Cato Networks sees channel ranks boom in 2020

New channel-lead customer bookings jumped 240 per cent in 2020

Cato Networks has seen its number of channel partners almost triple over the course of its fiscal 2020, the vendor claims.

The secure access service edge (SASE) vendor grew its global partner base by 255 per cent year on year in its fiscal 2020. New channel-led customer bookings were also up 240 per cent.

It also appointed Anthony D'Angelo as VP of its global channel sales and business development in order to support its channel expansion.

During the year, the vendor said it invested in its channel with programmes and improvements, including its SASE technical support accreditation with new online courses. It also claims that 630 new certifications were attained by its partners during the year.

Last year, Cato's co-founder and CEO Shlomo Kramer told CRN's sister title CPI that he expected to finish full-year 2020 with $240m in the bank. He also said the firm was stepping up its "aggressive expansion" in Europe after landing a $130m funding round, as well as bumping its headcount from 285 to 400 by the end of 2021.

Elsewhere, the vendor saw bookings grow by more than 200 per cent for the fourth year in a row and raised $207m in additional funding across two financing rounds, which led it a $1bn valuation. It also signed a number of Fortune 500 companies and over 1,000 site deployments.

"SASE has become the de facto standard for building the secure network of the digital business. Cato strongly benefitted from this trend that accelerated due to the global pandemic," Kramer stated.

"The most demanding enterprises adopted Cato SASE for its simplicity, agility and scalability, that is unmatched by legacy architectures."