Client Profile
Industry: Food Distribution
Locations: 40+ facilities across North America
Employees: 2,500+
Annual Revenue: $1B+
Use Case: SASE adoption to support a secure, scalable, and simplified network and security infrastructure across distributed locations and a remote workforce
The Challenge: Security Gaps and Operational Complexity
As one of the largest privately held food distributors in the U.S., the client faced mounting challenges with its aging MPLS network and a patchwork of security tools. With over 40 distribution centers, sales offices, and a growing remote workforce, the IT team was stretched thin, managing disparate systems that weren’t designed for today’s dynamic threat landscape or cloud-first business model.
Key Pain Points:
- High MPLS costs and poor cloud performance: Legacy MPLS links were expensive and offered limited flexibility for cloud-based application access.
- Fragmented security stack: Firewalls, VPNs, web gateways, and endpoint solutions came from multiple vendors, creating blind spots and inconsistent enforcement.
- Remote user access: VPN congestion and latency issues hindered productivity for field teams and remote employees.
- Limited visibility and control: IT lacked a centralized view into network activity, user behavior, and potential threats.
- Scalability issues: Onboarding new locations or users was slow and resource-intensive, making business agility difficult.
The client engaged GCG to help identify a modern, cloud-native SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) solution that could simplify operations, strengthen security, and improve performance for both branch offices and remote users.
The Evaluation Process: Three SASE Vendors Reviewed
GCG led a structured vendor selection process, focusing on providers that could meet the client’s requirements for:
- Integrated security and networking
- High performance and low latency across locations
- Cloud-native architecture
- Simple, centralized management
- Built-in Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
- Scalable remote access capabilities
The client evaluated three leading SASE vendors:
- Fortinet Secure SD-WAN + FortiSASE
✅ Strong brand, solid appliances
❌ Fragmented cloud security, complex integrations
❌ Limited visibility and steep learning curve - Palo Alto Prisma Access
✅ Excellent threat intelligence
❌ Requires multiple portals and policies
❌ Relies on public internet backbone - Cato Networks
✅ Unified, cloud-native SASE platform
✅ Private global backbone
✅ Centralized policy management, built-in ZTNA
The Solution: Cato Networks SASE Platform
After a thorough analysis and pilot test, the food distributor selected Cato Networks for its fully converged, single-vendor SASE solution. Cato offered the most complete platform to meet both their short-term needs and long-term IT modernization goals.
Cato’s Deployment Included:
- Replacement of MPLS with Cato’s global private backbone for optimized performance
- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for secure, least-privilege access to internal resources
- A full cloud-delivered security stack, including next-gen firewall, IPS, anti-malware, SWG, and CASB
- Seamless remote access for over 800 field users through the Cato Client and clientless access options
- A single management console with real-time visibility into user behavior, network traffic, and threat activity.
The Results: Simpler, Safer, and Faster
Since migrating to Cato, the client has achieved transformative results:
✅ Cost Savings
- Eliminated MPLS contracts, reducing WAN costs by 35% annually
- Retired multiple standalone security products, consolidating under one platform
✅ Improved Performance
- Cloud applications now load faster, with 50% reduction in latency across branches
- Remote users experience faster, more reliable access to internal systems and SaaS platforms
✅ Stronger Security Posture
- Unified policy enforcement across users and locations
- Real-time threat detection and prevention with centralized SOC oversight
✅ Operational Efficiency
- IT team reduced time spent on troubleshooting and patching by over 40%
- Onboarding new sites and users now takes minutes, not days
✅ Future-Ready Infrastructure
- The Cato platform supports the company’s cloud-first and zero-trust roadmap
- With native ZTNA and SD-WAN, the company is positioned for secure growth without complexity
“Cato gave us exactly what we were looking for: simplicity, speed, and security—all in one platform. With GCG’s guidance, we’ve modernized our entire network and security architecture and set ourselves up for long-term success.”
— CIO, National Food Distributor
Why GCG Recommended Cato Networks
As a trusted advisor, GCG prioritized a solution aligned with the client’s operational realities—limited IT headcount, heavy compliance needs, and a distributed workforce. Cato’s single-vendor SASE model eliminated tool sprawl, improved visibility, and enabled a scalable security framework that supports branch and remote work environments.
About GCG
GCG empowers businesses to evaluate, implement, and optimize complex IT solutions. Our experts guide clients through transformation journeys, focusing on security, performance, and long-term business value. Whether you’re looking for SASE, cloud migration, or network modernization, GCG is your partner for strategic IT success.