Data as of Sep 21, 2026 · Based on 359 AI responses from ChatGPT Search and Google AI Mode · See how Parse measures this
For a global MPLS replacement, 
Brands AI recommends here
Named in 84% of answers
Cato Networks — Best when replacing MPLS requires an SLA-backed private backbone and a single-vendor SASE to simplify global WAN; tradeoff: less emphasis on the broadest security ecosystem compared with security-first vendors.
Named in 65% of answers
Zscaler — Best when your primary need is Zero Trust, app-level and SaaS security during cloud transformation; caveat: it focuses on SSE/Zero Trust rather than offering an MPLS-like private backbone SLA.
Named in 52% of answers
Named in 43% of answers
Source | Citation share |
|---|---|
 Best SASE Platforms Reviews 2026 | Gartner Peer Insightshttps://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/single-vendor-sase | 5% |
Global MPLS Alternatives | Cato networkshttps://www.catonetworks.com/solutions/affordable-mpls-alternatives/ | 3% |
 The Top 5 SASE Solutions of 2025 - Check Point Softwarehttps://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/network-security/what-is-secure-access-service-edge-sase/sase-architecture/top-5-sase-solutions-2025/ | 2% |
 Top 10 Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Solutions for Zero Trust ...https://www.cloudnuro.ai/blog/top-10-secure-access-service-edge-sase-solutions-for-zero-trust-networking | 2% |
 Top 10 SASE Solutions Compared 2024https://www.cyberhaven.com/guides/top-secure-access-service-edge-sase-software-products-vendors-solutions | 2% |
 Best Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platforms 2026https://www.trustradius.com/categories/secure-access-service-edge | 2% |
 Best Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Solutions for 2026https://www.peerspot.com/categories/secure-access-service-edge-sase | 2% |
 12 Best Secure Access Service Edge SASE Solutionshttps://www.sangfor.com/blog/cybersecurity/top-12-secure-access-service-edge-sase-solutions | 2% |
 The Top 10 SASE Solution of 2026 (Secure Access Service Edge)https://qualysec.com/sase-solution/ | 2% |
 The 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms Is Out: A New Era of Secure Access Beginshttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2025-gartner-magic-quadrant-sase-platforms-out-new-era-secure-adxmc | 2% |
For a **global enterprise replacing MPLS**, I’d shortlist **Cato, Cisco, Palo Alto Prisma SASE, Netskope, Zscaler, and Fortinet** rather than pick solely from SSE rankings. Gartner’s 2026 SASE evaluation includes all six. [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/8183329?utm_source=chatgpt.com)…
For a global enterprise replacing MPLS, I’d shortlist Cato, Cisco, Palo Alto Prisma SASE, Netskope, Zscaler, and Fortinet rather than pick solely from SSE rankings. Gartner’s 2026 SASE evaluation includes all six.
For an MPLS replacement, I would make the proof-of-concept test SD-WAN path selection, global POP/backbone performance, application QoE, cloud/private-app connectivity, outage recovery, and operational simplicity—not just security features. Gartner explicitly evaluates SD-WAN, infrastructure delivery, administration and private-application access alongside security capabilities.
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with SASE for a global enterprise is a massive shift—moving away from rigid, expensive circuits to a nimble, cloud-delivered edge. Because "best" depends heavily on whether your priority is raw security depth, a built-in global private backbone, or tight integration with your existing…
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with SASE for a global enterprise is a massive shift—moving away from rigid, expensive circuits to a nimble, cloud-delivered edge. Because "best" depends heavily on whether your priority is raw security depth, a built-in global private backbone, or tight integration with your existing network gear, the market generally anchors on a few standout enterprise leaders.
Here is how the top-tier SASE platforms stack up for global deployments:
To help narrow down which of these fits your environment, tell me a bit more about your setup:
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture is a major milestone, and choosing the right platform depends heavily on whether your priority is deep networking/SD-WAN control, native cloud security, or absolute…
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture is a major milestone, and choosing the right platform depends heavily on whether your priority is deep networking/SD-WAN control, native cloud security, or absolute simplicity.
According to the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms , the market is led by a few standout platforms, each catering to different enterprise DNA.
The top SASE platforms for global enterprises break down as follows:
To help narrow down which platform fits your environment, could you share:
For a **global enterprise replacing MPLS**, I’d put **Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE, Cato SASE, Netskope, Fortinet, and Zscaler** into the final evaluation—but the right choice depends heavily on whether your priority is **network transformation, security depth, or operational simplicity**. As of **September 2026**,…
For a global enterprise replacing MPLS, I’d put Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE, Cato SASE, Netskope, Fortinet, and Zscaler into the final evaluation—but the right choice depends heavily on whether your priority is network transformation, security depth, or operational simplicity.
As of September 2026, Gartner’s latest SASE Platforms research was published July 28, 2026 and evaluates Cato, Cisco, Cloudflare, Fortinet, HPE, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Sangfor, Versa, Zscaler and others. Gartner’s companion Critical Capabilities research specifically evaluates SD-WAN, private applications, cloud security, data security, threat protection, adaptive access, administration and branch modernization.
| Platform | Particularly strong for | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto Prisma SASE | Deep security + SD-WAN + existing Palo Alto ecosystem | Can be complex; potentially expensive |
| Cato SASE | Replacing MPLS with a highly integrated cloud WAN | Less attractive if you need very deep security/data controls |
| Netskope SASE | SSE, CASB, DLP and data-centric security | WAN/SD-WAN capabilities need careful validation for a large branch estate |
| Fortinet | Branch networking, SD-WAN and integrated security | Cloud-native SSE experience may differ from the pure-play SSE vendors |
| Zscaler | Zero-trust/SSE, internet and SaaS access | Treat the WAN/SD-WAN portion as a separate evaluation |
| Cisco | Existing Cisco-heavy environments and broad enterprise networking | Validate how unified the operational experience is across the portfolio |
Gartner's 2025 research explicitly notes meaningful differences between vendors and evaluates capabilities such as SD-WAN, branch modernization, private applications, SaaS visibility, data security and threat protection—not simply a generic "SASE" score.
I'd structure the evaluation around five things, rather than asking vendors for a generic SASE demo:
This last point matters more than vendor presentations suggest: Gartner's research has found that although most vendors call their offerings "unified," fewer than half provided a genuinely unified platform with a single management console and policy engine in its 2024 analysis.
If you're already a substantial Palo Alto shop: evaluate Prisma SASE first. Prisma combines Prisma Access with Prisma SD-WAN, and Palo Alto documents SD-WAN specifically as a mechanism for transforming legacy WANs into a hybrid, application-driven WAN.
If the goal is specifically "kill MPLS and simplify the WAN": make Cato a serious contender. Its architectural model is particularly relevant when you want networking and security delivered as one cloud service rather than assembling multiple products.
If security/data protection is driving the project: put Netskope and Zscaler prominently into the proof of concept, while separately stress-testing their WAN capabilities against your branch requirements. Gartner treats SSE as a distinct market and its 2026 SSE research includes Netskope, Palo Alto, Zscaler, Cloudflare, Cisco and others.
If you're heavily invested in Fortinet at branches: Fortinet deserves a serious evaluation because minimizing the number of technologies at the branch can materially affect deployment and operations.
Don't select the platform from an RFP spreadsheet. Run a 60–90 day bake-off with 5–10 representative sites:
Give each vendor identical Internet circuits and test real applications, especially Microsoft 365, SaaS, voice/video, private applications and your most latency-sensitive workloads.
I'd also make vendors demonstrate MPLS failure, Internet degradation, tunnel failure, PoP failure, identity-provider failure and security-policy changes live. Those tests tend to reveal much more than feature matrices.
If you tell me roughly (1) number of sites, (2) countries/regions, (3) users, (4) current Cisco/Palo Alto/Fortinet/Zscaler/Netskope footprint, (5) percentage of traffic going to SaaS vs private datacenters, and (6) your MPLS spend, I can turn this into a shortlist + weighted SASE evaluation matrix tailored to your environment.
Don't select the platform from an RFP spreadsheet. Run a 60–90 day bake-off with 5–10 representative sites:
For a **global enterprise replacing legacy MPLS**, there is no single universally “best” SASE platform. The right choice depends on whether your priority is **global private-app access, SD-WAN replacement, data protection, existing security stack consolidation, or operational simplicity**. The leading SASE platforms…
For a global enterprise replacing legacy MPLS, there is no single universally “best” SASE platform. The right choice depends on whether your priority is global private-app access, SD-WAN replacement, data protection, existing security stack consolidation, or operational simplicity. The leading SASE platforms today include vendors such as Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks, Netskope, Cato Networks, Fortinet, Cisco, Versa, Cloudflare, and others.
For many large enterprises, I would shortlist these:
| Platform | Best fit | Strengths | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange | Cloud-first global enterprises | Excellent zero-trust architecture, strong secure web gateway (SWG), ZTNA, large global cloud footprint | Often paired with another SD-WAN provider; networking depth may be less attractive for MPLS replacement alone |
| Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE | Security-centric enterprises | Strong firewall lineage, threat prevention, ZTNA, security consolidation | Can be complex if you are not already standardized on Palo Alto |
| Netskope One SASE | Data-protection-heavy organizations | Strong CASB, DLP, SaaS visibility, data-centric security model | Evaluate branch networking maturity for your specific topology |
| Cato Networks SASE Cloud Platform | Enterprises wanting a simpler MPLS replacement | Built as a converged SASE platform with integrated global network backbone and security | May require architectural changes if you have deeply embedded legacy routing/security designs |
| Fortinet FortiSASE | Existing Fortinet customers | Strong SD-WAN + security integration, good branch story | Best fit when Fortinet is already strategic |
| Cisco Secure Access/SASE portfolio | Cisco-heavy enterprises | Broad ecosystem, networking integration, existing operational familiarity | Validate roadmap and operational simplicity versus newer cloud-native competitors |
Gartner’s recent SASE evaluations continue to show a broad field of major vendors rather than one dominant winner; the important differences are in areas such as SD-WAN, secure access to private applications, cloud security controls, data protection, and management simplicity.
Start with:
Start with:
For a Fortune-500-scale deployment, I would usually run a proof of concept with:
The winner often comes down to whether your organization thinks of SASE primarily as a network modernization project (favoring Cato/Fortinet/Versa/Cisco-style approaches) or a security transformation project (favoring Zscaler/Netskope/Palo Alto-style approaches).
If you share your approximate number of sites/users, regions, cloud mix (AWS/Azure/SaaS), current firewall vendor, and whether MPLS is mostly for branch-to-DC traffic or application access, I can narrow this to a recommended architecture and shortlist.
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture is a major shift, moving you from rigid, expensive circuits to an agile, cloud-delivered model. For a global enterprise, the "best" platform depends heavily on whether your core heritage is networking (SD-WAN heavy) or security (SSE…
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture is a major shift, moving you from rigid, expensive circuits to an agile, cloud-delivered model. For a global enterprise, the "best" platform depends heavily on whether your core heritage is networking (SD-WAN heavy) or security (SSE heavy).
According to industry analysis and the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms , the market is dominated by a few standout leaders with distinct architectural approaches:
To help narrow down the ideal platform for your migration, tell me:
If the goal is **replacing legacy MPLS for a large, geographically distributed enterprise**, my default shortlist in 2026 would be: 1. **Netskope SASE — best overall** 2. **Palo Alto Networks Prisma SASE — best for security-first enterprises**
If the goal is replacing legacy MPLS for a large, geographically distributed enterprise, my default shortlist in 2026 would be:
The market has matured considerably: Gartner's July 2026 SASE research evaluates 12 vendors, including Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, Cisco, Cato, Fortinet, Cloudflare and Versa, and specifically highlights SD-WAN, private-app security, cloud-enforced security, SaaS visibility and administration as key differentiators.
For a global enterprise starting from an MPLS architecture, I'd put Netskope SASE at the top of the RFP.
Why:
| Platform | I'd choose it when… | Main attraction |
|---|---|---|
| Netskope SASE | You want the strongest balance of networking + security + data protection | Best overall |
| Prisma SASE | Security is paramount and you already run Palo Alto | Excellent security integration |
| Cato SASE | You want to radically simplify WAN operations | Very integrated, cloud-native architecture |
| Zscaler | Zero Trust/SSE is the center of the strategy | Excellent identity-centric access model |
| Cisco SASE | You have a large Cisco installed base | Migration/integration advantages |
| Fortinet SASE | Branch appliances and security hardware remain important | Strong branch/security convergence |
| Versa | You want granular networking control and flexibility | Strong SD-WAN/networking heritage |
There's an important architectural distinction here: don't treat "MPLS replacement" as simply swapping MPLS circuits for Internet circuits. The bigger opportunity is changing the architecture from branch-centric private networking to identity-, application-, and policy-centric access.
For example, instead of:
Branch → MPLS → HQ/Data Center → Firewall → Application you want to move toward:
User/branch → nearest secure edge → policy enforcement → SaaS/cloud/private application That can substantially reduce backhauling and make Internet/SaaS traffic much more efficient.
Run a bake-off with Netskope, Palo Alto and Cato, with Zscaler included if your strategy is particularly zero-trust/SSE oriented.
Don't score them primarily on feature checklists. Test:
If you give me your approximate number of sites, users, geographic regions, cloud mix (AWS/Azure/GCP), and whether you already use Palo Alto/Cisco/Fortinet/Zscaler/Netskope, I can turn this into a concrete SASE RFP scorecard and recommend a target architecture.
Branch → MPLS → HQ/Data Center → Firewall → Application you want to move toward:
User/branch → nearest secure edge → policy enforcement → SaaS/cloud/private application That can substantially reduce backhauling and make Internet/SaaS traffic much more efficient.
Run a bake-off with Netskope, Palo Alto and Cato, with Zscaler included if your strategy is particularly zero-trust/SSE oriented.
Don't score them primarily on feature checklists. Test:
If you give me your approximate number of sites, users, geographic regions, cloud mix (AWS/Azure/GCP), and whether you already use Palo Alto/Cisco/Fortinet/Zscaler/Netskope, I can turn this into a concrete SASE RFP scorecard and recommend a target architecture.
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a **Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)** architecture is a massive milestone for a global enterprise. Because "best" depends heavily on your current infrastructure (networking vs. security heavy), `top-tier enterprise SASE platforms fall into distinct capability buckets`: - **Palo…
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture is a massive milestone for a global enterprise. Because "best" depends heavily on your current infrastructure (networking vs. security heavy), top-tier enterprise SASE platforms fall into distinct capability buckets:
To narrow down the ideal fit, evaluating your environment against a few core criteria is essential:
If you want, I can:
For a **global enterprise replacing MPLS**, there is no single “best” SASE platform for every organization. The right choice depends on whether your priority is **network transformation**, **security modernization**, **cloud performance**, **existing firewall investment**, or **operational simplicity**. Current SASE…
For a global enterprise replacing MPLS, there is no single “best” SASE platform for every organization. The right choice depends on whether your priority is network transformation, security modernization, cloud performance, existing firewall investment, or operational simplicity. Current SASE evaluations generally include vendors such as Zscaler, Netskope, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Cisco, Cato Networks, and others.
For a large multinational doing an MPLS replacement, I would typically shortlist these:
| Platform | Best fit | Strengths | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cato Networks | Enterprises wanting a true MPLS replacement | Cloud-native SASE, integrated SD-WAN + security, simpler operations | Less attractive if you require very deep legacy security customization |
| Zscaler | Security-first global enterprises | Very strong Zero Trust, Internet/SaaS security, global cloud security architecture | Traditionally stronger in SSE than branch networking; evaluate SD-WAN requirements carefully |
| Netskope | Cloud-heavy enterprises | Excellent data security, CASB, SaaS visibility, DLP | Network transformation capabilities may need careful validation |
| Palo Alto Networks | Organizations standardized on Palo Alto security | Strong threat prevention, Prisma SASE integration, mature security stack | Can be more complex if you are trying to simplify operations |
| Fortinet | Enterprises with many branches and FortiGate deployments | Strong SD-WAN, firewall integration, branch security | Ensure the cloud-native SASE operating model matches your goals |
| Cisco | Cisco-heavy enterprises | Broad networking/security portfolio, existing skill base | Validate platform consolidation and management experience |
Gartner Gartner## My typical recommendation by scenario
Shortlist: Cato, Fortinet, Cisco, Versa
A legacy MPLS replacement is usually less about replacing circuits and more about:
Cato is often considered when an enterprise wants a highly integrated “network as a service” model.
Shortlist: Zscaler, Palo Alto, Netskope
These are strong choices if the goal is:
Zscaler and Palo Alto are among the vendors recognized in recent SASE market evaluations.
Shortlist: Fortinet, Cato, Cisco
For branch-heavy organizations, pay special attention to:
Fortinet positions its SASE offering around converged SD-WAN and security capabilities.
For a typical Fortune 1000–style global deployment, I would run a proof of concept with:
The “winner” usually emerges after testing 5–10 representative sites: headquarters, small branch, factory/OT site, remote office, and a region with strict regulatory requirements.
If you share your number of sites, regions, current firewall vendor, MPLS bandwidth/cost, cloud providers (AWS/Azure/GCP), and whether you want to replace VPN, I can narrow this to a more specific recommendation.
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture is a major structural shift. For a global enterprise, the "best" platform depends heavily on whether your priority is **deep cloud-native security (SSE)**, **heavy branch-office networking (SD-WAN)** , or a **unified single-vendor…
Replacing a legacy MPLS network with a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture is a major structural shift. For a global enterprise, the "best" platform depends heavily on whether your priority is deep cloud-native security (SSE), heavy branch-office networking (SD-WAN) , or a unified single-vendor backbone.
Industry analysis from the Gartner Magic Quadrant for SASE Platforms highlights several standout platforms tailored for large-scale international deployments:
To help narrow down which platform fits your environment, tell me:
