Israeli company Cato Networks has announced a SASE-native IoT ad OT security offering.

Cato IoT/OT Security helps enterprises simplify the management and security of IoT and OT devices by converging device discovery and classification, policy enforcement, and threat prevention in a SASE platform.

Secure access service edge, or SASE, converges networking and security to deliver seamless, secure access where people work.

Cato IoT/OT Security (www.catonetworks.com/platform/iot-ot-security) is a native feature in the Cato SASE cloud platform, which allows enterprises to activate instantly the offering with a click of a button. There is no additional hardware or software to install or configure.

This is the fifth major expansion of the Cato SASE cloud platform in 2024 following the releases of XDR and EPP in January, MSASE in June, and DEM in October.

“Cato Networks is the only SASE leader to build IoT and OT security from the ground up and deliver it natively from a single, cloud-native platform,” said Shlomo Kramer, CEO of Cato Networks (www.catonetworks.com). “Some SASE portfolio companies address IoT and OT security by repackaging acquired points 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 and 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 Many of the IoT and OT devices that enterprises use lack security features and often operate on outdated hardware and software, resulting in highly vulnerable devices.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 and OT devices can lead to severe business consequences. This includes production downtime, safety incidents, financial losses and reputational damage.

Enterprises require IoT and OT security that provides discovery, visibility, policy enforcement and threat prevention. This release expands the Cato SASE cloud platform with IoT and OT capabilities including:

• Device discovery and classification: Gain instant visibility into IoT and OT environments with no additional integration required. Purpose-built AI and ML capabilities identify IoT and OT devices and provide visibility into their characteristics, such as their type, manufacturer and version. This removes security blind spots and accelerates device identification.
• Policy enforcement: Define and enforce granular access policies. Rules can be set based on characteristics for a specific device, or based on grouping by type, manufacturer and model for groups of devices. Controlling device access secures the enterprise network and reduces the attack surface.
• Threat prevention: Protect devices with threat prevention capabilities, including DNS security, IPS and 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, IT manager at Oregon Tool (www.oregontool.com). “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.”

John Grady, principal analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG, www.techtarget.com/esg-global), added: “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. By expanding its SASE platform to include IoT and OT security, Cato Networks can help organisations more efficiently discover and protect their connected devices and systems.”