Windstream Enterprise Unveils Global Availability of its Comprehensive SASE and SSE Cybersecurity Solutions with Cato Networks

By: Windstream Holdings via Business Wire

November 02, 2023 at 09:30 AM EDT

First-of-their-kind cybersecurity solutions provide U.S.-based multinational companies with stronger global network protection and streamlined IT management across borders

Windstream Enterprise (WE), a leading IT managed services provider, today announced that its Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Security Service Edge (SSE) solutions, powered by Cato Networks, are available for U.S.-based companies that operate internationally. Through these solutions, customers with a worldwide footprint gain access to a single, integrated network security infrastructure to protect their data, resources and employees domestically and overseas. This gives customers the assurance that all of their locations are secure in whichever country they operate.

For enterprises, there’s value in implementing a consolidated, single-vendor security offering. Customers prefer the efficiency of a streamlined security solution, according to Gartner, which found that 75% of organizations pursued security vendor consolidation in 2022. Solutions like SASE and SSE are critical in helping U.S.-based enterprises and their international locations address security vulnerabilities and network performance degradation that can happen when their global operations are running on disparate networks and lack common security policies with their domestic operations.

Windstream Enterprise’s cloud-native and fully managed SASE and SSE services, powered by Cato SASE Cloud, leverage Cato Networks’ dedicated, private backbone with more than 80 points of presence (PoPs) worldwide to provide users everywhere with optimized secure access to corporate resources and websites. Security has become more effective and easier to maintain because SASE from Windstream Enterprise unifies security policies governing users in and out of the office, regardless of device or location—domestically and internationally. Windstream Enterprise is the first North American-based managed service provider to offer this international solution.

“The complexity of varying rules and regulations that apply from country-to-country, like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other local laws, are diminished since our SASE and SSE solutions provide universal security that works across borders,” said Mike Flannery, chief revenue officer, Windstream Enterprise. “This gives customers a unified network security framework to drive operational efficiencies by removing multiple threat entry points and streamlining management and performance across the same network.”

“With the Cato SASE platform, IT teams are ready to meet the security and network challenges of the digital business anywhere and without compromise,” said Shlomo Kramer, co-founder and CEO of Cato Networks. “Our partnership with Windstream Enterprise is giving enterprises that need to operate internationally the best of both worlds—leading security technology coupled with leading IT managed services.”

As part of the global SASE and SSE offerings, organizations also gain access to Windstream Enterprise's WE Connect customer portal, from where they can easily monitor, configure, analyze and automate every element of their network and its security framework, in one fully integrated, simple-to-navigate environment, including:

Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN)
Firewall as a Service (FwaaS)
Secure Web Gateway (SWG)
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Next-Gen Anti-Malware (NGAM)
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)
Managed Detection & Response (MDR)
Remote Browser Interface (RBI)

“Many companies based in the U.S. that operate internationally are relying on multiple security solutions, which creates vulnerabilities in their networks and increases management headaches,” said Art Nichols, chief technology officer, Windstream Enterprise. “By unifying network and security components across borders with Cato, these enterprises get a more reliable, secure network with the added benefit of reduced management needs.”

Windstream Enterprise SASE and SSE are supported by the company’s Cyber Security Operations Center, which is staffed by a team of dedicated security experts who monitor, protect and troubleshoot customers’ IT infrastructure. Additionally, Windstream Enterprise’s uptime guarantees and professional services help deliver the expert technical resources that allow enterprises to implement, operate and optimize this technology for their specific needs.

For more information, visit windstreamenterprise.com/sase or windstreamenterprise.com/sse.

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ABOUT WINDSTREAM

Windstream Holdings is a privately held communications and software company. Windstream offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S. The company also provides premium broadband, entertainment, and security services through an enhanced fiber network to consumers and small and midsize businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states. Additional information is available at windstream.com or windstreamenterprise.com. Follow us on LinkedIn at @Windstream.

ABOUT CATO NETWORKS

Cato provides the world’s most robust single-vendor SASE platform, converging Cato SD-WAN and a cloud-native security service edge, Cato SSE 360, into a global cloud service. Cato SASE Cloud optimizes and secures application access for all users and locations everywhere. Using Cato, customers easily replace costly and rigid legacy MPLS with modern network architecture based on SD-WAN, secure and optimize a hybrid workforce working from anywhere, and enable seamless cloud migration. Cato enforces granular access policies, protects users against threats, and prevents sensitive data loss, all easily managed from a single pane of glass. With Cato, businesses are ready for whatever’s next.

Category: Enterprise