Cloud networking company Cato Networks has launched Cato Autonomous Policies, a new AI capability built into the Cato SASE Cloud Platform that automates and optimizes policy management. Cato claims the Autonomous Policies are the world’s first secure access service edge-native policy analysis engine built to optimize and improve all SASE policies — security, access and networking. With the release, enterprises can experience targeted, AI-driven recommendations for eliminating unnecessary security exposure, tightening access control and proactively improving network performance. The policies reduce risk, eliminate manual upkeep and simplify compliance, paving the way for proactive governance and autonomous SASE. The first use case for Cato Autonomous Policies is firewall-as-a-service to tackle firewall rule bloat. Cato argues that over time, organizations accumulate thousands of policies, many outdated, overly permissive or misconfigured, leading to increased risk, decreased efficiency and compliance challenges. Cato Networks’ FWaaS already simplifies access control with a unified policy set that covers users, devices, locations and cloud environments. With the new addition of Cato Autonomous Policies, the service is enhanced through AI-driven automation and optimization. The new capabilities help eliminate policy drift and misconfigurations by providing continuous, AI-powered insights. The insights provided ensure that policies remain accurate and effective across on-premises, hybrid and multicloud deployments, reducing the risk of human error.