BT

BT describes an accelerated IPsec overlay in its managed Fortinet Secure SD-WAN service. BT Secure SD-WAN uses Fortinet IPsec tunnels between branches, data centres and cloud. This evidence applies to that service option; confirm the platform, scope and throughput in the proposal.

Native, confirmed directly - 'elastic SD-WAN' dynamically steers traffic, and 'traffic is prioritised from your devices to the SASE cloud node, avoiding public internet congestion' [5] [6]

Active-active mobile access is an optional 5G service. This does not establish active-active operation across all access types.

Fortinet annex clause 2.5 documents application-aware routing. BT implements agreed categories; two enabling links optimise operation.

Active-Active Mobile Data Access is only available over 5G where 5G is available to you. 5G and 4G are contractually defined transport, with a fallback ladder: the annex defines Mobile Network as a 5G or 4G communication network, 4G where 5G is not available and 3G where 4G is not available. SIM management is covered both ways, with a Customer Managed Mobile Data Access option where the customer provides the SIM. Two caveats worth carrying: Part B limits BT-provided Mobile Data Access to UK sites only, and BT explicitly disclaims mobile network degradation, congestion and interference. Signal monitoring specifically is not evidenced.

The service is only available with the FortiSASE PoPs plus selected PoPs. This is the key ownership call. The cloud security enforcement points are Fortinet's FortiSASE PoPs, not BT infrastructure, so partner_integrated rather than yes. Computer Weekly (Tier 2, named author, dated) confirms the SSE functions of firewall as a service, secure web gateway, CASB and ZTNA come from Fortinet technology. Do not confuse this with BT's Global Fabric PoPs, which BT does operate itself but which are a cloud interconnect fabric rather than a SaaS optimisation or security enforcement gateway service.

Global Fabric will be available to customers internationally via 140 PoPs hosted in the world's top cloud locations located in 40 countries. Graded partial, and the reason matters. BT clearly operates a genuinely global, BT-controlled PoP footprint across 40 countries and markets it as deterministic in contrast to the public internet, which is more than a single-country network. What I could not evidence from any Tier 1 or Tier 2 source is that BT owns the inter-region fibre between those PoPs. Analysys Mason (Tier 3, so it cannot carry a grade) states the opposite, that Global Fabric rides partner fibre networks. That unresolved gap between control of the platform and ownership of the transmission caps this at partial. Recorded in conflicts. Note also that Global Fabric is a separate product from the Fortinet SD-WAN/SASE service and the schedules do not place SASE traffic on it.

Physical and virtual SD-WAN devices are documented. Cloud deployment and customer-provided devices depend on the order and compatibility.

Fortinet Next-Generation Firewalls provide enterprise security at any edge, and at any scale on all WAN and LAN traffic as it passes through. The NGFW is Fortinet's technology that BT bundles and manages, so partner_integrated by definition even though it is tightly integrated into BT's managed service. The Managed Fortinet annex refers to 'Fortinet Security Options' configured against agreed design with applicable licence subscriptions, confirming a licensed third-party stack. The functional elements are evidenced: the Managed Cisco SD-WAN annex documents URL filtering by whitelist, blacklist, category and reputation, and Computer Weekly confirms firewall as a service alongside SWG, CASB and ZTNA. BT also offers Palo Alto Prisma and VMware variants, so the underlying firewall vendor varies by build.

Native, confirmed with genuine sector-specific detail - explicitly named for financial services as 'secure, identity-based access through ZTNA' supporting data residency [5] [6]

Native, confirmed with genuine sector-specific detail - explicitly named for financial services as 'secure, identity-based access through ZTNA' supporting data residency [5] [6]

Native, confirmed as part of the current, Fortinet-based managed SASE expansion [2] Capability specifics depend on which underlying platform (Fortinet vs. Meraki) is proposed

Native, confirmed with genuine sector-specific detail - explicitly named for retail, combined with elastic SD-WAN 'to dynamically steer traffic and safeguard payment and customer data' [5] [6] Specific inline-versus-API-mode technical detail not itemised

Customer monitoring and reporting portals are documented in clauses 2.3 and 2.8. Granular role-based permissions remain unconfirmed.

The portal exposes application performance, flows and troubleshooting. These findings do not establish a full digital experience monitoring service.