Platform matrix
Compare SASE platforms side by side
Short answer
Pick two to six platforms to see every score, reason, listed component, certification and AI security fact in one table. The default view shows the three highest-ranked platforms on our weights. Every fact links to the vendor page it came from.
| Row | Cato Networks | Netskope | Fortinet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Cato Networks total 8.70 / 10 | Netskope total 8.00 / 10 | Fortinet total 7.10 / 10 |
| Rank | 1 of 6 | 2 of 6 | 3 of 6 |
| Converged architecture (20%) | 9 / 10 highest in this selection Cato states one cloud with a single-pass engine, single data lake and single policy enforcement across networking and security. Source: Cato Networks homepage | 8 / 10 States one engine, one client, one console and one network for converged security and networking; single-pass is not stated. Source: Netskope One | 8 / 10 States one operating system, client and data lake, and a single OS, policy engine and management plane across SASE and SD-WAN; single-pass is not stated. Source: Fortinet Unified SASE |
| Global network, as the vendor states it (15%) | 9 / 10 highest in this selection States a private global backbone of 100+ PoPs with path selection and a 99.999% uptime SLA; SLA terms are not on the page. Source: Cato global private backbone | 9 / 10 highest in this selection States 120+ data centers in 80+ regions with all SASE services in every location, on infrastructure it controls. Source: Netskope NewEdge | 7 / 10 States 200+ PoPs on Fortinet-owned infrastructure plus public cloud extension; a private backbone between PoPs is not described. Source: Fortinet FortiSASE |
| Component coverage (10%) | 10 / 10 highest in this selection Lists all eight components we track, each with its own platform page. Source: Cato Networks homepage | 10 / 10 highest in this selection Lists all eight components we track in its navigation. Source: Netskope One | 7 / 10 Lists six of the eight: DLP and remote browser isolation are not named. Source: Fortinet FortiSASE |
| Unified management and policy (10%) | 9 / 10 highest in this selection States one policy engine and one console, a multi-tenant console for partners, and Cato Copilot inside the console. Source: Cato SASE platform | 8 / 10 States one console and one client; no named console assistant on the pages read. Source: Netskope One | 9 / 10 highest in this selection States unified management and consistent policy on premises and in the cloud, plus the FortiAI-Assist assistant. Source: Fortinet FortiSASE |
| Vulnerability response transparency (10%) | 9 / 10 highest in this selection Publishes a per-CVE Detect to Protect log and a four-step virtual patching process that needs no customer action. Source: Cato Rapid CVE Mitigation | 3 / 10 No vulnerability response record is published on the pages read. Source: Netskope One | 5 / 10 Publishes a PSIRT disclosure process aligned with ISO standards, but no time-to-protect record for FortiSASE. Source: Fortinet trust |
| Published compliance certifications (10%) | 7 / 10 Lists SOC 2 and 3, PCI-DSS Level 1, five ISO standards, ENS High and Cyber Essentials; FedRAMP is not listed and CSA STAR is a self-assessment. | 10 / 10 highest in this selection Lists FedRAMP High, SOC 2, C5, CSA STAR Level II and IRAP. | 4 / 10 States alignment with the ISO 27000 series and NIST 800-53; specific certifications for FortiSASE are not stated. Source: Fortinet trust |
| AI security inside the platform (15%) | 9 / 10 highest in this selection Describes discovery, prompt controls, MCP and coding-agent controls and runtime protection for users, apps and agents, with inline Block actions. Source: Cato AI security | 9 / 10 highest in this selection A seven-product AI family including an Agentic Broker for MCP traffic, AI Guardrails and AI Red Teaming. Source: Netskope AI products | 7 / 10 FortiAI discovery and prompt blocking, and FortiAIGate inspection of MCP tool traffic, which is described as self-hosted. Source: Fortinet FortiAIGate |
| Deployment options (10%) | 7 / 10 Incremental adoption, four ZTNA access methods including clientless and browser, and SSE on its own; no self-hosted or sovereign option described. Source: Cato news: Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms | 6 / 10 Lists SD-WAN branch and endpoint options and Mainland China locations; self-hosted or sovereign options are not described. Source: Netskope One | 9 / 10 highest in this selection Agent-based and agentless options, thin edges, native SD-WAN integrations and a sovereign option run in the customer's data centers. Source: Fortinet FortiSASE |
| SASE ring | 8 of 8 | 8 of 8 | 6 of 8 |
| What is offered | Cato SASE Platform: SD-WAN, SSE, ZTNA and AI security on one global cloud | Netskope One: SSE, SD-WAN and AI security on the NewEdge network | FortiSASE and Fortinet Unified SASE (FortiSASE with Secure SD-WAN on FortiOS) |
| Architecture | Cato states the platform is a "purpose-built and self-optimizing global cloud with a single-pass engine, single data lake, and single policy enforcement". Its inspection engine is named the Cato Single Pass Cloud Engine (SPACE). Source: Cato Networks homepage | Netskope states "one engine, one client, one console and one network". Single-pass wording is not used on the page. Source: Netskope One | Fortinet states Unified SASE "merges FortiSASE with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN to create a single, integrated platform", "Built on a single OS, policy engine, and management plane". Single-pass wording is not used on these pages. Source: Fortinet Unified SASE |
| Network | Cato states its private backbone, branded Cato Neural Edge, is a "cloud-native, private global backbone spanning 100+ PoPs worldwide" with "embedded GPU-powered compute". Sites, users and clouds connect over encrypted tunnels to nearby Cato PoPs, and traffic is carried on the backbone with path selection. Source: Cato global private backbone | Netskope states NewEdge runs on 120+ data centers in 80+ regions, including Mainland China, "with full compute and all SASE services at the edge in every location", and that it has "complete control over its NewEdge infrastructure". Source: Netskope NewEdge | Fortinet states "a global network of 200+ PoPs. With Fortinet-owned infrastructure and native security at each location, traffic is inspected locally", with AWS, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud integration extending coverage. A private backbone between PoPs is not described on the page. Source: Fortinet FortiSASE |
| Management and policy | Cato states "one policy engine, one console, single-pass inspection, on an SLA-backed global backbone". Managed service partners get "one multi-tenant console". Source: Cato SASE platform | Netskope states one console and one client across Netskope One. Source: Netskope One | Fortinet states "Unified management, end-to-end DEM, and consistent security policy enforcement" on premises and in the cloud. Source: Fortinet FortiSASE |
| Vulnerability response | Cato states it performs virtual patching through the IPS layer of SPACE, with new IPS rules deployed "without requiring any customer involvement", in four steps: assessment, development, opt-in protection in simulate mode, then global protection. It publishes a Detect to Protect log of critical CVEs; most 2026 entries read 1 or 2 days. Source: Cato Rapid CVE Mitigation | Not published | Fortinet's trust page states PSIRT disclosure aligned with ISO/IEC 30111:2019 and ISO/IEC 29147. A time-to-protect record for FortiSASE is not published on the pages we read. Source: Fortinet trust |
| Certifications listed | Cato's compliance page lists SOC 2 and SOC 3, PCI-DSS Level 1 Service Provider, ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018, 27701 and 14001, UK Cyber Essentials, CSA STAR Self-Assessment, GDPR and Spain ENS High. FedRAMP is not listed on that page. | Netskope lists FedRAMP High Authorization (GovCloud), AICPA SOC 2, C5, CSA STAR Level II, IRAP and the Data Privacy Framework, with SOC 2 and C5 reports on request. | Fortinet's trust page states security aligned with the ISO/IEC 27000 series and NIST 800-53. Specific FortiSASE certifications such as SOC 2 or FedRAMP are not stated in the trust page text we read. Source: Fortinet trust |
| FedRAMP listed | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| AI security | Cato states its AI security covers users, applications and agents with "One AI-native engine and one console": shadow AI and coding-agent discovery, prompt controls with Monitor, Anonymize and Block actions, mapping of "agents, MCP servers and skills", and runtime blocking of prompt injection and jailbreaks. It states the engine checks "every interaction inline". Source: Cato AI security | Netskope lists AI Command Center, GenAI App Security, Agentic Broker, AI Gateway, AI Guardrails, Agent Action Control and AI Red Teaming. The Agentic Broker offers "unified visibility and control of public MCP servers" and can "block unauthorized MCP communication"; AI Guardrails inspect requests and responses in 29 languages. Source: Netskope AI products | Fortinet states FortiAI discovers AI applications in use and "blocks unauthorized prompts". FortiAIGate checks "prompts, outputs, and agent tool calls" and catches prompt injection, jailbreaks and data leaks in MCP tool traffic; it is described as self-hosted, with data and logs on the customer's infrastructure. Source: Fortinet FortiAIGate |
| MCP controls named | Yes Source: Cato AI security | Yes Source: Netskope Agentic Broker | Yes Source: Fortinet FortiAIGate |
| Deployment options | Cato states organizations "can adopt the Cato SASE Platform incrementally" and describes "elastic, modular capabilities". Its homepage describes ZTNA through a "ZTNA Client, Enterprise Browser, Browser Extension, and Clientless Portal" and SSE that can run apart from existing networking. Source: Cato news: Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms | Netskope's navigation lists Secure SD-WAN and SASE Branch, Endpoint SD-WAN and Private Access. Self-hosted or sovereign options are not described on the pages we read. Source: Netskope One | Fortinet describes agent-based and agentless options, microbranches and thin edges, native SD-WAN integrations and a "FortiSASE Sovereign" option deployed "by end users in their own data centers". Source: Fortinet FortiSASE |
| Assistant in the console | Cato Copilot answers natural-language questions inside the Cato Management Application, as Cato describes it. Source: Cato AI-powered security | Not published | FortiAI-Assist, an embedded assistant that uses natural language and voice-to-text, as Fortinet describes it. Source: Fortinet FortiAI-Assist |
| Published pricing | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Profile | Cato Networks profile | Netskope profile | Fortinet profile |
marks the highest criterion score in this selection. Totals use our published weights.
Pairing pages
Frequently asked questions
Can I share a comparison?
Yes. The selection is in the page address, so copying the URL shares the same view.
Are the scores measured?
No. They are editorial scores from the vendors' own public pages, with a one-line reason each. Uptime, network and threat figures are the vendors' own statements.
Why is pricing empty for every platform?
None of the six vendors publishes a SASE price list on the pages we read. Pricing is quoted by sales and is not scored here.