Research Note for Boards of Directors: Fortinet Secure SD-WAN - Empowering Enterprises with Unparalleled Security and Performance
Dear Board of Directors,
The need to safeguard critical infrastructure and data against an ever-increasing barrage of cyber threats has never been more paramount. As your organization navigates this challenging environment, it is essential to partner with a technology provider that can deliver a comprehensive solution capable of addressing both your networking and security requirements.
Fortinet, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, has emerged as a standout choice for enterprises seeking to enhance their wide-area networking capabilities while fortifying their security posture. Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN offering is a testament to the company's strategic approach to converging networking and security functionalities, empowering organizations to achieve unparalleled performance and robust protection.
The Key Strengths of Fortinet Secure SD-WAN:
Security Integration
At the core of Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN solution is the seamless integration of the company's industry-renowned next-generation firewall (NGFW) technology. By embedding Fortinet's award-winning security capabilities, including advanced intrusion prevention, URL filtering, and SSL/TLS inspection, the platform provides customers with exceptional threat protection, significantly enhancing their overall security posture.
Flexible and Scalable Platform
Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN solution is designed to accommodate the diverse requirements of enterprises, from small and medium-sized businesses to large, multinational organizations. The platform's support for a wide range of deployment models, including physical, virtual, and cloud-based appliances, allows customers to tailor the solution to their specific infrastructure and operational needs, ensuring optimal performance and scalability.
Proven Market Leadership
Fortinet has consistently demonstrated its ability to deliver industry-leading SD-WAN solutions, as evidenced by its strong market position and growing customer base. The company's proven track record and innovative approach to converging networking and security have made Fortinet a trusted partner for organizations seeking to optimize their wide-area networking infrastructure while fortifying their defenses against evolving cyber threats.
While Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN offering is widely recognized for its robust security integration and market-leading capabilities, the company may need to address perceptions of complexity among some customers. Fortinet will need to continue enhancing its user interface and automation tools to simplify the deployment and ongoing management of the platform, particularly for organizations with limited IT resources. Additionally, the company may need to focus on expanding its integration capabilities with third-party solutions to cater to customers with complex, heterogeneous IT environments.
Bottom Line
Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN solution presents a compelling choice for your organization, as it empowers you to enhance your security posture, optimize your wide-area networking infrastructure, and drive business innovation with confidence. By partnering with Fortinet, your organization can leverage the company's industry-leading security integration, flexible and scalable platform, and proven market leadership to navigate the evolving threat landscape and seize new opportunities for growth.
We believe that Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN offering is a strategic investment that will enable your organization to stay ahead of the curve and position itself for long-term success. We welcome the opportunity to discuss how Fortinet's solutions can be tailored to address your specific networking and security requirements.
Gideon Gartnor
GartnorGroup
10 Strategic Planning Assumptions for the SD-WAN Industry, grouped by theme:
Market Growth and Adoption
The global SD-WAN market will grow at a compound annual rate of 28% from 2024 to 2028, reaching $25 billion in total revenue by 2028. (Probability 0.85)
Justification: The increasing demand for flexible, cloud-enabled networking solutions and the rising adoption of software-defined technologies will drive rapid growth in the SD-WAN market over the next five years.
By 2027, 60% of enterprises will have deployed SD-WAN, up from 35% in 2024, as the technology becomes a mainstream requirement for modern wide-area networking. (Probability 0.80)
Justification: The benefits of SD-WAN, including improved performance, cost savings, and centralized management, will lead to widespread adoption across enterprises of all sizes over the next three to five years.
Security and Compliance
75% of SD-WAN deployments will integrate advanced security features, such as next-generation firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and secure web gateways, by 2026. (Probability 0.85)
Justification: The increasing focus on network security and the need to protect against evolving cyber threats will drive the integration of robust security capabilities within SD-WAN solutions.
By 2025, 60% of SD-WAN solutions will offer built-in compliance features to assist organizations in meeting industry-specific regulations and standards. (Probability 0.75)
Justification: As compliance requirements become more stringent, particularly in regulated industries, SD-WAN vendors will need to enhance their offerings to provide integrated compliance management capabilities.
Vendor Consolidation and Partnerships
The top five SD-WAN vendors will account for 75% of the global market share by 2027, up from 65% in 2024, as smaller players are acquired or forced to exit the market. (Probability 0.80)
Justification: Consolidation in the SD-WAN market will continue as larger, established vendors acquire smaller players to expand their product portfolios and customer bases, leading to a more concentrated competitive landscape.
50% of SD-WAN deployments will involve a service provider partnership by 2026, as enterprises seek managed services to simplify implementation and ongoing management. (Probability 0.75)
Justification: The growing complexity of SD-WAN solutions and the need for specialized expertise will drive the demand for managed SD-WAN services provided by telecommunications and managed service providers.
Cloud Integration and Optimization
80% of SD-WAN solutions will offer seamless integration with major public cloud platforms, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, by 2025. (Probability 0.85)
Justification: The increasing adoption of cloud-based applications and infrastructure will necessitate tight integration between SD-WAN and public cloud services to optimize performance and enable secure connectivity.
60% of SD-WAN platforms will incorporate advanced traffic optimization and path selection algorithms, powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, by 2027. (Probability 0.80)
Justification: The need to ensure optimal application performance and network reliability will drive the development of more sophisticated traffic optimization capabilities within SD-WAN solutions.
Edge Computing and 5G Integration
40% of SD-WAN deployments will integrate 5G connectivity by 2026, enabling increased bandwidth, lower latency, and improved resilience for distributed enterprises. (Probability 0.75)
Justification: The rollout of 5G networks and the growing availability of 5G-enabled devices and appliances will drive the integration of 5G capabilities within SD-WAN solutions to enhance overall network performance.
By 2028, 30% of SD-WAN solutions will offer built-in support for edge computing and IoT devices, enabling intelligent, distributed decision-making at the network edge. (Probability 0.70)
Justification: The increasing adoption of edge computing and the need to process data closer to the source will lead SD-WAN vendors to incorporate capabilities that support the integration and management of edge devices and IoT infrastructure.