CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Appgate vs Cato Networks

Appgate sells ZTNA that is designed to operate at the intersection of IT and OT. Cato Networks sells the Cato SASE Cloud, a SASE platform built as a global cloud with a single-pass engine, a single data lake and single policy enforcement. CISO Tribune files both under Zero trust network access. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Appgate
  • Cato Networks
Appgate vs Cato Networks: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
AppgateAppgate sells ZTNA that is designed to operate at the intersection of IT and OT.appgate.comCato NetworksCato Networks sells the Cato SASE Cloud, a SASE platform built as a global cloud with a single-pass engine, a single data lake and single policy enforcement.catonetworks.com
What it sells
  • AppGate ZTNA[4][9][10][13]A security platform for adaptive, identity-based access to applications and resources.
  • ZTNA for OT[4][11]Extends identity-centric Zero Trust into operational technology environments.
  • Adversary Simulation and Penetration Testing[14]A service that simulates real-world attacks under controlled conditions.
  • Cato SASE Cloud[5]A global cloud with a single-pass engine, a single data lake and single policy enforcement.
  • Cato AI Security[1][5]Secures and governs AI interactions, from third-party AI usage to homegrown AI applications and agents.
  • Cato DLP[11]Data loss prevention with a catalog of 350+ pre-defined data types.
  • DNS Security[13]Inspects all DNS traffic and blocks requests to malicious destinations before a connection is made.
Categories
Headquarters
Miami, United States[3]Tel Aviv, Israel[3]
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Privately held[2][4][6][9]Privately held[1][2][4][5][8][11]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • March 23, 2026AppGate launched an Operational Technology ZTNA product offering, announced at the RSAC 2026 Conference.[5]
  • October 27, 2026Cato Networks launched Cato AI Endpoint, an endpoint client for discovering AI use, protecting sensitive data and enforcing AI policies across browsers, desktop applications and local agents.[16]
  • August 3, 2026Cato Networks launched Cato Agentic Threat Prevention, a capability using autonomous agents to predict likely attack paths and personalize protections for each customer environment.[17]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen October 23, 2026[6]
  • G2: listed, seen November 4, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Appgate sells mainly to enterprises and government agencies. Its financial services material addresses banks, insurers and financial firms. Its healthcare material covers authorized clinicians, staff and partners across healthcare IT and OT systems. Appgate ZTNA can be deployed cloud-hosted, self-hosted or isolated.From its own pages, Cato Networks sells mainly to organizations that want to replace point products with a single platform for networking, security and access. Cato Networks says organizations can start with a capability such as SD-WAN, SSE or ZTNA and expand over time. Cato Networks says its managed services let teams choose how much to hand off, from co-managed to fully managed. For data protection, Cato Networks says its DLP is designed for organizations that need to protect sensitive data across distributed users, multiple locations and cloud environments. Cato Networks describes that DLP as suited for security and IT teams looking to consolidate data protection into a single platform.
Last verified
September 27, 2026November 2, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Appgate and Cato Networks are both filed under Zero trust network access.
  • Both are privately held.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Appgate's primary category is Zero trust network access; Cato Networks's is SASE and SSE.
  • Appgate is also filed under Fraud prevention. Cato Networks is also filed under Workforce AI usage security.
  • Appgate lists AppGate ZTNA, ZTNA for OT and Adversary Simulation and Penetration Testing. Cato Networks lists Cato SASE Cloud, Cato AI Security, Cato DLP and DNS Security.
  • Appgate is headquartered in Miami, United States. Cato Networks is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.

What it sells: Appgate

What AppGate ZTNA does[4][9][10][13]
AppGate ZTNA is a security platform that provides adaptive, identity-based access to applications and resources without exposing the network. Appgate says it enforces the principle of least privilege and continuous verification, protecting both on-prem and cloud environments. Appliances can be virtual or physical.
What ZTNA for OT does[4][11]
ZTNA for OT controls who and what can reach critical systems and governs the sessions that require deeper oversight. Vaulted credentials are injected into the session, and governed sessions are recorded from start to finish. ZTNA for OT can be deployed on premises.
What Adversary Simulation and Penetration Testing does[14]
Appgate says its team can evaluate networks, applications, wireless infrastructure, IoT devices and XaaS. Appgate says its testing combines automated tools (20%) with manual testing (80%).

What it sells: Cato Networks

What Cato SASE Cloud does[5]
Cato's SASE platform converges networking, security and access into a single, global, AI-powered cloud service. Thousands of SPACEs run on bare-metal compute across worldwide PoPs, interconnected by tier-1 carriers.
What Cato AI Security does[1][5]
Cato AI Security secures and governs all AI interactions, from sanctioned third-party AI usage to runtime protection of homegrown AI applications and AI agents. Cato Networks says AI security can be deployed independently to protect AI usage and AI agents across the organization.
What Cato DLP does[11]
Cato DLP offers a catalog of 350+ pre-defined data types covering common use cases for sensitive data, PII, and compliance. The Cato DLP engine inspects all traffic to private applications and SaaS apps. Cato DLP offers inline scanning and policy enforcement tailored for GenAI traffic such as ChatGPT.
What DNS Security does[13]
Cato DNS Security inspects all DNS traffic in real time to prevent malicious activity hiding within the protocol. It protects against phishing, domain squatting, website impersonation, DNS tunneling and crypto-mining activity.

Questions about Appgate and Cato Networks

What do Appgate and Cato Networks sell?
Appgate sells AppGate ZTNA, ZTNA for OT and Adversary Simulation and Penetration Testing. Cato Networks sells Cato SASE Cloud, Cato AI Security, Cato DLP and DNS Security.
Are Appgate and Cato Networks in the same category?
They share Zero trust network access. Appgate's primary category is Zero trust network access and Cato Networks's is SASE and SSE.
Where are Appgate and Cato Networks headquartered?
Appgate is headquartered in Miami, United States. Cato Networks is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Who owns Appgate and Cato Networks?
Appgate is privately held. Cato Networks is privately held.
Who are Appgate and Cato Networks sold to?
From its own pages, Appgate sells mainly to enterprises and government agencies. From its own pages, Cato Networks sells mainly to organizations that want to replace point products with a single platform for networking, security and access.
What have Appgate and Cato Networks announced recently?
March 23, 2026: AppGate launched an Operational Technology ZTNA product offering, announced at the RSAC 2026 Conference. October 27, 2026: Cato Networks launched Cato AI Endpoint, an endpoint client for discovering AI use, protecting sensitive data and enforcing AI policies across browsers, desktop applications and local agents.

About Appgate

Appgate sells ZTNA that is designed to operate at the intersection of IT and OT. Appgate says it safeguards enterprises and government agencies worldwide. Appgate describes Zero Trust Network Access, or ZTNA, as replacing implicit trust with continuous verification, with every access request evaluated on identity, device posture and risk. Appgate cloaks sensitive assets, supports IPv4 and IPv6 traffic, and works alongside industrial control systems that route legacy protocols.[1][7][8]

Appgate describes direct-routed ZTNA as a deployment model where traffic from users or devices is routed directly to the protected applications without passing through a centralized cloud proxy. Appgate says its ZTNA does not require a public cloud and can operate entirely on-premises or in hybrid environments. Appgate says its ZTNA can be fully deployed on-premises, including all controllers and gateways. Appgate says its ZTNA does not require a full mesh, and its direct-routed architecture supports hub-and-spoke or hybrid topologies. Appgate says traffic can continue to flow through alternate gateways if one fails.[11]

The core component of Appgate ZTNA is the appliance, and appliances can be virtual or physical. The Appgate ZTNA Controller acts as the policy engine and policy decision point. The Appgate ZTNA Gateway acts as the policy enforcement point and controls the flow of access to protected resources. Appgate says all appliances are delivered as a virtual machine at no cost and are alternatively available as a physical device for an additional charge. Appgate uses single packet authorization to make internet-facing resources invisible to unauthorized users. Appgate ZTNA uses mTLS FIPS 140-3 compliant encryption on every connection to an authorized gateway.[10]

Appgate says its ZTNA can be cloud-hosted, self-hosted or isolated. In the cloud-hosted model, the controller is hosted in the Zero Trust platform cloud environment, while other appliances remain hosted in the customer's controlled environment. In the self-hosted model, all Appgate ZTNA appliances are deployed in the customer's controlled environment and connected to the Zero Trust platform for value-add services.[10]

Appgate says ZTNA for OT extends identity-centric Zero Trust into operational technology environments and controls who and what can reach critical systems. ZTNA for OT secures access for the employees, vendors and OEMs who keep critical systems running. For sessions that need deeper oversight, Appgate brokers the connection instead of only authorizing it at the front end. Vaulted credentials are injected into the session, so users reach approved systems without seeing, holding or sharing the credentials. Governed sessions are recorded from start to finish, and a supervisor can end an in-flight session and capture a reason for the action. Appgate says ZTNA for OT can be deployed on premises.[11]

Appgate customers install a Linux Headless Client on servers, VMs or Kubernetes nodes running AI agents. Appgate offers a Kubernetes injector that automatically provisions ZTNA enforcement at the pod level.[12]

Appgate says its professional services team supports onboarding for AppGate ZTNA customers. Core deployment includes support for initial installation, access configuration and user acceptance testing for AppGate ZTNA production rollout. Stand-alone or add-on services can be procured, and custom services can replace or enhance standard implementation. Appgate's Adversary Simulation and Penetration Testing Service simulates sophisticated, real-world attacks under controlled conditions. Appgate says its testing combines automated tools (20%) with manual testing (80%), and that its team has a 20+ year history and thousands of tests conducted. Appgate says the service can test a security environment to verify compliance with regulatory standards like PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or GDPR.[13][14]

Appgate describes VPN replacement as secure access for users to business-critical applications and services, anywhere, without exposing the network. Appgate says AppGate ZTNA can operate alongside existing VPN infrastructure during migration. Appgate says ZTNA replaces broad VPN tunnels with time-bound, least-privilege entitlements enforced through its controller-based policy engine. Appgate offers a Zero Trust solution built to secure complex healthcare networks, safeguard legacy devices, and support uninterrupted, compliant care. Appgate says its ZTNA secures access to complex financial ecosystems, including customer data, trading platforms and payment networks. Appgate says its energy offering enforces least-privilege access policies across smart grids and decentralized networks to simplify adherence to NERC CIP. Appgate says its healthcare offering enforces least-privilege access policies across hospitals, imaging systems, and telehealth networks to simplify adherence to HIPAA and HITECH. Appgate says its financial services offering enforces least-privilege policies across hybrid environments to simplify adherence to PCI DSS, FFIEC, GLBA and GDPR.[1][8][12][14][15][16][17]

Appgate on the record

Sources

Appgate full record

  1. [1]appgate.comAppgate · appgate.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Appgate completes recapitalization embarks on next phase of growthAppgate · appgate.com · published July 3, 2024 · Tier A
  3. [3]Appgate a Leading Cybersecurity Company to Merge With Public Company Newtown Lane MarketingAppgate via Business Wire · businesswire.com · published February 9, 2021 · Tier A
  4. [4]Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) Platform | AppGateAppGate · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]AppGate Launches Secure Remote Access for Industrial OT, Expanding Zero Trust PortfolioBusiness Wire · published March 23, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Appgate Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  7. [7]Manufacturing | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Financial Services | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]ZTNA FAQ: Architecture, VPN Migration and Security | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]How AppGate ZTNA Works | Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for OT | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Agentic AI Security: Zero Trust for AI Agents | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]AppGate ZTNA Professional Services | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Adversary Simulation and Penetration Testing | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]VPN Replacement: Secure Remote Access with ZTNA | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Healthcare | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Energy Industry | AppGateAppgate · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A

Cato Networks full record

  1. [1]catonetworks.comCato Networks · catonetworks.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cato raises 359 millionCato Networks · catonetworks.com · published June 30, 2025 · Tier A
  3. [3]Cato continues expansion with new global headquartersCato Networks · catonetworks.com · published June 2, 2024 · Tier A
  4. [4]Cato SASE Cloud Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]Cato Networks: World’s Leading Single-Vendor SASE PlatformCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Platform Architecture | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]SASE Platform | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Agentic AI Security | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]AI Security | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Data Loss Prevention (DLP) | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Endpoint Protection (EPP) | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]DNS Security | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Cato Management Application (CMA) | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Cato Managed Services | Cato NetworksCato Networks · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Cato Networks Launches Cato AI Endpoint to Secure AI Use Beyond the BrowserCato Networks · published October 27, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Cato Networks Launches Agentic Threat Prevention to Predict and Mitigate AI-Assisted AttacksCato Networks · published August 3, 2026 · Tier A

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