Software Company Consolidates Networking and Security with Fortinet

Customer Perspectives

During the late 1990s, multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) emerged as a fast and secure way to route internet traffic. A quarter of a century on, enterprises worldwide continue to use technology to connect their wide area networks (WAN). However, MPLS is starting to fall out of vogue, and many organizations are looking for an alternative. For one large EMEA software company, the reason for this change was simple: MPLS is too expensive.

The high cost of MPLS was only one of the challenges facing the organization. In addition, the company was looking for a way to seamlessly secure its growing remote workforce. As with most companies today, remote working has become part of “business as usual” for the company, as has the greater use of cloud-based applications and services. Securing such decentralized working models and tools requires a different approach than traditional perimeter-based security.

Finally, the company identified another area where it could drive significant cost savings. At the time, it was using several technology vendors to supply its networking and security systems, each with its professional services fees. By consolidating into a single partner, the company hoped to build a more cost-effective approach while also reducing the overall complexity of its networking environment.

The Value of the Single-Vendor SASE Approach

The company invited Fortinet to a selection process along with two competitors. Fortinet won the client on the back of a week-long proof of concept (POC) trial where its technology was tested against the alternatives and found to be the better solution. Today, the company has consolidated its networking and security systems on the Fortinet Security Fabric. Its new infrastructure comprises the Fortinet Secure SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) solution, combining the replacement of its MPLS connections with integrated on-premises and remote security provided through FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs).

The solution is controlled and configured centrally through FortiManager, which enables centralized management with automation-driven network configuration, visibility, and security policy management. The company also benefits from high-performance data analytics, logging, and reporting delivered through the FortiAnalyzer solution.

The company is extending its new security capability to remote workers through 10,000 FortiSASE (secure access service edge) licenses, enabling secure internet access for remote users through a cloud-based secure web gateway (SWG). FortiSASE further protects the organization by enabling zero-trust network access (ZTNA), which protects applications by only allowing access to trusted identities.

Improved ROI, Lower TCO

By consolidating onto a single-vendor SASE, the company unlocks a broad range of benefits. Down to just one strategic partner, the business stands to secure a projected 50% reduction in the total cost of ownership of its network and security environment. And this is in addition to the cost reduction that the company receives from replacing its expensive legacy MPLS network with the Fortinet Secure SD-WAN solution.

From a security perspective, the company gains from the increased performance, integration, and automation that is enabled by the Fortinet network and security convergence. Importantly, thanks to the FortiSASE single-vendor platform, this security capability extends to remote users, combining seamless, direct access to applications for workers with complete control for the security team. As a result, employees are benefiting from an improved remote working user experience even as security has been enhanced.

The security team also enjoys an improved user experience. With a consolidated solution, the management of the network and security infrastructure is considerably simplified. In addition, Fortinet’s solution increases network visibility for the security team, providing them with complete control over the security infrastructure.

The software company started out looking to reduce the cost of its network and the complexity of its multivendor solution. By consolidating networking and security, it has achieved these goals while also benefiting from next-level security across its branch operations and remote workforce.

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