease.
SASE by Cato Networks - Pros and Cons
Advantages of Cato Networks’ SASE Cloud Platform
Simplified Management and Deployment
Cato Networks’ SASE Cloud platform offers a single, unified management interface, eliminating the need to juggle multiple management consoles. This simplifies IT administration and reduces overall management costs. Deployment is also streamlined, with site setup taking less than an hour, including configuring all networking rules and security policies.
Global Private Backbone
The platform features a global private backbone that provides a consistent, low-latency, and jitter-free connection between sites. This is significantly better than relying on the public internet, improving file transfer performance and overall network reliability.
Integration with Cloud Resources
Cato SASE Cloud natively supports IaaS resources from major cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. This integration is agentless, eliminating the need for premium cloud connectivity services and ensuring seamless connectivity.
Cost Savings
The SASE platform transforms capital expenditures (CAPEX) into operational expenditures (OPEX), reducing the need for in-house management and maintenance. It also minimizes both visible and hidden costs associated with purchasing and maintaining multiple point solutions.
Enhanced Security
Cato’s platform converges SD-WAN, a full network security stack, and support for cloud and mobile resources. It provides 360-degree threat prevention and integrates Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) capabilities, ensuring comprehensive security across all network edges.
Scalability and Flexibility
The cloud-native architecture of Cato SASE allows for easy scaling of security services as the business grows. It supports all types of network edges, including cloud services, mobile users, IoT, branch offices, and corporate networks, without increasing deployment complexity.
Disadvantages of Cato Networks’ SASE Cloud Platform
Replacement of Legacy Infrastructure
To fully benefit from Cato’s SASE Cloud, organizations may need to replace their current point services, which can be a significant challenge, especially for enterprises with large investments in legacy infrastructure. However, Cato suggests aligning this change with contract renewals and end-of-life timelines to ease the transition.
Lack of Network Sandboxing
Cato’s platform does not include network sandboxing, a feature used for detecting zero-day threats. Instead, it relies on advanced antimalware solutions, which might not be as effective for certain types of threats.
Potential Performance Issues with Local Traffic
While Cato’s Points of Presence (PoPs) are densely located, routing local traffic to these PoPs for inspection can sometimes be less optimal than direct access. However, Cato notes that its PoPs are generally within 25 ms of users, minimizing performance impacts.
Feature Gaps
Cato’s SASE Cloud may lack some features compared to other platforms, requiring customers to adapt or find alternative solutions to meet all their networking and security needs.
By considering these points, you can make a more informed decision about whether Cato Networks’ SASE Cloud platform aligns with your organization’s needs and capabilities.
SASE by Cato Networks - Comparison with Competitors
When Comparing Cato Networks’ SASE Platform
When comparing Cato Networks’ SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) platform with other similar products in the networking tools and AI-driven product category, several key features and alternatives stand out.
Unique Features of Cato Networks’ SASE
- Cloud-Native and Identity-Driven: Cato’s SASE platform is built from the ground up as a cloud-native solution, integrating multitenancy, scalability, velocity, efficiency, and ubiquity. It is also fully identity-aware, allowing IT to tie security and networking policies to user identities.
- Global Private Backbone: Cato operates a global, geographically distributed network of over 85 Points of Presence (PoPs), interconnected by multiple tier-1 carriers. This backbone optimizes and secures long-distance connections, making it ideal for large enterprises with globally spread branch offices.
- Comprehensive Security Stack: Cato’s SASE includes a full network security stack with features such as Next Generation Firewall (NGFW), Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Data Loss Prevention (DLP), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).
- AI-Assisted Threat Detection: Cato uses automated and proven AI/ML models for threat hunting and network incident detection, and an AI-assisted analyst workbench for prioritizing and responding to incidents.
Potential Alternatives
Zscaler
Zscaler is another prominent SASE vendor that offers a cloud-native platform focused on securing internet and cloud access. While Zscaler does not have a global private backbone like Cato, it excels in providing advanced cloud security features and is highly scalable. Zscaler’s solution is particularly strong in securing remote users and cloud resources.
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks offers a SASE solution that integrates their Prisma Access and Prisma SD-WAN products. This solution provides comprehensive security features similar to Cato but may require more integration effort since it is not a single-vendor SASE platform from the ground up. Palo Alto’s solution is known for its strong security capabilities and extensive feature set.
Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks’ AI-native networking platform, while not strictly a SASE solution, offers advanced AI-driven networking operations that can be integrated with SASE architectures. Juniper’s platform uses AI to unify campus, branch, and data center networking operations, ensuring reliable, measurable, and secure connections. However, it does not provide the same level of integrated SASE features as Cato.
AI-Driven Networking Tools
For those looking at AI-driven networking tools that can complement or compare with Cato’s SASE, there are several options:
LogicMonitor
LogicMonitor uses AI for anomaly detection, predictive analytics, and intelligent troubleshooting. While it is not a SASE solution, it can enhance network monitoring and performance, which can be beneficial when used alongside a SASE platform.
Auvik and NinjaOne
Auvik and NinjaOne integrate AI-driven features for network monitoring, automation, and proactive issue resolution. These tools can help in managing and optimizing network performance but do not offer the comprehensive security and networking integration provided by Cato’s SASE platform.
Conclusion
In summary, Cato Networks’ SASE platform stands out for its cloud-native architecture, global private backbone, and comprehensive security features. While alternatives like Zscaler and Palo Alto Networks offer strong security capabilities, they may lack the integrated single-vendor approach and global backbone of Cato. AI-driven networking tools like LogicMonitor, Auvik, and NinjaOne can enhance network monitoring but are not direct competitors to Cato’s SASE solution.
SASE by Cato Networks - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about SASE by Cato Networks
1. Does the vendor offer all of the capabilities that are included in the definition of SASE?
Cato Networks provides all the core capabilities defined for SASE. This includes converged SD-WAN and network security in the cloud, with features such as firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS), secure web gateway (SWG), anti-malware, IPS-as-a-Service (IPS), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and Managed Threat Detection and Response (MDR).2. How well integrated are the multiple components that make up the SASE? Is the integration seamless?
The Cato SASE Cloud is completely converged, using a single software stack running in their Points of Presence (PoPs). This allows for seamless integration, enabling enterprises to manage and monitor networking, security, and access through a single application and interface. Objects created in one domain are available in other domains, ensuring a unified management experience.3. What does the vendor roadmap look like for building out SASE capabilities?
Cato Networks is a well-established company with a strong track record. They have raised over $500 million in venture capital and have a private valuation of $2.5 billion. Cato continues to build capabilities internally and has a history of meeting product release deadlines. They are committed to serving their enterprise customers long-term.4. Is policy enforced consistently across all types of remote access to enterprise resources?
Cato ensures that policy is enforced consistently across all types of remote access. Whether resources are accessed from the public internet, SaaS applications, or on-premises enterprise apps, Cato’s inspection engines and network capabilities operate uniformly. This includes monitoring and enforcing policies for individual end users, groups at branch offices, and edge devices.5. Is the network able to conduct single-pass inspection of encrypted traffic at line rate?
Yes, Cato uses a single-pass inspection engine that can operate at line rate even on encrypted traffic. This ensures that all traffic inspection is conducted efficiently without compromising user experience, providing the necessary security and performance.6. Is the SASE service scalable, elastic, resilient, and available across multiple PoPs?
The Cato SASE Cloud is a fully distributed, self-healing service with many tiers of redundancies. It includes 70 PoPs interconnected by multiple tier-1 carriers, ensuring high availability and scalability. Cato provides 99.999% uptime SLAs and automatic failover to other PoPs in case of outages.7. How is sensitive data handled within the SASE?
Cato encrypts and protects all data in transit and at rest within the Cato network. Sensitive data flows can remain encrypted even when bypassing Cato inspection engines if required. This ensures high levels of visibility, control, and extra protection for sensitive information.8. Can the SASE enforce zero-trust principles in real time?
Cato inspects device posture upon connection and continuously monitors devices to ensure they meet predefined policy requirements. If a device’s status changes (e.g., anti-malware engine expiration), it can be blocked or given limited access based on corporate requirements. Cato also monitors and reports on various actions within applications in real time.9. Is there flexibility in terms of policy enforcement across different business policies and compliance requirements?
Yes, Cato allows for the application of consistent security policies across the entire global enterprise, as well as the ability to enforce policies locally based on specific business and compliance requirements. Enterprises have full control over their security policies, which can be instantiated and adjusted as necessary.10. How is centralized administration managed for SASE?
Cato provides centralized administration via their management application. Both security and network policies are managed from a single interface, allowing IT teams to configure and enforce policies for all Cato-connected users and resources, regardless of their location.11. What kind of support and troubleshooting processes are available?
Cato offers 24×7 support and allows organizations to co-manage their implementation while Cato maintains the underlying infrastructure. IT teams can opt to manage infrastructure themselves, outsource responsibilities to a Cato partner, or have a Cato partner fully manage the infrastructure.12. How does Cato handle the deployment and maintenance of hardware?
Cato’s Hardware-as-a-Service model avoids delays and IT team time by including maintenance contracts that cover patching, updating, upgrading, replacing, and maintaining connection hardware. Automatic updates for the Cato Socket Edge appliances can be managed based on customer-defined rules. By addressing these questions, Cato Networks provides a comprehensive and integrated SASE solution that meets the needs of modern enterprise networking and security. SASE by Cato Networks - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of Cato Networks’ SASE Platform
Cato Networks’ Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform is a comprehensive and innovative solution that integrates networking and security into a single, cloud-native platform. Here’s a detailed assessment of who would benefit most from using it and an overall recommendation.
Key Benefits and Features
- Cloud-Native Architecture: Cato’s SASE platform is built on a cloud-native architecture, ensuring scalability, multitenancy, velocity, efficiency, and ubiquity. This allows for seamless connectivity and security across all enterprise edges, including physical locations, cloud resources, and mobile devices.
- Identity-Driven Security: The platform is identity-aware, enabling IT to tie security and networking policies to user identities. This enhances security by providing contextual elements for every network flow.
- Global Distribution: Cato’s Private Backbone is a globally distributed network with over 85 Points of Presence (PoPs), ensuring secure and optimized connectivity worldwide.
- Unified Management: The platform offers a unified management interface, simplifying the configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of network and security policies. This includes AI-assisted tools for threat hunting and incident response.
Target Audience
Cato Networks’ SASE platform is particularly beneficial for:
- Mid-Sized to Large Enterprise Businesses: These organizations often have complex network infrastructures and multiple locations, making Cato’s unified and scalable solution highly valuable.
- IT Professionals: IT teams responsible for managing network security and connectivity will appreciate the simplified management and enhanced security features of the platform.
- Global Organizations: Companies with offices and employees spread across different geographical locations can benefit from Cato’s global network architecture and consistent security policies.
- Security-Conscious Businesses: Organizations prioritizing data protection and network security will find Cato’s comprehensive security solution appealing.
- Cloud-First Companies: Businesses heavily reliant on cloud-based applications and services will benefit from Cato’s optimized and secure cloud connectivity.
Overall Recommendation
Cato Networks’ SASE platform is highly recommended for organizations seeking to simplify their network and security management while enhancing their security posture. Here are some key reasons:
- Simplified Management: The unified cloud-based platform reduces the complexity of managing separate networking and security solutions, making it easier for IT teams to manage and maintain their network infrastructure.
- Enhanced Security: By integrating security functions into a single platform, Cato reduces the attack surface and ensures consistent security policies across all enterprise edges.
- Global Connectivity: The platform’s global distribution and cloud-native architecture ensure secure and optimized connectivity for distributed locations, remote users, and cloud resources.
- Innovation and Continuous Improvement: Cato’s commitment to research and development ensures that the platform stays ahead of emerging threats and evolving network requirements, providing customers with the latest security features and capabilities.
In summary, Cato Networks’ SASE platform is an excellent choice for enterprises looking to streamline their network and security operations, enhance their security posture, and ensure global connectivity. Its comprehensive features and continuous innovation make it a leader in the SASE market.