{"name":"BT Managed Fortinet or Cisco Meraki platform assessment","canonical":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-fortinet-meraki/","dataUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-fortinet-meraki/data.json","evidenceDataset":{"name":"BT Managed SD-WAN and SASE evidence databank","canonical":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/","dataUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/data.json","version":"2026.08.24","reviewed":"2026-08-24","author":"Harry Yelland","authorRole":"Cybersecurity Writer, Netify","reviewer":"Robert Sturt","reviewerRole":"Managing Director, Netify and BT Authorised Partner since 2012","licence":"CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Netify","methodology":"Every entry is labelled Confirmed, Partial evidence or Gap - not found. Confirmed entries require public supporting evidence. Partial entries identify what is supported and what remains uncertain. Gap records are retained so agents do not fill missing facts with assumptions."},"storage":"neon-postgres","lastVerified":"2026-08-24","purpose":"Help a buyer test whether BT Managed Fortinet, BT Managed Cisco Meraki or a balanced platform review best fits their stated estate.","methodology":"A deterministic requirements-fit model applies disclosed decision criteria to buyer inputs and links every material conclusion to the sourced BT evidence databank. It is not a vendor performance benchmark and does not replace a formal BT design or quotation.","assessmentInputs":{"siteBand":["1-10","11-50","51-250","251+"],"footprint":["uk","multinational"],"sector":["healthcare","financial-services","manufacturing","retail","other"],"existingEstate":["fortinet","meraki-cisco","mixed","neither"],"primaryDriver":["security-compliance","operational-simplicity","rapid-rollout","it-ot","application-performance"],"operatingModel":["self-managed","co-managed","fully-managed"]},"decisionCriteria":{"fortinet":["Existing Fortinet estate","Security and compliance","SASE requirement","IT and OT separation"],"meraki":["Existing Cisco or Meraki estate","Operational simplicity","Rapid rollout","Wider branch technology"],"btManaged":["Fully managed or co-managed preference","Larger site estate","Multinational footprint","SASE requirement"]},"documentedBoundary":"BT's latest documented managed SASE service is Fortinet-powered. Cisco Meraki is assessed here as a BT Managed SD-WAN platform route.","editorialGuide":{"title":"Buy BT Managed SD-WAN: Fortinet or Cisco Meraki","author":"Harry Yelland, Cybersecurity Writer, Netify","reviewer":"Robert Sturt, Managing Director, Netify","reviewed":"2026-08-26","serviceModel":"Both routes are Associated Services under BT's Managed Service Schedule. The applicable Order defines the Standard Service Components, Service Options and Service Management Boundary.","meraki":{"standardComponents":["SD-WAN CPE Devices","LAN switches","Wi-Fi access points","Cloud Hosted Control Infrastructure","Cloud Hosted Report Infrastructure","Transport Independent VPN","Application Aware Routing"],"options":["Mobile Data Access","Virtual MX for AWS or Microsoft Azure"],"evidence":"BT's Rexel case study describes 31 branches and four logistics centres and reports that the design freed 20% of internal MPLS capacity and cut costs for that specific estate."},"fortinet":{"standardComponents":["Physical or virtual SD-WAN Devices","Cloud Hosted Control Infrastructure","Cloud Hosted Report Infrastructure","Transport Independent VPN","Application Aware Routing"],"options":["LAN switches and Wi-Fi","Mobile Data Access","Fortinet Security Options","Protective Monitoring Service","FortiSASE licences","Customer-Provided Device"],"securityBoundary":"BT does not proactively act on security alerts as standard. Protective Monitoring Service is optional and must be ordered for the documented 24/7 High and Critical event monitoring workflow."},"buyerMustValidate":["Order components and licence quantities","Enabling Service and SLA","resilience design","implementation timeline","security options","FortiSASE service locations","reporting and change control","Service Management Boundary","contract term, renewal and exit charges"]},"mcp":{"endpoint":"https://netify.co.uk/api/mcp/","tools":["assess_bt_managed_platform_fit","compare_bt_fortinet_meraki","get_bt_platform_evidence","build_bt_solution_brief","list_bt_validation_questions","request_bt_design_and_quote"]},"evidence":[{"sectionNumber":"1","section":"Product & Proposition Overview","itemNumber":"1.1","topic":"BT's SD-WAN proposition - naming/branding (e.g. BT SD-WAN, Dynamic Network Services, Cloud of Clouds positioning)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT brands this 'Managed SD-WAN' (not a distinct product name like a vendor's). Launched to UK business customers via Cisco (Viptela and Meraki) in 2020, expanded with Fortinet Secure SD-WAN in 2021. Positioned as combining fixed line, mobile data, security expertise, and proactive managed services with a single point of contact.","sources":["BT Newsroom, 'BT brings intelligent connectivity to UK businesses with new Cisco Managed SD-WAN solutions' (2020) newsroom.bt.com; business.bt.com/solutions/intelligent-connectivity/sd-wan/"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/1-1/"},{"sectionNumber":"1","section":"Product & Proposition Overview","itemNumber":"1.2","topic":"BT's SASE proposition - naming/branding, how BT positions SASE vs SD-WAN vs 'Secure Connect' type offerings","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT brands this 'managed SASE service' (also referenced as SD-WAN with SSE/SASE capabilities). Latest iteration (Nov 2024) is powered by Fortinet and marketed as helping customers 'seamlessly transition from managed SD-WAN to SASE'.","sources":["BT Newsroom, 'BT launches a new managed SASE service powered by Fortinet' (25 Nov 2024) newsroom.bt.com","Computer Weekly, 'BT unveils managed SASE service'"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/1-2/"},{"sectionNumber":"1","section":"Product & Proposition Overview","itemNumber":"1.3","topic":"Underlying technology partners BT resells/manages (list only) and which BT leads with","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"UPDATE: BT's current live SD-WAN & SASE page confirms the partner roster as Cisco, VMware, Fortinet, Zscaler and Palo Alto - adding Zscaler as a newly-confirmed current partner not present in the earlier 2020-2021 press-release-based list (Cisco/Viptela/Meraki, VMware, Nokia, Fortinet). Nokia was not listed on the current live page. Treat the vendor roster as having evolved over time; cite the current page for present-day accuracy and the press releases for historical record.","sources":["business.bt.com/networks-digital-services/sd-wan-sase/ (fetched directly, current) - see new 1.9","BT Newsroom (2020, 2024) for historical record"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/1-3/"},{"sectionNumber":"2","section":"What BT Specifically Provides (The 'On Top' Layer)","itemNumber":"2.1","topic":"Managed service wrap - monitoring, NOC/SOC, proactive management, patching cycles","confidence":"Partial evidence","details":"BT markets a 'fully managed service' including 'a dedicated management team to get you up and running quickly', 24/7 monitoring/support, and proactive issue resolution referenced generally ('we continually develop our services to resolve issues proactively before they happen'). Exact NOC/SOC structure, patch cadence, and staffing model not independently verified beyond marketing copy.","sources":["business.bt.com/solutions/intelligent-connectivity/sd-wan/; globalservices.bt.com SD-WAN solutions page"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/2-1/"},{"sectionNumber":"2","section":"What BT Specifically Provides (The 'On Top' Layer)","itemNumber":"2.13","topic":"Confirmed unified service desk / support model (updates 2.5)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT's current SD-WAN & SASE page confirms: 'We support our SD-WAN and SASE solutions with a unified service desk, providing seamless service and reduced effort' - listed explicitly as a reason to 'choose BT' alongside industry-leading partnerships, global reach, and experience. This is a firmer, directly-sourced confirmation of the single-point-of-contact model referenced more vaguely in earlier 2020 press material.","sources":["business.bt.com/networks-digital-services/sd-wan-sase/ (fetched directly)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/2-13/"},{"sectionNumber":"2","section":"What BT Specifically Provides (The 'On Top' Layer)","itemNumber":"2.14","topic":"Detailed, current SASE-specific NOC/SOC commitment (updates/resolves 2.7 gap)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT's current SASE product page states BT provides 'Converged UK NOC and SOC expertise' delivering '24/7 monitoring and security support from one integrated UK team' with five explicit commitments: single point of contact; unified incident response; 'no finger pointing between vendors'; NCSC-aligned threat intelligence; and UK data residency guaranteed. This directly answers the gap flagged earlier at 2.7 (BT Security operational structure) - BT does explicitly claim a converged, UK-based (not offshore) NOC/SOC team specifically for this product.","sources":["business.bt.com/networks-digital-services/sd-wan-sase/sase/ (fetched directly, current live page)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/2-14/"},{"sectionNumber":"2","section":"What BT Specifically Provides (The 'On Top' Layer)","itemNumber":"2.2","topic":"Onboarding & migration methodology (MPLS-to-SD-WAN transition services, phased rollout support)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"UPDATE: BT's current SASE page now publishes explicit migration/onboarding commitments: pre-deployment readiness assessments, hardware provisioning and logistics, 'phased migration with zero cutover risk' (marketing claim, not a numeric guarantee), Day 1 operational handover, and staff training/change management. See new item 2.17 for full detail - this resolves the original gap at a marketing-commitment level, though a detailed technical runbook is still not public.","sources":["business.bt.com/networks-digital-services/sd-wan-sase/sase/ (fetched directly) - see 2.17"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/2-2/"},{"sectionNumber":"2","section":"What BT Specifically Provides (The 'On Top' Layer)","itemNumber":"2.6","topic":"Global reach / multi-country delivery capability (PoPs, local loop access, in-country compliance)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"Global reach is delivered primarily via BT Global Fabric, which at its Feb 2025 general-availability launch had points of presence in 45 cloud data centres (stated objective: 140) with a plan for high-bandwidth connectivity to 700 data centres worldwide. Google Cloud WAN interconnect (Apr 2025) adds Google Partner Interconnect access at 50 of the world's top cloud locations, growing to 70 by 2026.","sources":["Telecoms.com, 'BT plugs Global Fabric into Google's Cloud WAN for AI push' (Apr 2025)","Telecoms.com, 'BT Global Fabric finally goes live' (Feb 2025)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/2-6/"},{"sectionNumber":"3","section":"Features & Capabilities (BT's Packaging, Not Vendor Specs)","itemNumber":"3.11","topic":"DLP (Data Loss Prevention) explicitly confirmed as a named SASE feature (resolves gap flagged at 3.4)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT's current SASE page explicitly names Data Protection (DLP) as a feature: 'advanced monitoring to prevent sensitive data leaks across cloud apps like M365.' This directly resolves the gap flagged earlier at 3.4, where DLP was not explicitly named in the Nov 2024 Fortinet press release and was only inferred as likely bundled within the Fortinet SASE platform.","sources":["business.bt.com/networks-digital-services/sd-wan-sase/sase/ (fetched directly)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/3-11/"},{"sectionNumber":"3","section":"Features & Capabilities (BT's Packaging, Not Vendor Specs)","itemNumber":"3.2","topic":"Application performance/QoS management as BT presents it","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT markets application-aware traffic prioritisation as a core feature: 'Managed SD-WAN prioritises traffic going through your business' with 'constant analysis' giving visibility into which applications and users are consuming bandwidth, to support informed decision-making.","sources":["business.bt.com/solutions/intelligent-connectivity/sd-wan/"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/3-2/"},{"sectionNumber":"3","section":"Features & Capabilities (BT's Packaging, Not Vendor Specs)","itemNumber":"3.3","topic":"Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) as packaged by BT","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT's Nov 2024 SASE expansion (with Fortinet) explicitly added AI-powered Security Service Edge (SSE) capabilities including Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS), secure web gateway (SWG), and cloud access security broker (CASB) - sold as a single managed SASE bundle layered on the existing SD-WAN base.","sources":["BT Newsroom (25 Nov 2024)","Total Telecom, 'BT unveils new managed SASE service' (25 Nov 2024)","Comms Business coverage"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/3-3/"},{"sectionNumber":"3","section":"Features & Capabilities (BT's Packaging, Not Vendor Specs)","itemNumber":"3.4","topic":"SWG, CASB, FWaaS, DLP - which are included/optional in BT's SASE bundles","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"UPDATE: DLP is now explicitly confirmed as a named BT SASE feature ('Data Protection (DLP): advanced monitoring to prevent sensitive data leaks across cloud apps like M365'), resolving the earlier gap where DLP was only inferred as likely bundled within Fortinet's platform. See new item 3.11.","sources":["business.bt.com/networks-digital-services/sd-wan-sase/sase/ (fetched directly) - see 3.4 original + new 3.11"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/3-4/"},{"sectionNumber":"3","section":"Features & Capabilities (BT's Packaging, Not Vendor Specs)","itemNumber":"3.9","topic":"Confirmed existence of a single unified SLA for SASE (partially resolves 2.4 gap)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"BT's current SASE page states explicitly: 'Single SLA: a single SLA and unified service management cover both connectivity and security.' This confirms BT does commit to ONE combined SLA spanning both the SD-WAN/connectivity layer and the security (SSE) layer, rather than separate SLAs per component - a genuine differentiator versus a multi-vendor DIY stack. However, no numeric uptime percentage, response time, or credit structure is published alongside this claim, so the gap flagged at 2.4 (concrete SLA figures) is only partially resolved.","sources":["business.bt.com/networks-digital-services/sd-wan-sase/sase/ (fetched directly)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/3-9/"},{"sectionNumber":"4","section":"Benefits (BT-Specific Value Proposition)","itemNumber":"4.2","topic":"Network + security convergence under one contract","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"The Nov 2024 SASE launch is explicitly framed as converging networking and security into 'a single, cloud-delivered managed SASE service', combining connectivity (fixed/5G) with Fortinet's security stack under one contract.","sources":["BT Newsroom (25 Nov 2024)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/4-2/"},{"sectionNumber":"4","section":"Benefits (BT-Specific Value Proposition)","itemNumber":"4.4","topic":"Global delivery consistency for multinational UK-headquartered firms","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"Global Fabric's expanding PoP footprint (45 cloud data centres live, target 140; target of 700 data centres worldwide for high-bandwidth connectivity) and its 2026 Gartner Leader placement for Global WAN Services support BT's positioning for multinational UK-headquartered firms needing consistent delivery across geographies.","sources":["Telecoms.com (Feb & Apr 2025); business.bt.com/insights/bt-gartner-magic-quadrant-global-wan-2026/"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/4-4/"},{"sectionNumber":"7","section":"Sector Fit Analysis","itemNumber":"7.1","topic":"Manufacturing (OT/IT convergence, multi-site plants, legacy equipment security)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"VERIFIED IN FULL (directly fetched BT's own case study page - earlier research only had the summary blurb). BT's Rexel case study (published 27 April 2020, 'Networking' category) covers Rexel Germany specifically, a subsidiary of the Rexel Group (27,000 employees, 26 countries). Rexel Germany operates 31 branches and 4 logistics centres distributing up to 300,000 components. BT deployed Connect Meraki SD-WAN, keeping the existing MPLS network for mission-critical/sensitive internal data while routing less urgent traffic over the internet, managed via a self-service online portal giving per-user/site/region visibility and real-time re-routing during traffic surges, plus new hardware/software-based firewalls. Result: freed up 20% of Rexel's internal MPLS capacity, cut costs, and improved network transparency. Named quotes from Wolfgang Tomischek (Head of ICT Services) and Thomas Spannbauer (Head of IT Infrastructure and Security). A global SD-WAN rollout across the wider Rexel Group was planned as a next step, and migrating the LAN to Meraki technology was the stated next phase.","sources":["business.bt.com/insights/case-studies/rexel/ (fetched directly, full case study text)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/7-1/"},{"sectionNumber":"7","section":"Sector Fit Analysis","itemNumber":"7.2","topic":"Financial Services (regulatory - FCA, PCI-DSS, low-latency trading considerations, branch network security)","confidence":"Partial evidence","details":"Not publicly documented - no named BT SD-WAN/SASE financial-services case study was found in this search pass. General industry context only (not BT-specific): financial services is commonly cited as a top-two most-targeted sector for cyberattacks, and SD-WAN/SASE vendors broadly market PCI-DSS and branch-network security use cases to this sector.","sources":["gomomentum.com, '5 Compelling SD-WAN use cases you need to know' (general industry context, not BT-specific)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/7-2/"},{"sectionNumber":"7","section":"Sector Fit Analysis","itemNumber":"7.3","topic":"Retail (multi-site stores, PCI compliance, seasonal scalability, POS security)","confidence":"Partial evidence","details":"Not publicly documented - no named BT SD-WAN/SASE retail case study found. BT's case-study hub does include general retail-sector customer stories (the hub's hero image references retail), but a specific SD-WAN/SASE retail deployment write-up was not located in this pass.","sources":["business.bt.com/insights/case-studies/ (general retail imagery/framing, no specific SD-WAN case study confirmed)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/7-3/"},{"sectionNumber":"7","section":"Sector Fit Analysis","itemNumber":"7.5","topic":"Healthcare (NHS framework relevance, patient data/GDPR, clinical system uptime criticality)","confidence":"Confirmed","details":"CONFIRMED - real BT-NHS relationship evidence found, though not SD-WAN/SASE-product-specific.\n\n(1) NHS Integrated Care Board case study (29 May 2024): BT's Security Advisory Services team conducted an independent cyber security posture assessment (March-July 2023) for the South West London Integrated Care Board (6 NHS trusts), using the CIS v8 framework overlaid with the NHS Data Security Protection Toolkit, Cyber Essentials, NHS 'What Good Looks Like', and NCSC requirements, mapped against the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework. Named quotes from Martin Ellis (Chief Digital Information Officer, SWL ICB) and Deborah Moir (BT Principal Cyber Security Consultant).\n\n(2) 'Unlocking fast, secure and resilient connectivity for the NHS' (BT insight article, 4 February 2026), authored by Prof. Sultan Mahmud, Director of Healthcare and Communities, BT Business. States BT's 'Future Unlocked' research found improved connectivity could free up the equivalent of 2 days/year per health worker - 18.1 million workdays (49,600 years) across the whole NHS workforce. Describes a real pilot with University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB): a 'Remote Diagnostic Station' letting clinicians provide remote clinical support with digital stethoscopes and ECGs over combined 4G/5G and Wi-Fi. References a BT 'sovereign platform' product for healthcare AI/IoT workloads. Confirms two further named NHS case studies exist on BT's site (not yet individually verified in this pass): 'NHS Kent Community Health Trust' (29 Oct 2019) and 'NHS Spine case study' (29 Oct 2019).\n\nNone of this is SD-WAN/SASE-specific - it is BT's broader network/security/connectivity relationship with the NHS. Genuine sector-fit evidence, but should not be cited as an SD-WAN or SASE case study specifically.","sources":["business.bt.com/insights/case-studies/nhs-care-board/ (fetched directly); business.bt.com/insights/unlocking-nhs-connectivity-with-fast-secure-networks/ (fetched directly)"],"citationUrl":"https://netify.co.uk/bt-sase-sd-wan/evidence/7-5/"}]}