Cato SASE Cloud Platform Reviews

We are using Cato Networks primarily to secure our connectivity between branch offices and remote workers.

Prior to using Cato Networks we had to buy individual licenses for our remote users for VPN, and the VPN was not always-on, they had to remember to turn it on and remember to turn it off. When we went to Cato Networks it was an always-on automatic VPN, it reduced our help desk calls by about 10 percent.

The most valuable features of Cato Networks are the always-on VPN for remote workers and centralized management. Additionally, web filtering and antivirus are good.

From a functional standpoint, the solution is very good. Their onboarding process is very good. The service just works out of the box.

Cato Networks could improve their intrusion detection. There is not a lot in place.

I have used Cato Networks within 12 months.

Cato Networks is stable, we have never had an issue.

The scalability of Cato Networks is very good. It can scale well.

We have approximately 75 people using this solution in my organization.

The biggest place where I see that the company can improve would be in their sales force because I get contacted by partners' ongoing trying to sell Cato Networks. I have had three different people from Cato that are trying to contact me close to every month. There's that lack of communication internally where we are having multiple people contacting us.

I rate the support from Cato Networks a four out of five.

Positive

I have previously used SonicWall, and Juniper NetScreen.

We switched to Cato Networks because of scalability, manageability, price, and security features.

The initial setup of Cato Networks is simple. The full deployment took us three months. However, we had to manage remote sites which took a long time for scheduling. Each site only took one hour to complete.

We did the implementation of Cato Networks in-house.

I am the only one who does the maintenance and support of Cato Networks in my organization.

We have seen a return on investment from using Cato Networks. Year over year our costs are down by approximately 10 or 15 percent for maintaining the inner branch network.

I rate the price of Cato Networks a four out of five.

We evaluated Cisco, Sophos, and Fortinet before choosing Cato Networks.

Cisco costs too much, Fortinet didn't scale easily, and Sophos wasn't robust enough and this is why we chose Cato Networks.

I rate Cato Networks a nine out of ten.

We primarily use the platform for monitoring purposes. It serves as a SaaS solution integrated with SD-WAN and security functionalities.

The product's most valuable features include advanced firewall capabilities for robust security, a secure gateway for safe data transmission, and next-generation anti-malware for threat prevention. Additionally, the SASE framework integrates well with our operational needs, ensuring comprehensive security and compliance.

The product's technical support could be more responsive.

I have been using the Cato SASE Cloud Platform for around seven months.

I rate the product stability a nine. 

The product accommodates varying customer requirements effectively, facilitating easy scaling as needed.

I would rate the scalability an eight. 

The technical support services need improvement. 

Positive

The initial setup process was straightforward, taking about one to one and a half hours. It involved minimal complexities, handled efficiently by two individuals, primarily myself.

Based on studies from Forrester, our organization has achieved a significant return on investment of approximately 246% within less than six months of deploying Cato.

The platform is expensive. 

Cato's user-friendly dashboard has contributed positively to our experience, making it suitable for our current operational needs.

Integrating SD-WAN has significantly optimized our network performance by enabling path selection for optimal traffic routing, WAN optimization through protocol acceleration, and seamless traffic encryption without compromising performance.

I rate it an eight. 

We use the solution to access network and security platforms. It also offers in-built WAN and zero-trust security models. It is possible to detect and mitigate the incident using Cato.

The solution helps customers with well-integrated features, including security and network visibility.

The solution provides all the essential technical features combined in a single platform.

Adapting the solution for tier-one businesses with complicated environments and pre-existing technologies like VPN is challenging. They should improve this particular area. Also, they should include a web application firewall feature.

The solution is stable. However, sometimes, the console operates at variable speeds on the servers.

The solution is easily scalable in terms of firewall protection.

The solution's technical support is available 24/7. Once, we raised a ticket for our customer, and the executive immediately reached us in 10 minutes via Zoom meeting. Further, he solved the problem in the next 20 minutes. I am impressed with their service.

Positive

The solution's initial setup process is easy. Also, it is inexpensive to deploy domestic internet lines using the socket. It has automated functionality as well. The provisioning in the administration screen takes an hour to complete remotely. Also, replacing MPS lines with the solution takes a month. Here, we use second cellular lines as a backup. We are able to switch one to three lines per day.

The solution's pricing is flexible. The customers can pay as per their requirements. Although, it is more expensive than Palo Alto and Fortinet products.

I rate the solution a seven out of ten. Its pricing is flexible but could be even better.

We are a reseller of this solution and propose it to our clients. We combine it with vertical sockets in our office. We deploy the whole stack including capability, data leak prevention and CASB.

This solution is good for large organizations that have many people working around the world with many branches who want to combine policies and networks. Cato have a global presence that is increasing around the world. 

There are less than two milliseconds of latency to the nearest pop. Cato have a back end connection to the grid that is very stable offers good performance. 

This solution has allowed us to have more points of presence around the world. The bandwidth has also improved across different areas. This solution has offered us data leak prevention, CASB and a better dashboard. 

Using this solution, we are able to drill down into security problems in a few clicks. We also use it for the IPsec connection with our clients that allows us to make the right policies that restricts access to certain users.

Cato offers all the functionality found in other solutions. The life cycle management is always very stable.

Web application firewalling (WAF) is a feature we would like to have in this solution. 

I have been using this solution for four years. 

This is a stable solution. 

This is a scalable solution. Cato have contracts with backend infrastructure. During COVID, there has been an exponential growth of VPN connections and related bandwidth. We have 25 people using this solution in our organisation and we support seven clients in the healthcare and offshore sectors. There are up to 5,000 people in each organization. 

The customer service and support for this solution is really good although we have noticed that, due to their growth as a business, support is not as consistent. Sometimes you get a more junior person to assist and then it takes a little bit longer to get the right answer. I would rate their support a four and a half out of five. 

Positive

We have previously used Cisco VPN and Fortinet VPN.

The initial setup and implementation is straightforward and can be done in a few hours.

When you compare Cato to normal firewalling and all the costs and effort to maintain changes, the return on investment can be seen in one year. 

The pricing of this solution depends on what you need. It is based on bandwidth. You can opt for between 10 megabits to 10 gigabits per month, as well as select virtual sockets or physical sockets. A virtual socket is X1500 and can be extended to 500 megabits. Using these, you can have different levels of security. 

We have six environments and we integrate them with the directory services of Microsoft Azure. Authentication of credentials is done automatically, including for new employees. Maintenance is also done automatically. 

This solution is very easy to implement and is very intuitive. When we do demos with our clients, they say, "Wow, is it that easy?" Cato offer a full package that can cover online, offline and whatever the customer needs.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten. 

It's a network device that is used for WAN optimization and security.

It's a cloud-based solution that integrates well with everything. They are the classic SaaS solution.

We don't need to have a static IP from our provider, which saves us money.

I would like to see better integration with identity providers. Right now, they have Azure and they have Okta. 

For directory synchronization they use LDAP, and it would be better if they moved away from this. My understanding is that they are already working on removing LDAP completely and using web-based authentication for the VPN users and other users. This is not something that is critical for me. I just set up the main services in Azure and use that. This is okay because we don't have a lot of remote users, perhaps 10 or 20 at the maximum, with VPN access. This may change in the future.

We are in the testing phase of this solution. I have been testing Cato Networks for one month.

During the testing period, there were no outages. Everything was smooth and worked well.

This is absolutely scalable, which was the reason we decided to go with Cato Networks.

Technical support is excellent. Even during our testing phase, they were able to set up at least three hours to walk me through and answer my questions.

They were knowledgeable and I would rate them a five out of five.

The initial setup was straightforward.

It's easy to set up and we just connect to their network.

As we are still in the testing phase, we have not implemented it yet. There will be some implementation, but it's pretty basic. There is no complex setup like you would have with Versa for example. For the most part, it's plug and play.

There were some questions that I had to ask them, but for the most part, I set it up myself.

If you compare with VeloCloud, the price is the same or even cheaper. Also, they include all of the security features, unlike VeloCloud.

We had evaluated others such as VeloCloud and vScaler. 

The advantage of Cato Networks is that they have integrated steps, such as SD-WAN plus Network Security, plus VCNA altogether, in one management pane of glass. It's one place to manage everything. 

With VeloCloud it's SD-WAN, and there is no security. You would still have to get a dedicated endpoint like a firewall if you want added protection then it would be harder to manage it centrally.

vScaler can be integrated, but then it drives the price up significantly. Also, it's not an ideal solution.

One of the advantages of Cato is that they provide a static IP from their cloud and assign it to us. This is a service that comes with an additional cost, but it's cheap compared to if I get it from my service provider. 

Now that the trial period is almost over, I have decided that I am going to go with Cato Networks.

My advice for anybody who is looking into Cato is to consider their environment. If they have a scenario where it is 80% cloud-based and 20% internal traffic, then Cato is a good choice. If on the other hand, they have internal applications with a data center then other solutions may make more sense. For us, since we are fully cloud-based, it is a better choice.

In summary, it is easy to implement and easy to manage. That said, there are always ways to improve.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

The solution is used similarly to a VPN connection but using a cable network. It is used for the several branches of the company.

The most valuable feature of Cato Networks is the CASB and the documentation is useful.

Modifying or incorporating Cato Network to work with a third-party platform, such as Microsoft, or other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings would be beneficial. Having more integration partners would help the users implement the solution.

I have used Cato Networks within the past 12 months.

Cato Networks is stable.

The solution is scalable.

The support has been good overall.

I have used Zscaler and it is a better solution than Cato Networks because they are more aggressive and have many partners, such as Microsoft and Dell. The implementation of Zscaler would be a more resilient solution.

The initial setup of Cato Networks is straightforward. For 100 branched the implementation took six months to implement.

The vendor helped implement the solution with us, and it was a seamless process

The price of Cato Networks is in the middle range compared to other solutions. NetFoundry is a less expensive solution than Cato Networks.

In the Philippines, there is a good market for this solution. There is a 50 percent SaaS implementation of this solution.

I rate Cato Networks an eight out of ten.

We're an implementer. We sell this solution to our customers. We've done some POCs with clients so far. 

The solution is stable and reliable. 

Our customers haven't had any complaints about its quality.

It is quite simple and easy to use. 

The support, overall, has been okay.

So far, we find the setup process to be simple. 

I haven't seen any issues so far. I might need to do another implementation and work on it longer before noting any flaws. 

They're not English. If they were English, I'd give them an overall rating of ten out of ten. 

There's no principal in Malaysia, only a distributor. 

I just recently started using the solution. I

I've used the solution for about six months. 

The solution has been stable and it is reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

On our POC we have about 300 users. 

Technical support has been good so far. We find them to be helpful and supportive. We're in Malaysia and our closest principal is in Singapore, and they always get back to us.

Positive

I'd rate the product's ease of setup at a 4.7 out of five. It's very straightforward and easy to implement. There isn't really any complexity. 

We deployed the product as a POC within a week.

It's too early to really analyze ROI. 

I have compared the pricing against other solutions and found it to be very reasonable. I'd rate the cost, in terms of affordability, eight out of ten. 

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's simple to use and easy to set up. On top of that, they are very supportive.

What I found most helpful in Cato Networks is that it works out of the box. One of its main advantages is that it's a simple product to deploy. You subscribe, and you're ready to run.

For a packaged solution, needing external intervention or a system integrator to get other features not offered by Cato Networks could be an area for improvement.

Cato Networks does what it's meant to do and is even overstretching capabilities when introducing new features. The product can only have very few features added on top of what its currently doing. Managed service providers can deliver the extra features you'd need. It's a set of managed services, and what Cato Networks does is very comprehensive.

So, for the time being, when the actual incarnation of the SASE solution is deployed, Cato Networks is a very effective product. Naturally, technology will evolve, so everybody knows that in three, four, or five years, there will be a new kid on the block, a new game. Still, at the moment, Cato Networks only needs to improve a little regarding SASE delivery. The product is doing very well, but one feature the Cato Networks team is doing right is preparing for the future through deploying the SSE 360, so the security service is at that edge. It's an excellent strategy to prepare for the future. SSE 360 is what Cato Networks should invest in the most to keep prospering.

I've been using Cato Networks for about three years.

Cato Networks is a very stable product. It's one of the top products in the SASE category, especially regarding stability.

Scalability-wise, Cato Networks is entirely scalable for what it does. I never found any problems scaling it. Apart from being very stable, Cato Networks is also very scalable.

The technical support team for Cato Networks has to be inevitably involved, especially in interfacing with other networks and data centers. I found the support very responsive. It's a very professional company, and I'd rate technical support as five out of five.

Cato Networks has a straightforward setup. There's very little to set up because it's a SASE solution, so there's no complexity in terms of programming it.

I'd rate its initial setup a five out of five.

Cato Networks is an expensive product, but it works out of the box, so that's the usual trade-off, make versus buy. If you decide to buy a product that doesn't require much programming, then you'd want to go for Cato Networks, which will work naturally, and immediately without any complex setup. However, the product is a little bit more expensive than the competitors.

On a scale of one to five, I'd rate the pricing for Cato Networks as four.

I have some experience with Cato Networks and its competitors.

My advice to anyone who wants to install or use Cato Networks is that the technical aspects would not be very relevant for a SASE solution because, today, you have outstanding solutions in the SASE realm. However, suppose you're undertaking a digital transformation effort. In that case, you must have an excellent consultant who can guide you in choosing among the myriad of products available in the market. You must define a clear digital strategy to understand if Cato Networks matches your digital strategy.

The next step involves checking if Cato Networks can meet your specific needs or use cases. The product is straightforward, but that also means it has some limitations. If you don't want to program as much, Cato Networks is for you, but that could also mean sacrificing other features, such as increased flexibility and total control of the system. Cato Networks is a black box, so you connect and use it, but you don't know what happens inside, though it's precisely what some clients want. Cato Networks is the perfect solution if the client wants to connect offices and premises in different regions.

You have to be fully aware that Cato Networks doesn't allow you complete control over it, but it's easy to use. There's no perfect solution in the market. It would be best if you had a system architect or consultant to guide you in your choice. If you make the wrong choice, you could have an excellent product that doesn't fit your needs. Making the right decision sometimes isn't based on the technology but on the IT strategy. This is what ninety-nine percent of companies miss today. Technology is all good, but you need a sound IT strategy for making your decision.

My rating for Cato Networks is eight out of ten because it's an excellent product, especially for what it offers. It isn't a ten for me, simply because when you deploy a SASE solution, especially in the environments my company serves, you need to implement additional features which aren't part and parcel of what Cato Networks is delivering, such as an integrated solution.

Suppose a client wants a perfect solution rated as ten out of ten. In that case, the client needs to employ a system integrator or a managed service provider that can add additional features to the top, as it's not the mission of Cato Networks to deliver other features. Cato Networks does an excellent job, but it wouldn't get a ten from me. However, no packaged SASE solution can cover all aspects and all client needs. You'll need an external intervention or someone adding features to what Cato Networks delivers. This is more of a category limitation rather than a company limitation. Cato Networks does an excellent job, so it gets the maximum score that can be assigned to the category for packaged solutions, which is an eight.