Cato lets customers buy modular SASE security tools

Cato Networks has introduced a modular adoption model for its Cato SASE Platform, allowing customers to buy standalone modules across AI Security, SD-WAN, SSE and Universal ZTNA.

The change lets organisations start with one or more parts of the platform rather than adopting the full stack at once. Each module can be deployed on its own while remaining tied to the same management console, policy framework and data lake used across the broader platform.

The announcement reflects a wider debate in the cyber and networking market over what constitutes a platform. Suppliers often group separately built or acquired products under one brand, but customers can then face multiple consoles, different policy models and fragmented visibility across systems.

Cato is positioning its approach as an alternative. Customers can adopt any combination of AI Security, SD-WAN, SSE and Universal ZTNA, then expand later without changing the underlying architecture.

Shlomo Kramer, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cato Networks, described the launch as a response to market complexity.

"Most platforms today are portfolios in disguise. They are collections of products that shift complexity to the customer and become harder to operate over time. A true platform should do the opposite," said Kramer. "With the Cato SASE Platform, modular adoption is possible because the architecture is unified from the start. Organisations can begin with what they need and expand over time without reintroducing complexity, increasing cost, or compromising security," added Kramer.

Module options

The new modules cover both networking and security functions. AI Security is intended to govern and secure AI use across businesses, including unsanctioned tools, AI applications and AI agents. SD-WAN focuses on wide area network connectivity, while SSE secures access to the internet, software-as-a-service and private applications. Universal ZTNA is designed to apply access controls across different user types and locations.

The modules are built on a shared cloud-native architecture that combines networking and security services. The platform also uses what Cato calls its Neural Edge backbone, a global private network spanning more than 85 points of presence.

That design matters because buyers increasingly want to phase technology spending rather than commit to large, multi-year transformations at the outset. For technology teams, starting with one area such as SSE or SD-WAN and adding adjacent functions later can reduce the disruption that often comes with broad infrastructure changes.

At the same time, Cato is trying to distinguish modular buying from fragmented deployment. In many large organisations, networking and cyber tools have evolved separately, leaving teams to integrate products from multiple vendors. Its argument is that a modular commercial model does not have to result in a patchwork technical environment.

Pricing model

Cato also outlined a pricing approach intended to support phased roll-outs. User-based and site-bandwidth pricing will allow customers to scale consumption as demand changes, while licences can be deployed gradually during the first 12 months.

That structure suggests an effort to reduce one of the biggest barriers to platform adoption: the risk of overcommitting before usage patterns are clear. Cybersecurity and networking buyers have been under pressure to show tighter cost control, especially where product uptake varies across regions, user groups or acquired business units.

The launch comes as vendors in secure access service edge, or SASE, continue to compete on breadth and integration. The category combines network connectivity and security controls delivered through cloud-based services, and has attracted demand from companies seeking more consistent access and protection across offices, remote workers and cloud environments.

Full SASE deployment remains available for organisations that want to replace networking and security architecture in a single programme. The new modular option broadens Cato's route to market by allowing customers to adopt specific functions first and expand later on the same foundation.

The Cato SASE Platform is generally available worldwide.