Best SD-WAN and SASE providers for healthcare (2026)

1. No. 1 · Score 95.8

   Cato Networks

   Cloud-native SASE / SD-WAN platform · Typical deployment: hours

   Cato's converged architecture runs SD-WAN policy and security policy through the same engine, which has a direct consequence for IoMT segmentation. A new infusion pump, imaging modality or nurse call device gets the same micro-segmentation policy applied at every site, because there's only one policy to apply - not a network team's configuration and a separate security team's configuration that need to be kept aligned. In estates where medical devices are onboarded continuously and not always by the same team, that consistency is the main argument for Cato in a healthcare context.

   Application-aware routing for Epic or Cerner traffic sits in the same policy layer, so prioritisation rules for clinical systems don't need separate reconciliation against SD-WAN QoS settings.

   Watch out: Trusts already committed to Zscaler or Netskope as their SSE layer - whether through an existing enterprise agreement or a compliance sign-off already completed - will find Cato's architecture doesn't accommodate that alongside it. For a trust mid-way through a separate SSE procurement, that's a more significant decision than the deployment-in-hours headline implies, and worth raising before evaluation goes much further.

   Contact Cato Networks via Netify ↗

2. No. 2 · Score 92.6

   Versa Networks

   SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: weeks

   Multi-tenancy from the ground up, making Versa a common choice for service providers and carriers building managed SD-WAN and SASE platforms.

   Watch out: Less well-known to enterprise buyers as a direct purchase; most enterprise consumption is via service providers.

   Contact Versa Networks via Netify ↗

3. No. 3 · Score 92.4

   Fortinet

   Secure SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: days

   Native convergence of networking and security on a single operating system (FortiOS) across FortiGate edge, FortiManager and FortiSASE.

   Watch out: Like Cisco, managed delivery is via partners rather than Fortinet directly; underlay and field operations are not owned by the vendor.

   Contact Fortinet via Netify ↗

4. No. 4 · Score 92.1

   Palo Alto Networks

   SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: weeks

   Prisma SASE's security depth is the main reason this sits in the top 10 despite a lower overall score than the managed providers above it, and for healthcare that depth translates fairly directly into IoMT segmentation capability. ZTNA and micro-segmentation are core to how Prisma is architected rather than added on, which means isolating a vulnerable infusion pump or an unpatched legacy imaging workstation from the rest of the network is a native capability.

   ADEM - digital experience management - is also relevant to clinical application prioritisation. It doesn't only route Epic or PACS traffic with priority; it provides visibility into whether that prioritisation translates into acceptable performance at the point of use, which is the difference between confirming QoS is configured and confirming a radiologist's PACS viewer actually performs.

   Watch out: That capability comes at a price point noticeably higher than firewall-led SD-WAN vendors, and the commercial model needs careful scoping across users, bandwidth, locations and term. For a healthcare network with a large number of smaller sites - community clinics, GP practices, diagnostic centres - the per-site economics of Prisma's security depth may not stack up the same way as for a smaller number of large acute hospitals where security requirements are highest. This is worth modelling against the actual site mix rather than an estate-wide average.

   Contact Palo Alto Networks via Netify ↗

5. No. 5 · Score 91.8

   HPE Aruba Networking

   SD-WAN / SSE / branch technology vendor · Typical deployment: days

   EdgeConnect SD-WAN (acquired with Silver Peak) is positioned as the foundation for single-vendor SASE alongside Aruba SSE.

   Watch out: Aruba SSE is newer than the SSE leaders (Zscaler, Netskope); buyers wanting best-of-breed SASE should evaluate the SSE capability set carefully.

   Contact HPE Aruba Networking via Netify ↗

6. No. 6 · Score 89

   AT&T Business

   Global carrier managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: months

   AT&T's multi-vendor platform options, including Fortinet for AT&T SASE, mean a hospital network running different EHR systems or different generations of imaging equipment across its sites isn't forced onto a single architecture. For 24/7 care resilience, that flexibility is useful in practice - a flagship site with a 24-hour emergency department and a smaller outpatient clinic have different failover requirements, and AT&T's portfolio can be matched accordingly rather than applying one standard everywhere.

   On data sovereignty, AT&T's HIPAA credentials are well-established, though for trusts with DSPT obligations or any cross-border processing, the specific platform proposed will determine where that data is actually handled.

   Watch out: Because the underlying platform varies by service tier, the compliance picture isn't fixed at the outset - it depends on which platform AT&T proposes for the scope in question. A trust that signs off on AT&T's general HIPAA posture, then finds during implementation that the specific platform variant handles data-in-transit encryption differently to what was assumed, is left reworking a compliance position that should have been confirmed earlier. Get the platform specification in writing before sign-off.

   Contact AT&T Business via Netify ↗

7. No. 7 · Score 88.6

   NTT DATA / NTT Ltd.

   Global managed network provider · Typical deployment: months

   NTT's global operations centres run 24x7, which aligns closely with how care settings operate - the follow-the-sun handover between centres means there's an active team monitoring at all times, rather than an on-call response after an issue is reported.

   The portal visibility NTT provide is also relevant to compliance teams specifically. Trusts needing to demonstrate to auditors how patient data flows are monitored, and where clinical traffic is routed, have that information readily accessible rather than needing to request it on a case-by-case basis - which reduces friction in DSPT evidence-gathering.

   Watch out: NTT's managed service wraps around platforms from the likes of Palo Alto and Zscaler rather than a single NTT-built stack, so the IoMT segmentation and clinical application prioritisation capability available depends on which platform is proposed for the estate. The 24x7 operations model is consistent regardless of platform, but medical device micro-segmentation needs assessing against the specific underlying technology rather than assumed from NTT's overall score.

   Contact NTT DATA / NTT Ltd. via Netify ↗

8. No. 8 · Score 88.2

   Verizon Business

   Global carrier managed SD-WAN / SASE provider · Typical deployment: months

   Verizon's North American network has been built up over years of supporting emergency services and first responder communications, and the resilience engineering from that work extends into the managed SD-WAN service - relevant for health systems where network downtime carries a direct patient safety dimension rather than being purely an operational inconvenience.

   International delivery extends well beyond the US, which is useful for health systems with research, supply chain or partner connections overseas, though the platform underpinning that delivery has implications for clinical traffic handling, covered below.

   Watch out: A largely Versa-based platform has a direct bearing on application-aware routing. Versa's approach to traffic classification is mature, but where a trust's other sites - or a wider integrated care system - run on a different SD-WAN technology, the result is two different application-aware routing logics applied to the same categories of clinical traffic. For a single hospital this is unlikely to matter; for an integrated care system standardising policy across multiple providers, it's a genuine consideration.

   Contact Verizon Business via Netify ↗

9. No. 9 · Score 87.9

   Cisco

   SD-WAN / SASE technology vendor · Typical deployment: weeks

   Broadest platform portfolio in the category, covering Catalyst SD-WAN for enterprise WAN, Meraki MX for cloud-managed branch, and Cisco Secure Access for converged SASE delivery.

   Watch out: Two distinct SD-WAN product lines (Catalyst and Meraki) means buyers should confirm which fits the target deployment profile and the longer-term roadmap.

   Contact Cisco via Netify ↗

10. No. 10 · Score 87.3

    Lumen

    Managed SD-WAN / NaaS provider · Typical deployment: months

    Fully managed or co-managed SD-WAN with strong NaaS positioning and integrated network services.

    Watch out: SASE and security capabilities are largely partner-integrated rather than native; the SSE platform choice needs explicit evaluation.

    Contact Lumen via Netify ↗

Scores are weighted across 40 capabilities with points accrued based on: yes 1.0, via partner 0.75, via managed service 0.65, partial 0.5, not confirmed 0.15, not primary 0. Extended dimensions are indicative desk research; confirm via RFP.