CATO Networks has acquired AIM Security, an AI security company, to expand its SASE platform with AI application security. This is Cato's first acquisition.
Cato's cloud-native SASE platform is built from the ground up to ensure all your enterprise network flows. This allows for complete visualization of AI interactions, from users accessing AI applications to API-driven services that support AI workflows.
Using AIM technology, CATO can address the complexity and unstructured nature of AI interactions. Detect and deactivate threats, attacks, and dangerous data access.
AI conversion as a new frontier
The acquisition of AIM security comes from the growing need for security in AI interactions in businesses. Cato previously added XDR capabilities to its SASE platform, but it is taking it a step further with certain AI-driven security.
AI agents and AI applications pose new security risks through interaction with corporate data. According to CEO Shlomo Kramer, SASE is ideally positioned as a control point for all these AI interactions. “AI conversion will overturn digital transformations as the mainstay of shaping companies over the next decade,” says Kramer. “With the acquisition of AIM Security, we turbocharge our SASE platform, gaining AI security capabilities with advanced AI security capabilities, ensuring our customers' journey into a new and exciting AI era.”
Three security scenarios
AIM Security offers solutions for three AI security scenarios: The first is to protect employees using public AI applications. The system detects invisible AI usage, monitors all end-user interactions with AI, and provides risk management for existing AI usage.
The second scenario focuses on private AI applications and AI agents. AIM AI Firewall protects internal AI applications against runtime attacks. The system enforces security and governance policies for all interactions between users, AI agents, and internal AI applications.
The third scenario involves AI Security Attitude Management (AI-SPM) in the AI Agent Development Lifecycle. AIM ensures the entire process, from training ML models to building custom AI agents. The system continuously detects and corrects AI security and compliance risks before they reach production.
Modular Rollout
CATO customers with keen AI security needs can quickly implement AIM. As part of Cato's strategy to deliver all functionality through a single integrated platform, the company will integrate AIM capabilities into the SASE platform in early 2026.
Customers implementing Standalone Aim solutions have a seamless migration path to an integrated platform. This is consistent with CATO's modular approach, allowing organizations to gradually adopt platform capabilities for network modernization (SD-WAN), security integration (SSE), hybrid work (ZTNA), and now AI security (AISEC).
