In 2024, Cato Networks is making big moves by expanding its SASE platform for the third time this year. They’ve added digital experience monitoring (DEM) to their core SASE Cloud Platform, enhancing user experience across the board.
Why this addition? Cato believes that a real SASE platform needs to evolve beyond just secure connectivity while keeping that simplicity and elegance that SASE is known for. The new DEM tool aims to improve global user experiences by leveraging insights from their existing platform.
Cato points out the limitations of other DEM solutions out there. As companies tackle hybrid work and cloud shifts, the need for better user experiences is critical. Many current tools focus only on internet-based applications, leaving private applications in the dust. They also tend to lack real user insights and can be a hassle to deploy, often needing complex IT setups.
“Enterprises deal with various application traffic, some for the WAN and some for the internet,” says Eyal Webber-Zvik, Cato’s VP of product marketing and strategic alliances. “In Q3 2024, 57% of traffic on our platform was headed for the WAN, not the internet. A solid DEM solution should cover user experience issues across both types of applications.”
Shamus McGillicuddy from Enterprise Management Associates underlines the importance of DEM in the future SASE landscape. He highlights that user experience is a key measure of IT success. For DEM to be effective, it needs to monitor all applications, address user experience problems, and provide real user traffic insights.
Cato claims their DEM solution will deliver rich, contextual insights for all user experiences, designed for easy deployment and user-friendliness. Now, IT teams have a single solution to troubleshoot and enhance user experiences across all applications.
Cato assures that the DEM capability will support optimal experiences even during crucial transitions like cloud migrations and global expansions. Their SASE Cloud Platform serves as the backbone connecting users to applications, whether they’re in private data centers, the cloud, or the internet. It aims to tackle network performance issues that can disrupt user experiences.
By tapping into real user data alongside synthetic data, Cato’s DEM offers a comprehensive view of application performance. IT teams can quickly activate DEM with a simple toggle and utilize historical application usage data for immediate insights.
Cato’s SASE platform provides excellent visibility into network problems that could affect user experiences. With hop-by-hop visibility across Wi-Fi, network edge, and WAN, the DEM package can track user experiences in real time. It continuously monitors network and device conditions, helping IT teams address issues before they escalate, ensuring smoother operations and better productivity.
With AI-driven features, the DEM solution also reduces the busywork usually involved in troubleshooting user experience issues. By analyzing data relationships and showcasing recommendations within Cato XDR, IT operations can tackle challenges efficiently without needing to juggle multiple tools.