Video: 10 Minute IT Jams - An update from Cato Networks

Cato Networks is aiming to redefine how businesses approach network security. The company's ambitions are clear: to deliver a next-generation secure network architecture that eliminates the complexity, costs and risks associated with legacy IT systems.

Speaking to us on "10 Minute IG Gems", Demetrius Booth, Director of Product Marketing for the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region at Cato Networks, explained, "Cato's vision is to deliver a next generation secure network architecture that eliminates the complexity, costs and risks associated with legacy IT approaches and disjointed solutions." According to Booth, this enables organisations to be prepared for whatever comes next.

As the first vendor to deliver what is now known as SASE - Secure Access Service Edge - Cato Networks was ahead of the curve. "We came out with our very first product in 2016, which was a security service, a network-as-a-service, before Gartner even coined the term SASE in 2019," Booth said. He emphasised that SASE brings together networking and security in a single solution, resulting in "enhanced and optimised global networking, cloud acceleration, policy enforcement and holistic cyber protection on a global scale".

At the core of Cato's strategy is its single software stack, which converges networking and security for enterprises. This, Booth explained, gives businesses a "single policy configuration and management as well as all the optimised cost savings that many organisations are looking for today". Booth is upbeat about the solution's value. "The result is optimised networking, better security, a single management and a very high return on investment. Who wouldn't want to have all that and save a bunch of money at the same time?" he said.

Cato Networks doesn't rest on its laurels, according to Booth. "We are always adding new capabilities to our SASE cloud to enhance the network and security operations of all of our customers," he noted. Among the company's most recent releases is the SASE Security API. "It provides out-of-band visibility and control of all corporate-sanctioned cloud applications. This also gives organisations the ability to monitor and react to specific traffic from remote users that are connected directly to those cloud apps," Booth explained. This new functionality operates regardless of whether users have a client installed, addressing a key concern for IT decision-makers seeking coverage for diverse user scenarios.

The SASE Security API complements Cato's existing inline integration of Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions. Booth said, "It helps us provide the best possible security coverage by applying consistent enterprise security policies to applications at all times. The result here is complete security for all these applications, no matter where those users are and no matter how they're connecting."

Looking to the future, Booth highlighted that Cato's product development teams remain "laser-focused" on the evolution of SASE architecture and capabilities. "We are always looking to remain ahead of the game," he said. The foundation for this innovation, Booth explained, is Cato's global private backbone. "It gives us some unique advantages when it comes to putting in new capabilities, new features. It allows us to use our global private backbone to constantly improve network performance and offer security coverage," he added.

Booth also commented on scalability, saying, "It also means that we're able to expand the solution that works at scale to better manage and remediate rapidly on these security threats. These are all capabilities that we already have, but we continue to evolve and enhance them." The company believes this agility is essential to helping customers face "the ever-present security threat that every organisation is always facing".

When asked about specific offerings in the APJ region, Booth detailed Cato's deliberate approach to growth in Asia-Pacific. "We have been very strategic about how we built out our APAC teams – we've made sure that we place resources in all the key primary and secondary markets to help grow the region," he said. For recruitment, Booth underlined the importance of finding people with "not just specialised skills but also an entrepreneurial spirit," explaining that these individuals are better able to "innovate on the fly and very quickly adapt to all new business conditions that you're always going to face in business."

Booth stressed that the customer is centre stage in the company's approach, especially as it expands. "When we hire teams we really look for people who are able to put customer outcomes first. Realistically, that's what we're trying to solve – their particular use cases, their particular challenges and issues, and it's all about their outcome," he said.

Partnership is another keystone of Cato's strategy in the region. "We also need them to have the ability to work alongside our partners to ensure that together we are delivering and focusing on these outcomes. We believe this is going to be the best approach to set us up for the long-term in the APAC market," Booth said.

Engagement with end users and partners is multi-faceted, Booth explained. "If anyone is looking to discuss how Cato could help them solve their most pressing challenges and use cases, there are a few options. We are a channel-first company, building out an ecosystem of capable and strong partners, so interested companies can reach out and contact their preferred local partner and request information about Cato, what we do and how we can help them," he said.

Booth also noted that the company is present at all major cloud and security events across the region. "This is another way of making contact with Cato and having a conversation on how we can actually help these organisations solve their key challenges and issues," he said.

As the interview drew to a close, Booth expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to discuss Cato's journey and ambitions. "Thank you very much for inviting me on," he said.