Cato Networks has announced what they believe to be the industry’s first SASE-native IoT/OT security solution.
With the introduction of Cato IoT/OT Security, Cato believes it is enabling enterprises to dramatically simplify the management and security of Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT) devices. Cato states that the IoT/OT Security converges device discovery and classification, policy enforcement, and threat prevention in a SASE platform.
Cato IoT/OT Security is a native feature in the Cato SASE Cloud Platform, which allows enterprises to instantly activate the new solution with a click of a button. There is no additional hardware or software to install or configure.
Cato IoT/OT Security is the fifth major expansion of the Cato SASE Cloud Platform in 2024 following the releases of Cato XDR and Cato EPP in January, Cato MSASE in June, and Cato DEM in October.
“Cato Networks is the only SASE leader to build an IoT/OT security solution from the ground up and deliver it natively from a single, cloud-native platform,” said Shlomo Kramer, co-founder and CEO at Cato Networks. “Some SASE portfolio companies address IoT/OT security by repackaging acquired point solutions and requiring customers to handle complex deployment and integration.
“This approach increases costs, operational burden, and security gaps, which undermines the promise of simplification with a SASE platform. With Cato IoT/OT Security, we are making it easy for customers. There is no integration required. It just works.”
IoT/OT: An Ever-Expanding Attack Surface
IoT/OT devices represent a critical weakness in enterprise security posture. According to a Gartner report, “by 2025, over 85% of enterprises will have more smart edge devices on their network than laptops, tablets, desktops or smartphones.”
Many of the IoT/OT devices that enterprises use lack security features and often operate on outdated hardware and software, resulting in highly vulnerable devices.
With a limited ability to protect against advanced threats, attacks on IoT/OT devices can lead to severe business consequences. This includes production downtime, safety incidents, financial losses, and reputational damage.
Cato Extending SASE-based Protection to IoT/OT Environments
Enterprises require an IoT/OT security solution that provides discovery, visibility, policy enforcement, and threat prevention for IoT/OT devices. Cato believes it has addressed these needs with Cato IoT/OT Security, which expands the Cato SASE Cloud Platform with IoT/OT capabilities including:
- Device discovery and classification: Gain instant visibility into IoT/OT environments with no additional integration required. Purpose-built AI and ML capabilities identify IoT/OT devices and provide visibility into their characteristics, such as their type, manufacturer, and version. This removes security blind spots and accelerates IoT/OT device identification.
- Policy enforcement: Define and enforce granular access policies. Rules can be set based on characteristics for a specific IoT/OT device, or based on grouping by type, manufacturer, and model for groups of devices. Controlling IoT/OT device access secures the enterprise network and reduces the attack surface.
- Threat prevention: Protect IoT/OT devices with Cato’s advanced threat prevention capabilities, including Cato DNS Security, Cato IPS and Cato NGAM. This provides protection and safeguards against known and unknown threats.
“Since we’ve switched from a legacy vendor to Cato Networks for our SASE needs, one of the biggest benefits that we’ve seen is reduced costs,” said Chris Simons, global IT manager, infrastructure and security at Oregon Tool. “By converging security and networking in a SASE platform, we can activate new capabilities with little overhead. We believe enterprises can benefit from cost efficiencies with Cato IoT/OT Security. There is no integration required, and it covers all aspects of discovery, visibility, enforcement, and threat prevention in a single solution.”
“IoT and OT present two primary challenges for enterprises: visibility and security. It can be difficult to know which IoT devices and OT systems are on the network. Additionally, IoT devices are often less secure by design, while OT systems in critical infrastructure are generally challenging to patch,” said John Grady, principal analyst, network security and web application security at Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). “By expanding its SASE platform to include IoT/OT security, Cato Networks can help organisations more efficiently discover and protect their connected devices and systems.”
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