Cato Networks Cato SASE vs Fortinet FortiSASE: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Cato Networks Cato SASE

Mid-market and enterprise teams replacing separate SD-WAN and security appliances will see immediate ROI from Cato Networks Cato SASE because its global private backbone eliminates the performance tax that plague legacy hub-and-spoke networks. The platform covers five critical NIST functions (Platform Security, Identity Management, Data Security, Infrastructure Resilience, and Continuous Monitoring), though it tilts toward prevention and detection over incident response and recovery workflows. Skip this if your organization needs deep DLP customization or runs primarily on-premises infrastructure; Cato's strength is cloud-native operations where connectivity and security converge.

Fortinet FortiSASE

Mid-market and enterprise teams deploying hybrid workforces across multiple cloud regions should pick FortiSASE for its integrated SD-WAN backbone; the combination of Secure Web Gateway, Zero Trust Network Access, and Cloud Access Security Broker in a single cloud platform eliminates the complexity of bolting together point products. The vendor's FortiGuard Labs threat intelligence and NIST PR.AA coverage across identity and access control mean you're not managing authentication policy separately from network enforcement. Skip this if your organization needs deep API-level CASB controls or has already standardized on a competing SD-WAN vendor; FortiSASE's strength is convergence, not depth in any single domain.