Why Manufacturing Needs SASE: Securing Smart Factories and Global Operations

Imagine you’re the Director of IT for a global manufacturing company. You must keep production sites, suppliers, and remote workers securely connected while controlling costs and meeting compliance. Every day, new challenges arise:  

• A plant manager reports slow connections, delaying real-time production analytics they need 

• A security alert warns of a potential OT system breach 

• Your leadership team asked you to provide a scalable, cost-effective plan to support cloud-based operations—yesterday  

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Manufacturing is rapidly evolving with Industry 4.0, where smart factories use automation, IoT, AI analytics, and real-time data to optimize production and efficiency. Yet IT teams struggle to keep up as legacy infrastructure, cyber threats, and complex networks slow transformation. 

IT Burdens Manufacturers Need to Overcome 

Overwhelmed IT Teams: Juggling Too Much with Too Few Resources 

Manufacturing IT teams manage global operations, security, and production systems but are stuck maintaining outdated infrastructure, fixing network issues, and securing OT. As factories become more connected, widening skill gaps make cybersecurity, cloud adoption, and compliance harder. Without centralized management, IT risks falling behind. 

A Growing Cyber Target: Outdated Systems and Expanding Attack Surfaces  

Manufacturing is the most attacked industry, accounting for 25.7% of all cyberattacks.¹ Legacy OT and IoT devices, built before modern security threats, lack protections, making them easy targets for ransomware and supply chain attacks. Enforcing consistent security policies globally is nearly impossible with siloed security tools. 

Fragmented Networks: Slowing Down Growth & Innovation 

Legacy networks weren’t designed for IoT, automation, AI analytics, or edge computing, limiting scalability. Many manufacturers still rely on fragmented architectures, mixing MPLS, on-prem, and cloud connectivity, causing slow connections, bandwidth constraints, and inefficiencies that delay production, disrupt supply chains, and increase costs. 

The Cost Burden: Too Many Tools, Too Many Expenses 

Managing multiple security and networking tools is expensive and inefficient. MPLS circuits, security appliances, and legacy systems strain IT budgets, limiting investment in modern innovation. Instead of advancing Industry 4.0, IT teams are stuck maintaining outdated infrastructure, slowing digital transformation and business agility. 

SASE: Delivering Agility, Security, and Performance  

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) eliminates IT complexity by combining networking and security into a cloud-native platform. For manufacturers, SASE delivers three critical benefits: 

• Enhanced Security and Network Performance 

• Global Connectivity and Remote Access 

• Cost Reduction and Operational Efficiency 

Enhanced Security and Network Performance 

SASE protects IT, OT, and IoT environments while optimizing network performance. Integrated security (FWaaS, CASB, SWG, DLP, IPS) blocks ransomware, supply chain attacks, and data breaches. Optimized traffic routing ensures low-latency access to critical applications. Unified security policies improve visibility and compliance across all locations. 

Global Connectivity and Remote Access 

SASE provides secure, seamless connectivity for global plants, supply chains, and hybrid workforces. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) enables secure access for employees, contractors, and partners without VPN complexity, ensuring fast, policy-based remote access to cloud and on-prem applications. Optimized global connectivity supports real-time collaboration and uninterrupted operations across distributed sites. 

Cost Reduction and Operational Efficiency 

SASE reduces costs, with some manufacturers reporting up to 30% annual savings.² Consolidating networking and security simplifies IT, cutting operational overhead and hardware expenses while ensuring centralized control and uniform policies. This frees resources for strategic initiatives, allowing manufacturers to focus on global expansion and factory optimization. 

These benefits address the biggest challenges faced manufacturers face in Industry 4.0, delivering a secure, efficient, and flexible IT infrastructure for digital transformation.  

Cato SASE Cloud Platform for Manufacturers 

Not all SASE solutions are created equal. Unlike ‘platform-ized’ solutions that stitch together multiple acquired products, Cato SASE Cloud Platform is a true single-vendor platform— built for cloud-scale networking and security from day one: 

• Global Private Backbone (85+ PoPs worldwide) ensures low-latency, high-performance connectivity 

• True Zero Trust Security protects smart factories, remote workers, and industrial IoT from cyber threats 

• Flexible Adoption Model allows manufacturers to start with SD-WAN, security, or ZTNA, and scale as needs evolve 

• No Hardware Dependencies enable IT teams to deploy in minutes, scale effortlessly, and reduce complexity 

With Cato’s flexible and seamless approach, manufacturers can implement SASE at their own pace—prioritizing immediate needs while gradually converging networking and security into a fully unified, secure platform. 

Customer Success: Element Solutions Inc. 

Element Solutions Inc. (ESI), a global specialty chemicals manufacturer with 130 locations and 5,000 remote users, needed to streamline IT operations, improve security, and simplify M&A integrations. 

By deploying Cato SASE Cloud Platform, ESI: 

• Reduced M&A integration times by 80%  

• Improved global connectivity and remote access 

• Enhanced security across all sites and supply chain partners 

• Lowered costs while increasing IT efficiency  

Cato SASE Cloud Platform enabled fast site deployments, secure remote access, and real-time threat prevention, giving ESI the agility needed to scale securely and efficiently.   

A Future-Ready Network for Industry 4.0 

As Industry 4.0 accelerates, manufacturers can no longer rely on legacy IT architectures. Cyber threats, network complexity, and high costs are holding global manufacturers back. 

For IT leaders managing security and connectivity, the challenge is balancing innovation, security, and cost efficiency while meeting growing network demands. SASE provides a cloud-native, scalable solution that simplifies IT, enhances security, and delivers high-performance connectivity to help manufacturers stay competitive. 

With Cato SASE Cloud Platform, manufacturers gain a future-proof foundation to scale, innovate, and secure operations, without the complexity of traditional networking and security solutions. 

See how Cato SASE Cloud Platform can transform your manufacturing IT infrastructure – schedule a demo today to experience SASE in action. 

Cited Sources 

1. IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024 

2. SASE Enables Augmented Reality for Glass Manufacturer, Network World, January 19, 2023