Cato SASE Cloud Platform vs Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB comparison

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.

Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB is an advanced URL filtering solution that provides a way to control web access, as well as how users interact with online content. With this solution, your organization can prevent credential phishing theft by assuming strict control over which sites users can enter their corporate credentials into. Palo Alto Networks Advanced URL Filtering with PAN-DB provides web protection by using URL database capabilities to help you automatically detect and prevent new malicious and targeted web-based threats instantly.

Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB Features

Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

• Inline protection: Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB provides inline protection from new malicious web pages by using machine learning to detect and block new threats in milliseconds.

• Anti-evasion: Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB analyzes live web content, disrupting attackers and identifying the true nature of malicious sites hiding behind evasive techniques.

• Phishing protection: By using Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB, you can spot phishing pages instantly and accurately before they destroy your network.

• URL database: Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB has a URL database that maintains hundreds of millions of known malicious and benign URLs categorized through a combination of static, dynamic, machine learning, and human analysis.

• Criteria matching: With this feature, you can designate multiple policy action types based on URL categories or criteria.

Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

• Eliminates security silos: Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB gets rid of security silos so you can attain proper security posture and keep users safe.

• Cloud native: Because Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB is cloud native, it enables you to easily expand and scale capabilities when necessary.

• Minimizes operational expenditure: By reducing the need for standalone solutions, Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB helps your organization decrease operational expenditures.

• Safeguards against phishing: Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB enables you to stop credential phishing attempts by offering layers of prevention to protect your organization from known and brand-new phishing sites.

• Consistent security policies and capabilities: With Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB, you can deploy advanced URL filtering with hardware appliances, on virtual environments, or in the cloud with the same set of policies and security consistently applied.

• Increased detection: Detect evasive and targeted attacks by detecting real web traffic and not web crawler data.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB solution.

Consultant Michael V. says, “What I really like about PAN and what makes it a worthwhile solution is that rather than having an administrator constantly updating a list of prohibited URLs, you can do it by categories. Every one of these URLs gets meta-tagged as hate speech or antisemitic or pornography, or whatever it is, and when you set up the filter everything that's prohibited by HR policy is there. I don't have to maintain anything, it catches everything.”

PeerSpot user Darshil S., Consultant at a tech services company, mentions, “The multiple categorizations of URLs are quite helpful. For example, if a URL is a social media website, such as facebook.com, it can be classified at a certain risk level - from high to low.”

Karthikeyan S., Sr. Cloud Data Architect at Sun Cloud LLC, explains, "Palo Alto Networks URL Filtering with PAN-DB is easy to use, easy to operate, and easy to edit."