SD-WAN Provider Cato Networks Gets $55 Million, Defying ‘Rigid’ Carriers

… intelligent last-mile managing, identity-aware routing and real-time network analytics.

Cato also bolstered its global private network, going from 25 points of presence (PoPs) in August 2017 to 42 today. Chief rival Aryaka Networks most recently numbered its PoPs at 30.

Courtesy of Cato Networks

Cato and other pure-play SD-WAN vendors seek to displace the legacy carriers, which already have a foothold in the networking market. A Cato study conducted a year ago found that nearly half (49 percent) of respondents say a service provider or carrier provided their SD-WAN. That number indicated a 19-point increase from 30 percent in the 2017 study.

Cato’s Dave Greenfield

But Dave Greenfield, Cato secure networking evangelist, told us last year that customers want independence, control and cost-effectiveness that the large telcos aren’t providing.

“We’ve got a number of customers who left carriers and came to us because of all the problems they’ve had,” Greenfield said. “Carriers view SD-WAN as just a way of continuing their MPLS services, of maintaining their hold on customers.”

You can find a full list of Cato’s 2018 enhancements in Tuesday’s announcement.