BT SD-WAN Product Overview
BT SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Networking) is a comprehensive solution designed to enhance the management, security, and performance of wide area networks. This service leverages BT’s global IP backbone and integrates advanced technologies from leading partners such as Fortinet, Meraki, and Palo Alto.
Key Functionality
- Centralized Management: BT SD-WAN offers centralized orchestration and management through cloud-based portals. This allows IT teams to configure, manage, and monitor the network from a single interface, ensuring optimal performance and security across all sites and devices.
Key Features
- Integrated Advanced Security: BT SD-WAN solutions, particularly those with Fortinet and Palo Alto, integrate advanced security features such as Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). These features provide consistent security across all networks, endpoints, and clouds.
- Application Resilience and Performance: The solution ensures high application availability and performance over any WAN transport. Features like dynamic path selection, application-aware routing, and traffic optimization prioritize critical business applications and optimize their performance.
- Multi-Cloud Connectivity: BT SD-WAN supports high-performance connections to cloud applications through cloud on-ramps, enabling direct, secure, and optimized access to various cloud service providers like AWS and Azure.
- Resilient and Redundant Connectivity: The service offers resilient underlay connectivity with options including MPLS, VPLS, SOGEA, FTTP broadband, and LTE/4G/5G networks. This ensures continuous network operation even in the event of failures, thanks to automated WAN path control and failover mechanisms.
- Zero-Touch Provisioning: Simplified deployment and setup are enabled through zero-touch provisioning, reducing the time and effort required to get the network up and running.
- Real-Time Analytics and Reporting: The solution provides real-time insights into network traffic, user behavior, and potential security threats. Tools like FortiAnalyser offer network monitoring, log views, and predefined security reports, aiding in proactive issue resolution.
- Scalability and Flexibility: BT SD-WAN is designed to adapt to growing network demands without compromising performance or security. It supports a variety of connectivity options and can integrate with existing network infrastructures, making it highly scalable and flexible.
- Edge Computing: By processing data closer to its source, BT SD-WAN incorporates edge computing to reduce latency and enhance network speed, improving overall performance.
Industry Benefits
BT SD-WAN is particularly beneficial for organizations with multiple sites, such as those in the retail and hospitality sectors. However, any industry requiring robust, secure, and high-performance network infrastructure can benefit from this solution. It supports digital transformation by enhancing business-critical traffic and real-time application performance, enabling users to work securely from anywhere.
In summary, BT SD-WAN is a powerful tool that combines advanced networking capabilities with robust security features, centralized management, and real-time analytics, making it an ideal solution for businesses looking to optimize their network performance and security.