SASE · SD-WAN · Global Backbone
Cato Networks SASE Review
Cato Networks is a Tel Aviv-headquartered cybersecurity company founded in 2015, widely credited as the first vendor to purpose-build a SASE platform from the ground up rather than through acquisitions or product integrations. The Cato SASE Cloud Platform converges SD-WAN, a private global backbone, and a full Security Service Edge (SSE) stack — including NGFW, SWG, CASB, ZTNA, DLP, and DEM — into a single cloud-native service managed through one console and a unified data lake. Cato has been recognised as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) and is the most-reviewed SASE vendor on Gartner Peer Insights with a 4.7/5 rating from over 275 reviews.
Quick Facts — Cato Networks
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full company name | Cato Networks Ltd. |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Primary product | Cato SASE Cloud Platform |
| Architecture | Cloud-native; single-pass processing on a private global backbone owned by Cato |
| Global PoPs | 80+ PoPs worldwide on Cato-owned infrastructure |
| UK presence | London PoP confirmed; UK channel partners available |
| SASE capability | Full — native single-vendor SASE including SD-WAN, NGFW, SWG, CASB, ZTNA, DLP, DEM, FWaaS |
| SD-WAN capability | Full — Cato SD-WAN integrated natively into SASE platform |
| Target market | Mid-market to large enterprise; all geographies |
| UK channel | Partners and direct; UK resellers available |
| Gartner position | Leader — 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms (2nd consecutive year); most-reviewed SASE vendor on Gartner Peer Insights (4.7/5, 275+ reviews, July 2025) |
What Netify Thinks
Cato Networks is the closest the market has to a purpose-built SASE vendor. Where most competitors have assembled SASE by stitching together acquired products — bringing inevitable integration overhead, inconsistent policies, and siloed data lakes — Cato engineered its platform from a blank sheet in 2015. The result is a genuinely converged platform rather than a SASE-branded bundle.
Strengths
- True single-vendor SASE: Unlike vendors that label acquired or integrated products as SASE, Cato's platform was purpose-built from 2015 onwards. SD-WAN, SSE, and the global backbone are designed as a unified system. Policies, analytics, and management all operate from a single console and unified data lake — not separate dashboards bolted together.
- 99.999% uptime SLA on a private backbone: Cato owns its global backbone infrastructure (80+ PoPs), which it operates with a 99.999% uptime SLA. This is not a claim against third-party cloud infrastructure — it is backed by Cato's own network engineering.
- AI/ML built in, not bolted on: Because Cato processes all enterprise traffic through a single platform, its AI capabilities — threat detection, anomaly identification, autonomous threat response, and agentic AI workflows — can draw on a genuinely unified data lake rather than siloed security or networking telemetry.
- Gartner peer validation: Most-reviewed SASE vendor on Gartner Peer Insights with a 4.7/5 rating from 275+ verified enterprise reviews (July 2025). Two consecutive years as a Gartner MQ Leader for SASE Platforms.
Weaknesses
- CASB feature depth: Gartner has noted that Cato's CASB capabilities are less comprehensive than dedicated CASB vendors. Organisations with deep data-centric security requirements should evaluate whether Cato's CASB meets their specific use cases.
- No sandboxing: Cato does not offer an integrated sandbox for advanced malware analysis. Organisations requiring behavioural sandboxing alongside SASE will need to evaluate whether third-party integrations are sufficient.
- Network speed performance: Some enterprise reviewers have reported that Cato's network performance does not consistently match the throughput of providers with more PoPs or dedicated last-mile optimisation features, particularly in secondary markets away from major metropolitan PoPs.
- Premium pricing at enterprise scale: Gartner's 2025 MQ for SASE Platforms noted that Cato's pricing can become complex for very large deployments. Bandwidth-based pricing models should be modelled carefully for high-volume enterprises.
Verdict: Cato Networks is the strongest choice for mid-market and enterprise organisations that prioritise a genuinely converged single-vendor SASE platform with a private backbone SLA, strong AI-native capabilities, and the simplicity of a single console — and who do not have legacy security tooling dependencies that require a bolt-on approach.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Purpose-built SASE from the ground up — not assembled from acquisitions
- 99.999% uptime SLA on a Cato-owned private global backbone (80+ PoPs)
- Single console and unified data lake across SD-WAN, SSE, and network security
- Gartner MQ Leader for SASE Platforms 2024 and 2025
- Most-reviewed SASE vendor on Gartner Peer Insights — 4.7/5 (275+ reviews, July 2025)
- AI and agentic AI capabilities built on a unified platform data lake
- Flexible deployment: agent-based, agentless, BYOD, site, cloud
Cons
- CASB capabilities less comprehensive than dedicated CASB vendors (per Gartner)
- No integrated sandboxing for advanced behavioural malware analysis
- Network performance in secondary markets can be inconsistent
- Bandwidth-based pricing can become complex at very large enterprise scale
- Less mature in OT/ICS environments compared to hardware-anchored vendors like Fortinet
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cato Networks?
Cato Networks is the provider of the Cato SASE Cloud Platform — a purpose-built, single-vendor SASE solution that converges SD-WAN, a private global backbone network, and a full Security Service Edge (SSE) stack into one cloud-native service. Founded in 2015 by Shlomo Kramer (also co-founder of Check Point Software and Imperva) and headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Cato is widely credited as the original SASE category creator, having built its platform before Gartner coined the term in 2019.
How much does Cato Networks cost?
Cato uses a bandwidth-based subscription pricing model rather than per-user or per-site pricing, which can be advantageous for high-user-count, lower-bandwidth deployments. Pricing is not published publicly and varies based on bandwidth tier, number of sites, remote users, and the security capabilities licensed. Indicatively, mid-market deployments typically start from tens of thousands of pounds annually, scaling with bandwidth and site count. Request a quote via the Netify RFP Builder for a vendor-neutral cost comparison.
Is Cato Networks a good choice for UK deployments?
Yes. Cato operates a confirmed PoP in London and provides UK-based enterprises with low-latency access to its SASE platform. The platform's SWG and ZTNA capabilities apply to UK-based users whether in office or remote, without traffic being backhauled outside the UK. Cato holds relevant compliance certifications including ISO 27001, SOC 2, and GDPR alignment. UK channel partners are available for deployment support, and Cato's direct sales team serves UK enterprise accounts.
How does Cato Networks compare to Zscaler?
Cato and Zscaler both offer cloud-native security, but they differ fundamentally in architecture. Cato is a full single-vendor SASE platform: it includes native SD-WAN on a private backbone alongside SSE. Zscaler is primarily an SSE vendor (Leader in the Gartner MQ for SSE 2025) and does not offer native SD-WAN — it requires a separate SD-WAN vendor integration. Cato is better suited to organisations wanting a single SASE subscription; Zscaler is better suited to organisations with an existing SD-WAN investment that need best-in-class SSE layered on top.
| Feature | Cato Networks | Zscaler | Fortinet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Purpose-built SASE; private global backbone | Cloud-native SSE proxy; no native SD-WAN | Hybrid — FortiGate hardware SD-WAN + FortiSASE cloud SSE |
| Gartner MQ (2025) | Leader — SASE Platforms | Leader — SSE; Visionary — SASE Platforms | Leader — SASE Platforms; Leader — SD-WAN |
| SD-WAN | Full (native) | Partial (partner ecosystem only) | Full (native, hardware-based) |
| Private backbone | Yes — Cato-owned (80+ PoPs) | No — third-party cloud infrastructure | No — relies on third-party infrastructure |
| Best for | Single-vendor SASE; mid-market to enterprise | Large enterprise cloud-first SSE + existing SD-WAN | Distributed enterprise; OT/ICS; hardware-invested estates |
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