Justifying the Investment in Secure SD-WAN

Often, it can be difficult to sell the C-suite on security solutions because quantifying the return on investment (ROI) of cybersecurity solutions often dives into murky waters. But because Secure SD-WAN replaces more expensive and cumbersome WAN technology, it has been easier to make the case for it. With SD-WAN, large organizations can connect their branch offices to the applications and resources they need. However, because there are so many options, deciding which solution is the right one can be challenging.

To help enterprises make more informed decisions, a new type of study from Forrester quantifies the financial implications of technology solutions. The Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study looks at how a given solution affects an organization with economic metrics related to the benefits, costs, flexibility, and risks of a solution. The TEI studies from Forrester provide an analysis that can help an enterprise understand the impact of a technology investment and justify the value of the solution.

Recently, Fortinet commissioned Forrester Consulting to conduct a TEI study for our Secure SD-WAN solution. The study delves into the security and networking implications of Fortinet Secure SD-WAN on an enterprise so decision-makers can determine the financial impact of deploying the solution and whether it’s the right choice for their organization.

The TEI Survey Methodology

SD-WAN solutions can vary widely in their features, security effectiveness, and total cost of ownership (TCO). Some solutions also aren’t ideal for certain uses, so it’s important to understand situations where a solution shines and when it may not be the best choice.

For the study, Forrester spoke with decision-makers across multiple geographic areas and industries such as retail, healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. They surveyed large enterprises with more than $1 billion in revenue that have deployed Fortinet Secure SD-WAN and other Fortinet products including switches, wireless LAN, and wireless WAN. The organizations surveyed have 750 – 8,500 locations and employ between 3,500 – 133,000 people. Based on the feedback from the respondents, Forrester developed both a composite model and a three-year financial model that reflects the potential costs and benefits of investing in Fortinet Secure SD-WAN.

Before these organizations implemented Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, they used a variety of technologies and vendors to manage, maintain, and monitor their wide-area networks. Many of the solutions relied on MPLS, internet connectivity, and various hardware, but lacked the visibility and security the organization needed.

The Results Are In

The results of the survey showed that Fortinet Secure SD-WAN offered a significant return over the three years. Here are a few key highlights.

• 300% ROI and payback in 8 months. Deploying Fortinet Secure SD-WAN delivered a 300% return on investment over three years with payback in 8 months. The financial impact came from reducing communication costs by over 80% by limiting reliance on MPLS, increasing the productivity of security and network teams by 50%, improving network and security performance by 65%, and increasing deployment team productivity by 75%.
• Network disruption reduced by 65%. Because the WAN was more stable, there was a 65% reduction in network disruption. The resolution time for outages and disruptions also improved by 30 minutes, so the three-year, risk-adjusted network and security performance benefit was $1.1 million.
• Issue resolution improved by 50%. Because of the increased visibility offered by the Fortinet Secure SD-WAN solution, security and network teams were able to identify and remediate network issues more quickly. Their time-to-resolution improved by as much as 50%, so organizations could reassign their security and network teams to higher-value activities. These improvements resulted in a three-year, risk-adjusted productivity benefit of $1.4 million.
• 75% reduction in new deployment time. The Fortinet solution saved 75% of the time required per new deployment, so the three-year, risk-adjusted present value (PV) savings from deployment efficiencies amounted to $321,000.

The organizations also benefited from improved visibility and network reliability thanks to the centralized management in Fortinet Secure SD-WAN. Users now also have access to reports and vulnerability testing information, so the enterprise can meet regulatory agency and internal management requirements.

Because Fortinet Secure SD-WAN can scale globally and integrate with other solutions as additional sites and applications are deployed, it makes it possible for enterprises to expand and meet new business requirements without compromising security.

Learn more about The Forrester Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) commissioned study of Fortinet Secure SD-WAN conducted by Forrester Consulting in November 2022 on behalf of Fortinet by downloading the complete study.