How AKRF Orchestrated a Network Shift, Optimizing IT to Drive Expansion

Baltimore Aircoil Replaces MPLS with Cato, Improving Voice Quality, Enabling Video Conferencing, and Increasing Agility Summary: The consulting firm wanted a secure, reliable network to better manage resources for modern applications so employees could work more effectively. With the Cato SASE Platform, they got that and much more: centralized visibility, control, and the foundation for secure growth. Shaping the Spaces Where We Live and Work From The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center to Brooklyn Bridge Park and The High Line, AKRF’s work contributes to the planning, engineering and environmental insight behind some of the region’s most iconic spaces. As Vice President of Information Technology, Guy Pascarello ensures the systems that power the firm’s engineers and specialists stay fast, secure, and ready to support the projects that define the region. To do their best work, AKRF’s teams rely on uninterrupted access to shared tools, complex software, and large datasets. When technology simply works, consultants have the freedom to think creatively, collaborate easily, and deliver the transformative results their clients expect. That continuity is also critical to the bottom line. With work structured around billable hours and tightly coordinated schedules, any downtime can impact revenue. “Nobody cares how the technology works—they just need it to work,” Pascarello said. Ensuring that reliability meant rethinking AKRF’s underlying network, the backbone supporting every moment of original thinking. A new name blows away the competition At AKRF, the guiding belief is that “to be original is to be transformative.” For Pascarello, that mindset applied just as much to the company’s network infrastructure as it did to the work its teams delivered. To keep AKRF’s people productive—and protect the creativity and billable time their projects depend on—he needed a foundation that was reliable, scalable, and simple to support. With 16 offices across the East Coast of the U.S. and plans to grow, AKRF needed a network with robust inter-office connectivity and agility. The firm’s homegrown setup, consisting of site-to-site VPNs across firewalls, simply wasn’t up to the task. “It worked, but no one knew how to support it. If the network went down, we had no way to recover, which left us exposed,” said Pascarello. Moving the firm to a highly-available SD-WAN solution became the VP’s immediate priority. With decades of expertise, Pascarello framed the decision around five priorities: Focus on overall value instead of just the price. Aim for growth through quickly scalable solutions. Buy over build, as it’s more time- and cost-effective in the long run. Turn to the cloud to avoid buying hardware and managing servers. Turn network connectivity into a dependable, reliable service. Reaching out to his trusted solutions provider, CDW, Pascarello expected the same vendor names he’d encountered before. One, however, was new: Cato Networks. The Cato SASE Platform converges SD-WAN, a global backbone, and Security Service Edge (SSE). The SASE architecture would allow AKRF to move from rigid point solutions to a unified, scalable cloud service for both their networking and security needs. During the demo, the team discovered Cato was simpler to configure, more robust, and less expensive than the competition.  “We were blown away by the pitch from Cato, and it was like a layup at that point," Pascarello said. “We were sure from the moment we saw it that this was going to be the solution for us.” More than four years later, they’re still going strong and continue to expand. Effortless Connectivity and Visibility Across an Expanding Footprint The real value of AKRF’s new architectural agility became obvious when they acquired two companies within nine months. Pascarello’s team was able to make adjustments without complex, time-consuming integrations and installation of new networking hardware. A major difference-maker was the Cato Socket, a zero-touch edge SD-WAN device. The simplicity of the Cato Socket meant it could easily support connecting new locations or replacing old ones. No lengthy site-by-site configurations required.  “All I have to do is move or bring the Cato Sockets, plug them in, rename them, and away we go. They're simple, effective, and fast,” Pascarello said. Knowing they can bring a new location online easily is a big victory, but having full visibility over all locations is just as important. The Cato Management Application (CMA) provides the team with centralized visibility and control over their entire networking environment, serving as a single pane of glass for all connected sites, cloud resources, and users. This unified view eliminated the complexity of aggregating data from multiple appliances and gave them visibility on newly acquired sites immediately. “In the visibility department, we are way ahead of where we were. Using CMA to navigate and manage our environment allows us to readily see what’s going on and quickly respond where we need to,” Pascarello said. “Using CMA to navigate and manage our environment allows us to readily see what’s going on and quickly respond where we need to.” Guy Pascarello, VP of IT, AKRF With greater visibility and control over their network environment, IT can quickly address performance concerns before they affect users. AKRF employees now have fast, reliable access to the applications and data that drive their work and there’s no risk to revenue. “It's a comfort to have technology that’s always available and secure, that works as well as Cato does, with a single point of presence.” “It’s a comfort to have technology that’s always available and secure, that works as well as Cato does, with a single point of presence.” Guy Pascarello, VP of IT, AKRF Since first deploying Cato, Pascarello has begun leveraging other Cato platform capabilities: Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for remote users with integrated Microsoft 365 Single Sign-On (SSO) in place of traditional VPNs, enabling granular, application-level access control, eliminating the pain of managing multiple passwords, and protecting all user activity with Cato's built-in network security stack. Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) to gain comprehensive insight into cloud application usage and prevent shadow IT. Data Loss Prevention (DLP), which prevents confidential client and project data from being inadvertently shared and to ensure policy compliance as they explore new platforms.  IT That Delivers Stronger, More Effective Teams Gaining a dependable platform has freed AKRF’s IT team from everyday worries that stand in the way of progress. Where security concerns typically keep IT leaders up at night, AKRF’s environment now consistently passes annual penetration tests with flying colors, with the Cato-powered security posture being “super secure” and virtually impenetrable.  Lost productivity is lost revenue, so IT’s value lies in maintaining an environment where teams can work at their most effective, securely. By migrating to Cato, AKRF effectively offloaded the costs and complexity of scaling, upgrading, and patching the underlying network and security infrastructure, allowing Pascarello’s team to focus on higher-value initiatives that move the business forward.  In regular meetings with group leaders, they no longer discuss network issues like slow speeds that impact project work and billable time. Instead, they discuss how IT can support growth, primarily through two activities: Implementing business analytics to better visualize AKRF’s data Incorporating more AI-powered tools to make work more effective “I don’t have to worry about the Cato platform, inter-office connectivity, or our infrastructure becoming an issue,” Pascarello said. “Knowing I have that baseline to build on means we can focus on other opportunities to grow.” “I don’t have to worry about the Cato platform, inter-office connectivity, or our infrastructure becoming an issue. Knowing I have that baseline to build on means we can focus on other opportunities to grow.” Guy Pascarello, VP of Information Technology, AKRF Cato has given AKRF the reliable foundation its teams need to stay fully focused on the work that shapes communities—not the tech behind it. With the stability in place, Pascarello can ensure every employee, including those in his team, has the uninterrupted environment required to deliver their best work and drive strong outcomes for both clients and the firm.

CIAL Dun & Bradstreet Improves Networking and Security in Latin American with Cato Summary: The consulting firm wanted a secure, reliable network to better manage resources for modern applications so employees could work more effectively. With the Cato SASE Platform, they got that and much more: centralized visibility, control, and the foundation for secure growth. Shaping the Spaces Where We Live and Work From The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center to Brooklyn Bridge Park and The High Line, AKRF’s work contributes to the planning, engineering and environmental insight behind some of the region’s most iconic spaces. As Vice President of Information Technology, Guy Pascarello ensures the systems that power the firm’s engineers and specialists stay fast, secure, and ready to support the projects that define the region. To do their best work, AKRF’s teams rely on uninterrupted access to shared tools, complex software, and large datasets. When technology simply works, consultants have the freedom to think creatively, collaborate easily, and deliver the transformative results their clients expect. That continuity is also critical to the bottom line. With work structured around billable hours and tightly coordinated schedules, any downtime can impact revenue. “Nobody cares how the technology works—they just need it to work,” Pascarello said. Ensuring that reliability meant rethinking AKRF’s underlying network, the backbone supporting every moment of original thinking. A new name blows away the competition At AKRF, the guiding belief is that “to be original is to be transformative.” For Pascarello, that mindset applied just as much to the company’s network infrastructure as it did to the work its teams delivered. To keep AKRF’s people productive—and protect the creativity and billable time their projects depend on—he needed a foundation that was reliable, scalable, and simple to support. With 16 offices across the East Coast of the U.S. and plans to grow, AKRF needed a network with robust inter-office connectivity and agility. The firm’s homegrown setup, consisting of site-to-site VPNs across firewalls, simply wasn’t up to the task. “It worked, but no one knew how to support it. If the network went down, we had no way to recover, which left us exposed,” said Pascarello. Moving the firm to a highly-available SD-WAN solution became the VP’s immediate priority. With decades of expertise, Pascarello framed the decision around five priorities: Focus on overall value instead of just the price. Aim for growth through quickly scalable solutions. Buy over build, as it’s more time- and cost-effective in the long run. Turn to the cloud to avoid buying hardware and managing servers. Turn network connectivity into a dependable, reliable service. Reaching out to his trusted solutions provider, CDW, Pascarello expected the same vendor names he’d encountered before. One, however, was new: Cato Networks. The Cato SASE Platform converges SD-WAN, a global backbone, and Security Service Edge (SSE). The SASE architecture would allow AKRF to move from rigid point solutions to a unified, scalable cloud service for both their networking and security needs. During the demo, the team discovered Cato was simpler to configure, more robust, and less expensive than the competition.  “We were blown away by the pitch from Cato, and it was like a layup at that point," Pascarello said. “We were sure from the moment we saw it that this was going to be the solution for us.” More than four years later, they’re still going strong and continue to expand. Effortless Connectivity and Visibility Across an Expanding Footprint The real value of AKRF’s new architectural agility became obvious when they acquired two companies within nine months. Pascarello’s team was able to make adjustments without complex, time-consuming integrations and installation of new networking hardware. A major difference-maker was the Cato Socket, a zero-touch edge SD-WAN device. The simplicity of the Cato Socket meant it could easily support connecting new locations or replacing old ones. No lengthy site-by-site configurations required.  “All I have to do is move or bring the Cato Sockets, plug them in, rename them, and away we go. They're simple, effective, and fast,” Pascarello said. Knowing they can bring a new location online easily is a big victory, but having full visibility over all locations is just as important. The Cato Management Application (CMA) provides the team with centralized visibility and control over their entire networking environment, serving as a single pane of glass for all connected sites, cloud resources, and users. This unified view eliminated the complexity of aggregating data from multiple appliances and gave them visibility on newly acquired sites immediately. “In the visibility department, we are way ahead of where we were. Using CMA to navigate and manage our environment allows us to readily see what’s going on and quickly respond where we need to,” Pascarello said. “Using CMA to navigate and manage our environment allows us to readily see what’s going on and quickly respond where we need to.” Guy Pascarello, VP of IT, AKRF With greater visibility and control over their network environment, IT can quickly address performance concerns before they affect users. AKRF employees now have fast, reliable access to the applications and data that drive their work and there’s no risk to revenue. “It's a comfort to have technology that’s always available and secure, that works as well as Cato does, with a single point of presence.” “It’s a comfort to have technology that’s always available and secure, that works as well as Cato does, with a single point of presence.” Guy Pascarello, VP of IT, AKRF Since first deploying Cato, Pascarello has begun leveraging other Cato platform capabilities: Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for remote users with integrated Microsoft 365 Single Sign-On (SSO) in place of traditional VPNs, enabling granular, application-level access control, eliminating the pain of managing multiple passwords, and protecting all user activity with Cato's built-in network security stack. Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) to gain comprehensive insight into cloud application usage and prevent shadow IT. Data Loss Prevention (DLP), which prevents confidential client and project data from being inadvertently shared and to ensure policy compliance as they explore new platforms.  IT That Delivers Stronger, More Effective Teams Gaining a dependable platform has freed AKRF’s IT team from everyday worries that stand in the way of progress. Where security concerns typically keep IT leaders up at night, AKRF’s environment now consistently passes annual penetration tests with flying colors, with the Cato-powered security posture being “super secure” and virtually impenetrable.  Lost productivity is lost revenue, so IT’s value lies in maintaining an environment where teams can work at their most effective, securely. By migrating to Cato, AKRF effectively offloaded the costs and complexity of scaling, upgrading, and patching the underlying network and security infrastructure, allowing Pascarello’s team to focus on higher-value initiatives that move the business forward.  In regular meetings with group leaders, they no longer discuss network issues like slow speeds that impact project work and billable time. Instead, they discuss how IT can support growth, primarily through two activities: Implementing business analytics to better visualize AKRF’s data Incorporating more AI-powered tools to make work more effective “I don’t have to worry about the Cato platform, inter-office connectivity, or our infrastructure becoming an issue,” Pascarello said. “Knowing I have that baseline to build on means we can focus on other opportunities to grow.” “I don’t have to worry about the Cato platform, inter-office connectivity, or our infrastructure becoming an issue. Knowing I have that baseline to build on means we can focus on other opportunities to grow.” Guy Pascarello, VP of Information Technology, AKRF Cato has given AKRF the reliable foundation its teams need to stay fully focused on the work that shapes communities—not the tech behind it. With the stability in place, Pascarello can ensure every employee, including those in his team, has the uninterrupted environment required to deliver their best work and drive strong outcomes for both clients and the firm.

Diamond Braces Uses Cato to Boost WAN Security, Performance, and Reliability Summary: The consulting firm wanted a secure, reliable network to better manage resources for modern applications so employees could work more effectively. With the Cato SASE Platform, they got that and much more: centralized visibility, control, and the foundation for secure growth. Shaping the Spaces Where We Live and Work From The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Lincoln Center to Brooklyn Bridge Park and The High Line, AKRF’s work contributes to the planning, engineering and environmental insight behind some of the region’s most iconic spaces. As Vice President of Information Technology, Guy Pascarello ensures the systems that power the firm’s engineers and specialists stay fast, secure, and ready to support the projects that define the region. To do their best work, AKRF’s teams rely on uninterrupted access to shared tools, complex software, and large datasets. When technology simply works, consultants have the freedom to think creatively, collaborate easily, and deliver the transformative results their clients expect. That continuity is also critical to the bottom line. With work structured around billable hours and tightly coordinated schedules, any downtime can impact revenue. “Nobody cares how the technology works—they just need it to work,” Pascarello said. Ensuring that reliability meant rethinking AKRF’s underlying network, the backbone supporting every moment of original thinking. A new name blows away the competition At AKRF, the guiding belief is that “to be original is to be transformative.” For Pascarello, that mindset applied just as much to the company’s network infrastructure as it did to the work its teams delivered. To keep AKRF’s people productive—and protect the creativity and billable time their projects depend on—he needed a foundation that was reliable, scalable, and simple to support. With 16 offices across the East Coast of the U.S. and plans to grow, AKRF needed a network with robust inter-office connectivity and agility. The firm’s homegrown setup, consisting of site-to-site VPNs across firewalls, simply wasn’t up to the task. “It worked, but no one knew how to support it. If the network went down, we had no way to recover, which left us exposed,” said Pascarello. Moving the firm to a highly-available SD-WAN solution became the VP’s immediate priority. With decades of expertise, Pascarello framed the decision around five priorities: Focus on overall value instead of just the price. Aim for growth through quickly scalable solutions. Buy over build, as it’s more time- and cost-effective in the long run. Turn to the cloud to avoid buying hardware and managing servers. Turn network connectivity into a dependable, reliable service. Reaching out to his trusted solutions provider, CDW, Pascarello expected the same vendor names he’d encountered before. One, however, was new: Cato Networks. The Cato SASE Platform converges SD-WAN, a global backbone, and Security Service Edge (SSE). The SASE architecture would allow AKRF to move from rigid point solutions to a unified, scalable cloud service for both their networking and security needs. During the demo, the team discovered Cato was simpler to configure, more robust, and less expensive than the competition.  “We were blown away by the pitch from Cato, and it was like a layup at that point," Pascarello said. “We were sure from the moment we saw it that this was going to be the solution for us.” More than four years later, they’re still going strong and continue to expand. Effortless Connectivity and Visibility Across an Expanding Footprint The real value of AKRF’s new architectural agility became obvious when they acquired two companies within nine months. Pascarello’s team was able to make adjustments without complex, time-consuming integrations and installation of new networking hardware. A major difference-maker was the Cato Socket, a zero-touch edge SD-WAN device. The simplicity of the Cato Socket meant it could easily support connecting new locations or replacing old ones. No lengthy site-by-site configurations required.  “All I have to do is move or bring the Cato Sockets, plug them in, rename them, and away we go. They're simple, effective, and fast,” Pascarello said. Knowing they can bring a new location online easily is a big victory, but having full visibility over all locations is just as important. The Cato Management Application (CMA) provides the team with centralized visibility and control over their entire networking environment, serving as a single pane of glass for all connected sites, cloud resources, and users. This unified view eliminated the complexity of aggregating data from multiple appliances and gave them visibility on newly acquired sites immediately. “In the visibility department, we are way ahead of where we were. Using CMA to navigate and manage our environment allows us to readily see what’s going on and quickly respond where we need to,” Pascarello said. “Using CMA to navigate and manage our environment allows us to readily see what’s going on and quickly respond where we need to.” Guy Pascarello, VP of IT, AKRF With greater visibility and control over their network environment, IT can quickly address performance concerns before they affect users. AKRF employees now have fast, reliable access to the applications and data that drive their work and there’s no risk to revenue. “It's a comfort to have technology that’s always available and secure, that works as well as Cato does, with a single point of presence.” “It’s a comfort to have technology that’s always available and secure, that works as well as Cato does, with a single point of presence.” Guy Pascarello, VP of IT, AKRF Since first deploying Cato, Pascarello has begun leveraging other Cato platform capabilities: Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for remote users with integrated Microsoft 365 Single Sign-On (SSO) in place of traditional VPNs, enabling granular, application-level access control, eliminating the pain of managing multiple passwords, and protecting all user activity with Cato's built-in network security stack. Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) to gain comprehensive insight into cloud application usage and prevent shadow IT. Data Loss Prevention (DLP), which prevents confidential client and project data from being inadvertently shared and to ensure policy compliance as they explore new platforms.  IT That Delivers Stronger, More Effective Teams Gaining a dependable platform has freed AKRF’s IT team from everyday worries that stand in the way of progress. Where security concerns typically keep IT leaders up at night, AKRF’s environment now consistently passes annual penetration tests with flying colors, with the Cato-powered security posture being “super secure” and virtually impenetrable.  Lost productivity is lost revenue, so IT’s value lies in maintaining an environment where teams can work at their most effective, securely. By migrating to Cato, AKRF effectively offloaded the costs and complexity of scaling, upgrading, and patching the underlying network and security infrastructure, allowing Pascarello’s team to focus on higher-value initiatives that move the business forward.  In regular meetings with group leaders, they no longer discuss network issues like slow speeds that impact project work and billable time. Instead, they discuss how IT can support growth, primarily through two activities: Implementing business analytics to better visualize AKRF’s data Incorporating more AI-powered tools to make work more effective “I don’t have to worry about the Cato platform, inter-office connectivity, or our infrastructure becoming an issue,” Pascarello said. “Knowing I have that baseline to build on means we can focus on other opportunities to grow.” “I don’t have to worry about the Cato platform, inter-office connectivity, or our infrastructure becoming an issue. Knowing I have that baseline to build on means we can focus on other opportunities to grow.” Guy Pascarello, VP of Information Technology, AKRF Cato has given AKRF the reliable foundation its teams need to stay fully focused on the work that shapes communities—not the tech behind it. With the stability in place, Pascarello can ensure every employee, including those in his team, has the uninterrupted environment required to deliver their best work and drive strong outcomes for both clients and the firm.