Global Private Backbone

Global Private Backbone is a globally distributed network controlled by the provider that connects the access points of a cloud or SASE service with each other and transports traffic over long distances independently of the public internet. Technically, it is a private middle-mile network between the first and last mile.

On the public internet, data packets follow routes that providers determine according to cost and peering agreements, not according to performance metrics. A private backbone takes over traffic at the nearest Point of Presence (PoP) and forwards it over monitored connections with predictable quality. This reduces latency, jitter and packet loss, especially on international connections, and can replace classic MPLS lines. Implementations differ in whether the backbone is based on the provider's own fiber, on the networks of large cloud providers or on leased carrier capacity.

As a product term, Global Private Backbone is used above all by Cato Networks, which operates its SASE cloud on such a network. Generically, this corresponds to the private middle-mile network of other SASE and cloud providers. Deviating from approaches with their own fiber, Cato connects its PoPs via capacity from several tier-1 carriers with SLA-backed, encrypted connections and its own route optimization. A private backbone is thus not a standalone network product, but part of the transport layer of a SASE platform.