SASE and SD-WAN shortlist builder
Compare the SASE & SD-WAN UK and North American market
Publish an RFP within minutes. Build your bespoke shortlist from 30 graded providers by filtering on operating model, region, cloud support, security features, AI capability and resilience, or describe your requirements in plain language and the AI advisor builds it for you. Then send one brief and your shortlisted vendors respond with structured answers and pricing that stays private to you.
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Written and reviewed by the Netify research team. Every vendor record was re-verified against named primary sources on 2026-07-29, with a quoted sentence behind each graded fact. To act on a shortlist, describe the project once at netify.co.uk, raise it to a full RFP and publish to the providers it names, then compare structured responses, with pricing kept private to the buyer.
AI advisor
Describe what you need
Tell the advisor about your sites, regions, security needs and how you want the service run. It sets the filters below for you.
Your sector
Organisation size
Main priority
Operating model
Regions you must cover
Off by default. The shortlist already includes global vendors such as Cato and Fortinet because they deliver in the UK through UK PoPs and partners; each result explains its UK basis. Switch this on only if you need a UK-registered contract holder (UK HQ or UK entity) for sovereignty or procurement reasons, which narrows the list to providers like BT, Vodafone, Colt, NTT UK, Orange UK and Telefónica Tech UK&I.
Cloud platforms
AI capability
Deployment ceiling
Scoring profile
Capability requirements
Click once for required (hard filter), twice for preferred (extra scoring weight), three times to clear.
All 30 providers, ranked
Balanced capability score across all 40 features. Set filters, pick your sector, or describe your needs to the AI advisor to build your bespoke shortlist.
Next step
A shortlist names the right providers. The workspace makes them respond: describe your requirement once, publish it as an anonymous position, and vendors answer with their bids. What you have built on this page travels with you.
Start a projectNo. 1 · Score 95.6
Cato Networks
Cloud-native SASE / SD-WAN platform · Typical deployment: hours · mid pricing tier
Scored as easiest-to-use platform by Netify for the third year running, Cato offer a converged cloud-native SASE platform and is typically shortlisted by businesses needing to consolidate appliances or have limited in-house expertise to manage a SASE solution.
No. 2 · Score 92.3
Versa Networks
SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: weeks · mid pricing tier
Versa built multi-tenancy into the platform architecture from day one, which is why they're a common choice for service providers and carriers building their own managed SD-WAN and SASE offerings on top of the Versa technology layer. Typically shortlisted by service providers looking for a technology platform to underpin a managed service, as well as enterprises evaluating Versa direct through a partner.
No. 3 · Score 92
Fortinet
Secure SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: days · value pricing tier
Fortinet run FortiOS across FortiGate edge, FortiManager and FortiSASE, meaning networking and security policy are converged on a single operating system rather than integrated via API across separate components. Typically shortlisted by organisations already standardised on Fortinet hardware at the edge, or those looking for a vendor where the convergence story is backed up by a common OS rather than a marketing claim.
No. 4 · Score 91.7
Palo Alto Networks
SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: weeks · premium pricing tier
Palo Alto Networks offer Prisma SASE, converging SD-WAN, cloud-delivered security and digital experience management (ADEM) under a single platform identity, with security depth that goes well beyond most SD-WAN-first platforms. Typically shortlisted by organisations where security capability and application performance visibility are both weighted heavily, rather than those primarily looking to replace an MPLS estate.
No. 5 · Score 91.4
HPE Aruba Networking
SD-WAN / SSE / branch technology vendor · Typical deployment: days · mid pricing tier
HPE Aruba Networking offer EdgeConnect SD-WAN (brought in with the Silver Peak acquisition) as the foundation for single-vendor SASE alongside Aruba SSE, with a strong branch networking heritage and deployment speed of days that's competitive for a platform of this capability breadth. Typically shortlisted by businesses already in the HPE ecosystem or those looking for a single-vendor SASE story built on an established SD-WAN platform.
No. 6 · Score 88.9
Aryaka
Managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: days · mid pricing tier
Aryaka deliver Unified SASE as a fully managed service end to end, and unlike most managed providers, they own the private global core network rather than relying on public internet paths for the underlay. Typically shortlisted by businesses needing a single end-to-end managed provider with a private backbone, particularly where WAN optimisation and fast global deployment are both requirements.
No. 7 · Score 88.5
AT&T Business
Global carrier managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: months · premium pricing tier
AT&T bring a large carrier-scale managed SD-WAN portfolio, and the multi-vendor platform approach (including Fortinet for AT&T SASE) means buyers aren't locked into a single underlying technology. Typically shortlisted by US-headquartered and multinational businesses looking for a carrier with both the scale to manage a complex global estate and the flexibility to support more than one platform.
No. 8 · Score 88
NTT DATA / NTT Ltd.
Global managed network provider · Typical deployment: months · premium pricing tier
NTT deliver managed SD-WAN via a network of global operations centres running 24x7, which means the follow-the-sun support model is genuinely backed up rather than just described in a service document. Typically shortlisted by multinational businesses with complex, multi-region estates where around-the-clock managed operations and strong portal transparency are non-negotiable requirements.
No. 9 · Score 87.6
Verizon Business
Global carrier managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: months · premium pricing tier
Verizon bring carrier-scale managed SASE and SD-WAN with a strong North American presence and international delivery capability that extends well beyond the US. Typically shortlisted alongside AT&T for large enterprise and multinational deployments, the choice between the two often coming down to existing carrier relationships and where the majority of sites are located.
No. 10 · Score 87.4
BT Business / BT Global
Global/UK managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: weeks · mid pricing tier
BT are the UK market leader for managed SD-WAN, and the main reason for that position is access circuit ownership: BT can manage the underlay and the overlay as a single service, which removes one of the most common pain points in managed SD-WAN deployments. Typically shortlisted by UK-headquartered businesses looking for a single accountable supplier across connectivity, platform and operations.
No. 11 · Score 87.2
Cisco
SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: weeks · mid pricing tier
Cisco offer the broadest platform portfolio in the category: Catalyst SD-WAN for enterprise WAN, Meraki MX for cloud-managed branch environments, and Cisco Secure Access for converged SASE delivery. Typically shortlisted by organisations with existing Cisco investments looking to extend rather than replace, though buyers should be specific about which Cisco platform they're evaluating as the architectures and operational models differ considerably.
No. 12 · Score 86.6
Lumen
Managed SD-WAN / NaaS provider · Typical deployment: months · premium pricing tier
Lumen offer fully managed or co-managed SD-WAN with NaaS positioning and integrated network services, framing the proposition as a longer-term network programme rather than a point SD-WAN deployment. Typically shortlisted by organisations thinking about longer-term infrastructure strategy rather than a tactical overlay, particularly where integrating a broader set of network services under a single provider is part of the requirement.
No. 13 · Score 86.4
Colt Technology Services
Enterprise managed SD-WAN / connectivity provider · Typical deployment: months · mid pricing tier
Colt offer SD-WAN and SASE with a European data sovereignty positioning that's hard to match from a carrier without Colt's owned fibre network across European business districts. Typically shortlisted by EU-headquartered organisations or those with compliance requirements around in-region data processing, where sovereignty isn't just a preference but a hard procurement filter.
No. 14 · Score 86.4
Telefónica Tech
Global managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: months · mid pricing tier
Telefónica Tech deliver managed SD-WAN via their flexWAN programme alongside a Cisco-based converged SD-WAN, security and SASE service, with particularly strong positioning across Spain, Latin America and parts of Europe. Typically shortlisted by businesses with a footprint in those regions or with existing Telefónica carrier relationships looking to extend into managed SD-WAN and SASE.
No. 15 · Score 86
Comcast Business / Masergy
Managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: weeks · mid pricing tier
Comcast Business bring the Masergy AIOps heritage into a fully managed or co-managed SASE service combining SD-WAN and security, and that operational intelligence tooling is a genuine differentiator rather than a marketing addition. Typically shortlisted by mid-to-large enterprises where AI-driven operations and strong service visibility are weighted criteria alongside the core SASE capability.
No. 16 · Score 85.9
Orange Business
Global managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: months · premium pricing tier
Orange Business offer global managed network leadership with NOC depth and field operations that few competitors can match on a like-for-like basis, particularly across European and African markets. Typically shortlisted by organisations with a strong international footprint looking for a managed provider whose service assurance credentials are well-evidenced rather than just claimed.
No. 17 · Score 85.4
GTT
Global managed SD-WAN provider · Typical deployment: months · value pricing tier
GTT own a Tier 1 global backbone, which is the foundation for their managed SD-WAN positioning and gives strong international transit capability as a result. Typically shortlisted by organisations with a multinational estate where backbone ownership and international performance are scoring criteria, though it's worth confirming during evaluation how much of the delivery for your specific footprint runs over the GTT network versus public internet paths.
No. 18 · Score 84.6
Arista / VeloCloud
SD-WAN technology vendor · Typical deployment: days · mid pricing tier
Arista acquired VeloCloud in 2025, bringing its strong cloud-delivered gateway architecture into the Arista portfolio, though the long-term product direction is worth clarifying with the vendor directly given how recent the acquisition is. Typically shortlisted by organisations already familiar with VeloCloud's architecture or those evaluating how VeloCloud capabilities will integrate with Arista's EOS and CloudVision portfolio going forward.
No. 19 · Score 83.6
Vodafone Business
Global managed SD-WAN provider · Typical deployment: months · mid pricing tier
Vodafone Business offer managed SD-WAN with integrated mobile and fixed access in a single service, which isn't something every managed provider can deliver natively, and removes a separate contract and point of accountability for organisations running a mixed estate. Typically shortlisted by UK and European businesses looking for a managed provider with strong NaaS credentials and a genuine mobile-plus-fixed story.
Hughes have a background in satellite and large-scale retail deployment that means the operational model is genuinely built for distributed organisations with site counts in the hundreds or thousands. Typically shortlisted by businesses running a large estate of smaller sites, rather than a smaller number of complex locations, where that specific operational specialism matters more than the likes of SASE security depth.
Netskope are widely recognised as a leading SSE vendor, particularly for SaaS-heavy environments, with CASB heritage that few competitors match. Typically shortlisted as the security component in a best-of-breed SASE architecture alongside a separate SD-WAN platform, rather than as a single-vendor SD-WAN replacement. The shortlist score reflects SSE depth rather than SD-WAN breadth, which is consistent with how Netskope is most commonly deployed.
Check Point offer Harmony SASE, combining the established Check Point security heritage with cloud-delivered SASE and SD-WAN performance optimisation. Typically shortlisted by organisations already standardised on Check Point security looking to extend toward SASE rather than replace the security stack, where adding WAN capability whilst avoiding disruption to existing security policy is the priority.
No. 23 · Score 77
SonicWall
SMB / mid-market firewall-led SD-WAN vendor · Typical deployment: days · budget pricing tier
SonicWall deliver SD-WAN via existing TZ, NSa and SM firewall appliances, which is a real advantage for organisations already standardised on SonicWall and a less compelling proposition for those that aren't. Typically shortlisted by SMB and mid-market businesses with an existing SonicWall estate looking to add SD-WAN capability without the cost and complexity of introducing new hardware.
Zscaler are the category leader in SSE, with ZIA covering secure internet access, ZPA handling private application access, and ZDX providing digital experience monitoring. Typically shortlisted as the security layer in best-of-breed SASE architectures, often evaluated alongside a separate SD-WAN platform rather than as a converged single-vendor option. For organisations already invested in Zscaler for SSE, ZDX's experience monitoring is often the deciding factor on whether to extend the investment.
No. 25 · Score 75.1
Cloudflare One
SASE / Zero Trust / network services · Typical deployment: hours · value pricing tier
Cloudflare One provide one of the largest PoP footprints in the category for SASE traffic via the Cloudflare global edge network, with deployment in hours reflecting a lightweight, agentless onboarding model. Typically shortlisted by organisations prioritising Zero Trust network access and cloud-first security rather than branch WAN replacement: the platform scores more strongly on SSE and ZTNA than on traditional SD-WAN appliance functionality.
No. 26 · Score 74.6
Forcepoint
Security / secure SD-WAN vendor · Typical deployment: days · mid pricing tier
Forcepoint offer FlexEdge Secure SD-WAN combining secure SD-WAN with DLP and data security capability drawn from the wider Forcepoint portfolio, and for organisations where DLP is a hard procurement requirement rather than an optional extra, that combination is meaningful. Typically shortlisted specifically for data security depth rather than as a general-purpose SD-WAN evaluation.
No. 27 · Score 73.1
Cradlepoint / Ericsson
Wireless WAN / SD-WAN adjacent vendor · Typical deployment: days · value pricing tier
Cradlepoint, now part of Ericsson, offer a wireless-first branch architecture with deep 5G expertise, with NetCloud providing cellular-centric SD-WAN management and the Ericsson acquisition adding carrier-grade credentials. Typically shortlisted by businesses where fixed-line connectivity is unavailable, unreliable or not preferred, and where cellular primary or failover is a hard requirement rather than an edge case.
No. 28 · Score 69.1
Juniper Networks
AI-driven WAN / SD-branch technology vendor · Typical deployment: days · mid pricing tier
Juniper Networks offer Mist AI with WAN Assurance, delivering AI-driven monitoring and troubleshooting at the WAN edge at a depth that few competitors match. Typically shortlisted by organisations where AIOps and network assurance quality are weighted evaluation criteria rather than SD-WAN feature breadth, and worth examining more closely than the overall score might suggest if AI-driven operations is a primary requirement.
No. 29 · Score 63.3
FatPipe Networks
SD-WAN technology vendor · Typical deployment: days · budget pricing tier
FatPipe bring long heritage in WAN optimisation, dynamic load balancing and MPSec encryption, pre-dating the SASE category and focused on those specific capabilities rather than a full SASE security stack. Typically shortlisted by organisations with particular multi-path WAN optimisation or encryption requirements where that established specialism matters more than broader SASE convergence.
No. 30 · Score 62.2
Peplink
SD-WAN / cellular-first technology vendor · Typical deployment: days · budget pricing tier
Peplink offer SpeedFusion bonding technology, genuinely differentiated for sites needing to combine the likes of multiple cellular, broadband or satellite links into a single resilient connection. Typically shortlisted for remote, mobile or hard-to-reach sites where link bonding and cellular resilience are the primary requirements, and where Peplink often outperforms higher-scoring vendors on the criteria that actually matter for that use case.
AI advisor · Continue from your shortlist · 5 of 30 vendors
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Scores are weighted across 40 capabilities with points accrued based on: yes 1.0, via partner 0.75, via managed service 0.65, partial 0.5, not confirmed 0.15, not primary 0. Extended dimensions are indicative desk research; confirm via RFP.
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The market, compared
SD-WAN and SASE providers compared
The word provider means two different things in this market. Some companies build the SD-WAN or SASE platform and sell it as a product. Others operate a managed service on top of a platform, usually someone else's, and own the circuits underneath it. Buyers asking about providers mean one or the other, so the tables below are split by that question rather than by company.
30 vendors and service providers. 19 build the technology,22 run it as a service, 11do both and appear in both tables. Every value is graded from the company's own published material or an independently accountable record, with a quoted sentence behind each fact. 1570 sources in total, of which 300 were found and rejected.
Who builds the technology
19 vendors, compared on 6 points
Vendors that author the platform. Sold direct, through partners, and resold by most of the managed providers below. The columns are the ones that separate builders: whose security stack it is, whether there is a real backbone behind it, and how large the published footprint actually is.
| Vendor | SSE layer | Private backbone | PoPs | Integrated NGFW | Published SLA | Fully managed | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arista / VeloCloud | Partner | Not published | 150+ | Partial | Not published | Partner | 53 |
| Aryaka | Native | Yes | 40+ | Yes | 99.999 | Yes | 66 |
| Cato Networks | Native | Yes | 100 | Yes | 99.999 | Yes | 46 |
| Check Point | Native | Yes | 80+ | Yes | Not published | Partial | 43 |
| Cisco | Native | Partial | Not published | Yes | 99.999 | Not primary | 48 |
| Cloudflare One | Native | Yes | 300+ | Yes | 100 | Not primary | 45 |
| Cradlepoint / Ericsson | Native | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Not primary | 60 |
| FatPipe Networks | Native | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Partial | 44 |
| Forcepoint | Native | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Not primary | 51 |
| Fortinet | Native | Partial | 170+ | Yes | 99.999 | Yes | 42 |
| HPE Aruba Networking | Not published | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Yes | 54 |
| Juniper Networks | Native | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Partial | 42 |
| Netskope | Native | Not published | 120+ | Yes | 99.999 | Via managed service | 60 |
| NTT DATA / NTT Ltd. | Partner | Yes | 75+ | Partner | 100 | Yes | 53 |
| Palo Alto Networks | Native | Partner | 100+ | Yes | 99.999 | Via managed service | 58 |
| Peplink | Native | Not primary | 28 | Partial | Not published | Not primary | 53 |
| SonicWall | Native | Not published | Not published | Yes | Not published | Partial | 78 |
| Versa Networks | Native | Partial | 90 | Yes | 99.999 | Partial | 47 |
| Zscaler | Native | Not primary | 160 | Yes | 99.999 | Partial | 51 |
Who runs it for you
22 vendors, compared on 7 points
Service providers that operate the service. Most run a technology vendor's platform, so feature lists do not separate them. What separates them is who owns the circuits, how much of the operation they take on, and whether the compliance documentation actually exists.
| Vendor | Underlay | SSE layer | Fully managed | Co-managed | 24/7 NOC and SOC | Compliance docs | Published SLA | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aryaka | Mixed | Native | Yes | Yes | Partial | Documented | 99.999 | 66 |
| AT&T Business | Owns | Partner | Yes | Yes | Partial | Assurance only | 100 | 46 |
| BT Business / BT Global | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Assurance only | Not published | 58 |
| Cato Networks | Mixed | Native | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documented | 99.999 | 46 |
| Check Point | Mixed | Native | Partial | Yes | Partial | None found | Not published | 43 |
| Cisco | Customer supplied | Native | Not primary | Partial | Not primary | Documented | 99.999 | 48 |
| Colt Technology Services | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Yes | Partial | Documented | 99.90 | 46 |
| Comcast Business / Masergy | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Yes | Partial | None found | 100 | 39 |
| FatPipe Networks | Customer supplied | Native | Partial | Not published | Partial | Assurance only | Not published | 44 |
| Fortinet | Not published | Native | Yes | Not published | Not published | Documented | 99.999 | 42 |
| GTT | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documented | 99.99 | 44 |
| HPE Aruba Networking | Customer supplied | Not published | Yes | Yes | Partial | Documented | Not published | 54 |
| Hughes | Not published | Partner | Yes | Partial | Partial | Assurance only | 99.999 | 57 |
| Lumen | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Yes | Partial | Documented | 99.99 | 55 |
| NTT DATA / NTT Ltd. | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Partial | Yes | Documented | 100 | 53 |
| Orange Business | Owns | Partner | Yes | Partial | Yes | Documented | 100 | 62 |
| SonicWall | Customer supplied | Native | Partial | Yes | Partial | Documented | Not published | 78 |
| Telefónica Tech | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Not published | Partial | Documented | Not published | 51 |
| Verizon Business | Owns | Partner | Yes | Partial | Yes | None found | 100 | 58 |
| Versa Networks | Mixed | Native | Partial | Yes | Partial | Documented | 99.999 | 47 |
| Vodafone Business | Mixed | Partner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documented | 99.99 | 60 |
| Zscaler | Customer supplied | Native | Partial | Partial | Partial | Documented | 99.999 | 51 |
Where evidence was not found, a cell reads Not published rather than being inferred. Full sources for each one sit on its profile page, including the sources we found and rejected.
Ranked shortlists
Pre-built rankings by sector, size and priority
Definitions
The 40 capabilities, defined
Every provider is graded against the same 40 capabilities. One sentence on what each row measures; grades reflect public evidence, so always confirm via RFP.
Service delivery and operating model
8 capabilities
- Fully managed service.
- The provider designs, deploys, monitors, changes, supports and reports on the service end to end, so the customer sets policy and outcomes rather than running day-to-day operations.
- DIY / self-managed model.
- The customer's own team operates the platform directly, owning the controller, policies, updates and incident response.
- Co-managed service.
- Responsibility is shared: the provider runs the platform and support while the customer retains selected policy and change rights.
- Multi-tenant MSP / white-label support.
- The platform supports tenant isolation, delegated administration, branded portals and templates, so managed service providers can operate it for many customers under their own brand.
- Professional services and migration support.
- Structured design and migration services are available, covering discovery, pilots, staging, migration runbooks, rollback plans and training.
- Last-mile circuit management.
- The provider sources, monitors and supports the underlay access circuits at each site, across broadband, dedicated internet access, LTE and 5G, MPLS and cross-connects, giving one accountable party for connectivity and overlay together.
- Lifecycle management.
- Hardware replacement, firmware upgrades, patching, renewals and end-of-life planning are handled as part of the service.
- Flexible commercial model.
- Pricing can be structured in more than one way, such as per site, per user, per bandwidth, consumption-based or as NaaS, with terms that adapt to the buyer's estate.
Network architecture and transport
10 capabilities
- Encrypted overlay fabric.
- Site and user traffic runs through secure tunnels built over any underlying transport, including broadband, dedicated internet, MPLS, LTE and 5G or satellite, keeping data protected across mixed networks.
- Dynamic path selection.
- The platform routes traffic in real time based on measured latency, jitter, packet loss and policy, steering around brownouts without manual intervention.
- Active-active link utilisation.
- All available links carry traffic concurrently rather than one sitting idle as passive backup, increasing usable capacity and smoothing failover.
- Application-aware routing.
- Traffic is identified at application level and routed by per-application policy, so business-critical applications such as UCaaS and ERP take priority.
- QoS and traffic shaping.
- Bandwidth can be prioritised, reserved and policed per application or traffic class, protecting voice, video and critical traffic under congestion.
- Packet loss remediation.
- Techniques such as forward error correction, packet duplication, jitter buffering and TCP optimisation repair or mask loss on poor-quality links, keeping real-time applications usable.
- Local internet breakout.
- Internet-bound traffic exits securely and directly from the branch rather than being backhauled through a central data centre, reducing latency for cloud and SaaS traffic.
- MPLS coexistence and migration.
- Existing MPLS circuits can run alongside internet and cellular transport during a phased migration, so estates move site by site without a risky single cutover.
- Cellular and 5G support.
- 4G and 5G connections are supported as primary or failover transport, with integrated or external modems, SIM management and signal monitoring.
- Cloud on-ramp.
- Connectivity into cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Oracle, and interconnect fabrics such as Equinix and Megaport, is automated and simplified rather than hand-built per cloud.
Gateway, PoP and backbone design
8 capabilities
- Public cloud gateways.
- The vendor operates shared gateways and points of presence that deliver SaaS optimisation, remote access or security enforcement as a cloud service; this measures the vendor's own service infrastructure, distinct from dedicated private PoPs.
- Private PoPs / dedicated PoPs.
- Points of presence can be supplied as customer-hosted, dedicated or sovereign deployments rather than only the provider's shared multi-tenant locations.
- Private global backbone.
- Traffic between regions rides a backbone owned or controlled by the vendor rather than the public internet, giving predictable latency and loss between PoPs.
- Regional breakout and data residency.
- Traffic can be pinned to chosen countries, regions or approved inspection locations, supporting data residency and sovereignty requirements.
- Multi-cloud transit fabric.
- Branch-to-cloud, cloud-to-cloud and user-to-cloud traffic runs under one common policy through the provider's fabric rather than through customer-built interconnects.
- Flexible edge form factors.
- The edge is available as hardware appliances, virtual machines, cloud marketplace images, containers or uCPE, so each site can use the form that suits it.
- High availability design.
- Redundant designs are supported across appliances, circuits, power and gateways, with clustering and automatic failover keeping sites connected through failures.
- SLA-backed service fabric.
- The service carries contractual commitments covering uptime, response and change handling, and in some cases latency, jitter and loss, rather than best-effort targets.
Security and SASE capability
9 capabilities
- Integrated next-generation firewall.
- Stateful firewalling, application control, intrusion prevention, malware inspection and URL filtering are built into the platform rather than supplied as a separate appliance.
- Full SASE platform.
- Networking and security converge in one platform, combining SD-WAN with cloud-delivered controls including SWG, CASB, ZTNA, firewall as a service, DLP and threat prevention.
- SSE ecosystem integration.
- The platform interoperates with third-party security service edge providers such as Zscaler, Netskope, Palo Alto Prisma Access and Cisco Secure Access, for buyers running a best-of-breed rather than single-vendor stack.
- Zero Trust Network Access.
- Users are connected to specific private applications based on identity and device posture rather than being placed on the network, replacing broad VPN access with least-privilege access.
- Secure web gateway.
- Web traffic is filtered and inspected, with URL filtering, SSL inspection, malware scanning and acceptable-use controls enforced in the cloud.
- CASB capability.
- Cloud access security broker controls provide SaaS discovery, sanctioned and unsanctioned application control and SaaS policy enforcement, including shadow IT visibility.
- Data loss prevention.
- Content is classified and inspected for sensitive data, which can be blocked or flagged before it leaves the organisation, with alerting and exception workflows.
- Remote user access.
- Remote workers, contractors and mobile users connect through the same platform and policies as sites, through a lightweight client or clientless browser access.
- SOC/SIEM/SOAR integration.
- Logs, events and threat intelligence export cleanly over syslog and APIs into SIEM, SOAR and security operations tooling, so the service fits an existing detection and response workflow.
Operations, assurance and automation
5 capabilities
- Centralised orchestration.
- Configuration and policy are managed from a single console using templates, intent-based policy and zero-touch provisioning, with changes pushed network-wide rather than device by device.
- Customer portal and RBAC.
- A customer-facing portal provides real-time status, reporting, tickets and change requests, with role-based access so different teams see and change only what they should.
- Observability and digital experience monitoring.
- Application experience, user experience, device health and path analytics are measured end to end, so degradation is visible before tickets are raised.
- APIs and automation.
- Documented interfaces such as REST APIs, Terraform, webhooks and event streaming allow configuration, reporting and ITSM integration to be automated.
- Managed service assurance.
- The provider's 24/7 NOC and SOC monitor the service proactively, own incidents through to root cause analysis, and run structured service reviews and change governance.
Questions
How the shortlist builder works
How does the shortlist builder rank vendors?
The Netify shortlist builder ranks each and every provider based on their capabilities to deliver 40 different in-built features, alongside the likes of regional coverage, cloud support, AI capabilities, resilience and deployment speed, all of which is drawn from information we've been able to publicly source or find evidence for.
Can I share or save my shortlist?
Yes absolutely, every filter combination is matched to an associated page URL, enabling you to copy a link to take you (or board directors) straight back to the same filtered list again at a later date, as well as being able to download a PDF version or have the ranked list emailed to you.
What does the AI advisor do?
We've built our AI advisor to make everything easier for you: you describe your estate in plain language (for example site count, regions, security requirements and operating model) and the advisor will take your instructions to map them onto the same filters and scoring engine used by the manual controls, then the advisor will explain the resulting shortlist to you.
Is this comparison vendor neutral?
Yes, we don't have a bias to any vendor and use publicly available sources and evidence only, as well as every vendor being scored against the exact same matrix. We must mention that Netify is a BT Authorised Partner and earns commission on some routes to market, however these rankings are not influenced by commercial relationships.
How accurate are the extended dimensions?
There are two different levels of evidence here and we would rather be plain about which is which. Eighteen facts per provider were re-sourced on 29 July 2026 from the provider's own published material or an independently accountable record, and each one carries a named source, a reliability tier and a sentence quoted from that source which we then re-checked against the live page: the thirteen capabilities that genuinely separate this market, who owns the underlay, whose security service edge stack it is, whether real compliance documentation exists rather than a general assurance, plus published points of presence and availability SLA. The remaining grades, including regional coverage, cloud support, AI capability and resilience, are still indicative desk research rather than individually sourced, and we say so rather than dress them up. Where we could not evidence something we publish it as unknown with the reason. For anything you are going to sign a contract on, confirm it through a structured RFP, which Netify can create and issue to your shortlisted providers.