Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Juniper Session Smart Router comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cato SASE Cloud Platform and Juniper Session Smart Router based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Juniper Session Smart Router Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution is stable.""The visibility control and security aspects are amazing.""The product is efficient and easy to use.""It is a stable solution...it is a scalable solution.""The feature that I find to be the most valuable is the bandwidth aggregation.""It's a pretty straightforward solution.""The query and the SD-WAN are useful features of the solution.""We appreciate the optimization and acceleration of the performance of SDP users."

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"As compared to the other major vendors in the SD-WAN market, such as VeloCloud, Cisco, and others, the tunnel-free and secure vector routing technology is its major USP, which gives plenty of room to discuss with the customer why IPSec from 1998 is a bit outdated.""The solution is especially Session's smart, application-aware, AI-based.""The most valuable feature of Juniper Session Smart Router is its unique SDR channel."

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Cons
"The tool needs to be more granular. Its reports are not very in-depth.""The solution could be made more user friendly for the administrator to use the portal. It is difficult to use it for people who are not experienced with Cato Networks.""They should add more sophisticated security features. It should also be integrated into the cloud.""I am located in South Korea, and I can say that most people here have no idea about Cato Networks. I think Cato Networks should promote its network services in various countries.""There's no principal in Malaysia, only a distributor.""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.""They can't do one-to-one NAT (Network Address Translation) in AP (their access point), and that is something that Palo Alto can do.""They should include a web application firewall feature in the solution."

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"The UI of the SSR conductor is the main part where improvements can be done. Today, for every configuration step, you have to do a series of clicks. What we are missing there are wizards. For example, I have two applications, and I want one application to be prioritized against the other. In such a case, a wizard for assigning policies to a service without configuring each step by hand would be very helpful. There should be an overhaul of the GUI of the conductor. The functionality they have got in the Mist portal should be baked into the conductor itself. It would be really great, but as we all know, that won't happen.""Juniper Session Smart Router can improve the integration for Wi-Fi devices and add additional Sassy deployments.""Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in terms of software performance."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The price is not an issue for us, as it is priced more competitively than some other vendors."
  • "If you compare with VeloCloud, the price is the same or even cheaper."
  • "You pay yearly based on the speed of your network. If you increase the speed of your network, you increase the cost for your throughput. It is by bandwidth for the most part and then licenses for VPN. There is some per-seat licensing for VPN access, but the majority of it is minimal. It is like $30 a year per client. The rest is based on how much bandwidth you'll use. You pay for that upfront for the year, and if you have to increase it, you increase it, and then they let you send more data through. There are no additional costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."
  • "Cato Networks seems more expensive than Cisco Meraki."
  • "The pricing of this solution depends on what you need. It is based on bandwidth."
  • "I rate the price of Cato Networks a four 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."
  • "The product is very competitively priced, and that's compelling. They don't charge the customer based on the operational cost like other brands such as Palo Alto. Cato has its own fully-fledged cloud, with their own data centers, equipment, and so on, which is an advantage. I rate the solution five out of five for affordability."
  • More Cato SASE Cloud Platform Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "We are currently renegotiating the offer for the licenses and the license bundle model. The license for an ISP has to be different from the license for an end customer. This is something we are currently renegotiating with Juniper, but, of course, the pricing for the licensing is always an issue when you want to get more customers."
  • "It is a simple bandwidth-based license and the orchestration comes bundled with the solution by default."
  • More Juniper Session Smart Router Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The solution is a simple WAN solution. We've onboarded the socket on the Cato platform, and it provides connectivity. There is no complex routing.
    Top Answer:We use the solution as a WAN, but we plan to optimize it by incorporating security features like zero trust for enhanced insights.
    Top Answer:In terms of security, we are planning to deploy more features and our current usage is primarily focused on branch networking. I rate the tool a nine out of ten. I rate the product a nine out of ten… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable feature of Juniper Session Smart Router is its unique SDR channel.
    Top Answer:Juniper Session Smart Router is not significantly cheaper than, for example, Cisco.
    Top Answer:Juniper Session Smart Router could be better in terms of software performance. Sometimes, there are glitches, especially with MTU issues that affect application communication, although this seems to… more »
    Ranking
    Views
    4,800
    Comparisons
    2,668
    Reviews
    10
    Average Words per Review
    500
    Rating
    8.8
    Views
    2,475
    Comparisons
    1,565
    Reviews
    3
    Average Words per Review
    769
    Rating
    8.3
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Cato Networks
    128T Networking Platform, 128 Technology SD-WAN, Juniper SSR Series
    Learn More
    Overview

    Cato Networks is a leading SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) platform, combining SD-WAN and network security to obtain a cloud-native service. Cato Networks optimizes and secures application access for users and identities. The platform delivers a next-generation secure networking architecture that minimizes legacy IT infrastructures’ complexity, costs, and risks. The goal of Cato Suite is to connect any user to any application securely and optimally.

    Cato Suite runs on a private global network of more than 65 PoPs (points of presence) connected via SLA-backed network providers. The service can connect branches, data centers, users, and clouds. Cato can be deployed in stages to augment legacy network services.

    Cato Suite delivers end-to-end route optimization for WAN and cloud traffic. The architecture is self-healing, enabling a high service uptime.

    Cato Features

    Cato Cloud has a global backbone to deliver a reliable, global network. Here are some key SD-WAN features of Cato Cloud.

    • Optimizes traffic flows: The Cato Suite can individually optimize traffic flows in the last mile - from the customer’s location to the point of presence, and also between PoPs. This feature eliminates the need for internet providers to hand off traffic to each other, avoiding the resulting latency and congestion.
    • Controls and manages bandwidth: The software-defined overlay is encrypted across the entire cloud infrastructure. This overlay uses application-aware routing, analyzing latency and loss data to choose the best route according to network conditions. These features, like protocol priority marking, enable the system to ensure the performance of real-time applications.
    • Delivers redundancy and failover: By connecting the points of presence with multiple Tier-1 IPs, Cato builds the redundancy needed to ensure security and highly available service.
    • Cloud-native: Cato is built as a scalable, resilient, and elastic cloud service.
    • Converged: The platform converges SD-WAN and network security into a single infrastructure framework.
    • Secures all edges: Cato Network can secure and optimize traffic from all users, locations, applications, and clouds.

    What challenges does Cato Network solve?

    • Migration to SD-WAN

    MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) networks are usually expensive and limited in their capacity. Cato simplifies migrating to a faster, higher-capacity internet and SASE cloud. Cato SD-WAN appliances enable customers to improve usable capacity and resiliency.

    • Global connectivity optimization

    Customers who suffer from the challenge of high latency and network inconsistency can use Cato to deliver a consistent connection and user experience to access on-premises and cloud applications.

    • Securing branch internet access

    Cato’s complete network security stack connects all branch locations to the Cato cloud, therefore protecting all traffic, both internet-bound and WAN, with enterprise-grade, cloud-based security services. This capability avoids having to backhaul internet traffic to a data center or hub or having to implement stand-alone cloud security solutions.

    • Cloud acceleration and control

    Organizations using Cato notice an acceleration of cloud traffic. Cato achieves this by routing all traffic from the edges to the PoP closest to the data center. Because of the close distance between the two, the latency is near zero.

    Reviews from Real Users

    An IT manager/project coordinator at a healthcare company says that “[Cato is] a cloud-based solution that integrates well with everything. They are the classic SaaS solution.”

    Yeong-Gi L., a network engineer at Snetsystems, notes that “The solution is very stable. The scalability is quite good. Technical support was always helpful and responsive. The integration capabilities are not a problem at all.”

    "The most valuable feature is that it also works as a next-gen firewall because it has security features," says Lorenzo S., senior solutions consultant Lead at MDI.

    The 128T Networking Platform (128T) natively provides network-based security, control, and insight across data centers, wide-area networks (WAN), and edge locations for enterprises, service providers, and cloud companies alike. 128T is reshaping the way organizations design, deploy, and operate real-world networks by making them dramatically simpler, smarter, and more secure — it’s going to fix the router — and ultimately the network — as we know it.

    Sample Customers
    Paysafe, AdRoll, Pet Lovers Centre, Arlington Orthopedics, Humphreys & Partners Architects
    Revation Systems
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Retailer18%
    Healthcare Company18%
    Insurance Company9%
    Energy/Utilities Company9%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company28%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm6%
    Retailer6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company20%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business40%
    Midsize Enterprise25%
    Large Enterprise35%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise29%
    Large Enterprise45%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise63%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Juniper Session Smart Router
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Juniper Session Smart Router and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cato SASE Cloud Platform is ranked 5th in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions with 21 reviews while Juniper Session Smart Router is ranked 13th in Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions with 3 reviews. Cato SASE Cloud Platform is rated 8.8, while Juniper Session Smart Router is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Cato SASE Cloud Platform writes "Useful remote worker VPN, centralized management, and simple on-boarding process". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Juniper Session Smart Router writes "Tunnel-free and secure vector routing technology is its major USP, and as a partner, we get good support from them". Cato SASE Cloud Platform is most compared with Zscaler SASE, Cisco SD-WAN, Fortinet FortiGate, Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks and VMware SD-WAN, whereas Juniper Session Smart Router is most compared with Cisco SD-WAN, Fortinet FortiGate, NFX Series Network Services Platform, Aruba EdgeConnect SD-WAN Platform and VMware SD-WAN. See our Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs. Juniper Session Smart Router report.

    See our list of best Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions vendors.

    We monitor all Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) Solutions reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.