FOUR EIGHT 2: The Technical Benefits of Fortinet SD-WAN Thriving on Network Integration

However, SD-WAN savings in particular are becoming more and more popular with companies trying to cut back on operating expenses while increasing network performance. If you have tight IT budgets (which basically every business has, am I right?), you might be asking how to save money without sacrificing RAN security (efficiency, too). The answer may be more straightforward than you realize: Fortinet SD-WAN. Let’s unpack the money benefits one can score through an SD-WAN deployment and why this could be a game-changer for your business.

Introduction

Managing large, secure networks in today’s high-speed business world is no laughing matter — and means no small expense. Traditional WANs, often reliant on MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), tend to stifle innovation through high cost, reduced agility and limited scalability.

But this is where Fortinet SD-WAN comes into play. Its financial benefits can provide significant relief for strained budgets. It’s like trading in an old flip phone for a slick new smartphone — except you aren’t just getting convenience, you’re also getting security, performance improvements and savings in the process.

If you’ve been waiting to learn more about how SD-WAN can actually pay for itself, let’s dive in!

Traditional Networks and Its Cost Implications

Let’s face it — business in the present day is a very costly affair. Then why are network-related expenses requiring an unreasonably large chunk of your budget? This is especially true for traditional WANs, which inflate operational costs across the board, such as:

• Reliance on MPLS Circuits: Sure, MPLS is reliable, but it’s a mind-bogglingly expensive compared to broadband internet or LTE alternatives. Why pay more when connectivity tech has come a long way?
• Insufficient Bandwidth: Unlike cloud-led WANs that can almost instantaneously scale, legacy WANs often have trouble accommodating the bandwidth demands of cloud adoption. The workaround? Purchasing additional bandwidth, and that isn’t easy.
• Complicated Management: Traditional WAN management and maintenance often needs heavy IT involvement and sometimes external vendors, contributing to labor costs.

Now, gaze upon all of those inefficiencies. That’s money you’re giving away for no good reason.

ROI with SD-WAN

First, let’s jump into the SD-WAN vascular benefits. Specifically, Fortinet SD-WAN makes a significant argument for better network operations at a dramatically lower cost. It’s not some single magic trick but a number of key elements:

1. Lower Connectivity Costs

SD-WAN allows you to fall back to less expensive connectivity options such as broadband or LTE. Bidirectional SONET and DWDM, and MPLS but at extremely low prices, low cost and good, unlike MPLS. Fortinet SD-WAN’s intelligent traffic routing enables you to save money without compromising on enterprise-grade connectivity and performance.

For instance, transition from MPLS to broadband under SD-WAN can often save organizations up to 50%. That’s huge.

2. Reduced Resource Consumption

Attempting to leverage legacy systems for high-bandwidth applications such as Zoom calls or viral-scale SaaS apps can be — rather, a mess — both on performance as well as a financial level. SD-WAN provides capabilities for dynamic path selection based on performance which guarantees optimal use of your resources and no bandwidth waste in terms of revenue.

It’s like purchasing exactly the dimensions you can utilize rather than spending too much on everything-for-everyone solutions.

3. Reduced Hardware Costs

SD-WAN offering from Fortinet has integrated networking and security capabilities into a single offering. That means you no longer need to buy additional firewalls or security appliances when you expand your network. Reduce hardware = reduction in buying and maintaining costs.

4. Less Complex Management = Staff Cost Savings

Dealing with legacy WANs entails bigger IT forces – or contracts with expensive external vendors. But SD-WAN? It features centralized control and automation, reducing labor requirements.

Whether monitoring, troubleshooting or configuration — you will be able to streamline them all without a specialized (and expensive) workforce for it.

5. Additional Security Without Separate Expenses

What’s the point of any network that’s hackable, right? Fortinet SD-WANs are integrated with cybersecurity, including NGFW (Next-Gen Firewall), IPS (intrusion prevention systems) and Web Filtering.

That alone erases the costs to constantly upgrade separate security tools. Instead, Fortinet SD-WAN provides your users protection while preserving your savings.

6. Support for Cloud Adoption

If your organization is using Office 365, Google Workspace, or other similar SaaS tools, traditional WAN simply won’t provide the performance you need. Fortinet SD-WAN offers direct cloud access routing to improve application performance and reduce backhauls through data centers.

Why does this matter? SaaS productivity applications are critical to today’s missions — and making them more efficient directly affects business productivity. And you save on legacy routing methods that don’t keep up with the modern cloud.

7. Scaling Up Keeps Costs Low

On the topic of growth, SD-WAN scales effortlessly. Scale as your business grows, without accruing significant upgrade/transition costs. Adding new locations or users or applications—with Fortinet—has much lower operational overhead.

Conclusion

Overall, the financial case for SD-WAN is compelling. With lower hardware costs, the ability to use inexpensive internet connections, and easy management, Fortinet SD-WAN enables great migration away from the legacy WAN model and its associated expenses.

If you’re serious about financial shoelace-tying (and who isn’t?), it’s probably time to switch. Not only will you save costs in the long term, but you’ll also get improved performance, enhanced security and more dependable connections to give your organization the competitive edge it needs.

So why continue to overpay for underperformance? The balance of cost savings and performance that SD-WAN provide is hard to beat as business moves forward. So, you run Fortinet SD-WAN for a better, cheaper, and smarter network!

Time to enjoy the SD-WAN financial benefits — are you ready to unlock them?