Smart SD-WAN buying starts here
Looking to buy either Fortinet or Meraki as a BT Business managed service? Speak to Netify and see how our sector-fit vendor guidance can apply for Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services.
One of the UK’s most experienced BT Authorised Partners, bringing UK and global expertise to Fortinet and Meraki decisions.
Thirteen years of BT channel experience across Managed SD-WAN, SASE, Cloud Voice, Leased Lines and Complete Cloud Secure.
Fortinet and Meraki deployments across UK multi-site estates and multinational rollouts with BT Business delivery behind them.
Vendor-agnostic guidance, with no paid rankings, no single-outcome or pushing you toward a specific stack.
Tell us your needs, constraints and timeline. We come back with vendor-fit, service-model and indicative commercials before you commit to RFP.
“When clients ask me Fortinet or Meraki on BT, the deciding question isn’t features – both stacks deliver. It’s whether the internal team can carry the platform. Fortinet rewards a security-engineering bench. Meraki rewards lean operations. The vendor decision tends to follow the operating model, not the other way around.”
– Robert Sturt, Managing Director, Netify
Short answers
Can you buy BT Managed SD-WAN and SASE on Fortinet or Meraki?
Yes – Netify, as an Authorised Partner of BT since 2012, helps IT Directors and Infrastructure leaders choose between BT Managed Fortinet and BT Managed Meraki SD-WAN and SASE. BT delivers the managed service, whilst Netify brings vendor-fit, service-model and commercial guidance.
Who is this for?
IT Directors, Infrastructure leaders and buying teams across Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services evaluating BT Managed SD-WAN and SASE.
What is the difference between Fortinet and Meraki for SD-WAN?
Fortinet is security-led, compliance-heavy and operationally complex, with integrated networking and security in one stack. On the other hand, Meraki is cloud-managed, fast to deploy and operationally simple, with a lean IT operating model.
Why engage Netify?
We’ve been a BT Authorised Partner since 2012, making us experts in their products, though our help and advice is independent and not commission-driven. Furthermore, we’ve also got a wealth of knowledge of UK and global Fortinet and Meraki deployments with BT Business delivery behind them.
What does BT add on top of Fortinet or Meraki?
Managed deployment and migration across UK and multinational sites, managed SD-WAN and SASE with 24/7 monitoring, managed firewall, incident handling, change management, Openreach coordination, circuit lifecycle management, SLA-backed accountability and a single escalation point.
Choosing between Fortinet and Meraki is more than a features comparison
When choosing between Fortinet and Meraki, the answer is typically dependent on your organisation’s network – sector compliance, site count, security posture, the degree to which internal teams want to operate the platform versus hand it to a managed service provider, existing BT contracts, Openreach underlay and timelines for multi-site rollout all factor in.
The decision that matters is which platform fits the estate, and whether a BT managed service on top changes the shape of the contract – a short call with Netify removes most of the risk.
Talk through your environment with Netify
Share sites, sector and current stack. We come back within two working days with a vendor-fit view and indicative managed service options.
Request guidance →Fortinet vs Meraki, at a glance
Security-led, compliance-heavy, operationally complex
- Integrated networking and security in one stack
- Secure SD-WAN with next-gen firewalling at every edge
- Segmentation for regulated data and IT/OT separation
- ZTNA and centralised policy control
- Stronger fit where compliance posture is the primary driver
- Depth of feature set for complex multi-layer architectures
Cloud-managed, fast to deploy, operationally simple
- Cloud dashboard unifies SD-WAN, switching, wireless and security
- Distributed-site management at scale, from one pane of glass
- Lean IT operating model, fewer specialist skills required
- Smart cameras and sensors for physical estate visibility
- Rapid rollout across branches or stores
- Stronger fit where simplicity and speed are the priorities
On top of Fortinet or Meraki, BT adds the service layer that many mid-market and enterprise buyers cannot reasonably replicate in-house.
It’s worth noting that for many buyers the vendor answer is only half the decision – whether the platform is self-managed, co-managed with BT, or fully managed by BT changes the practical shape of the contract, the commercial model and the internal effort required. Netify works across all three scenarios.
- Managed deployment and migration across UK and multinational sites
- Managed SD-WAN and SASE with 24/7 monitoring
- Managed firewall, incident handling, change management
- Openreach coordination and circuit lifecycle management
- SLA-backed accountability, service reporting, single escalation point
Fortinet and Meraki by sector
Healthcare
NHS trusts, hospital groups, GP surgeries and community facilities need continuous clinical connectivity, tight patient-data segmentation, device visibility across IoMT estates and uptime that holds during trauma and on-call rounds. Compliance against NHS DSPT, UK GDPR, Caldicott and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 is non-negotiable.
Fortinet is typically the stronger fit for healthcare where segmentation depth, compliance-led architecture, secure clinical-device protection and integrated security at every site are the primary requirements. Meraki is typically stronger for healthcare organisations that need cloud-managed simplicity across distributed sites, smart facility visibility through cameras and sensors and a leaner IT operating model. BT’s managed service layer adds rollout coordination, continuous monitoring, service reporting and operational support across multi-site clinical estates, which is particularly relevant where internal teams cannot carry platform operations.
Discuss a healthcare requirement with Netify →Retail
Retailers running distributed store estates need store uptime at scale, PCI-aligned POS security, rapid rollout of new sites, centralised oversight for shrinkage and customer experience, and a network that holds through peak trading without IT having to touch every branch.
Fortinet is typically the stronger fit where secure SD-WAN across many branches, integrated PCI-aligned security posture and governance consistency across the store estate are the priority. Meraki is typically stronger for retail where rapid store deployment, cloud-managed visibility, smart cameras and sensors for shrinkage and operations, and simplified retail IT are the deciding factors. BT’s managed service layer adds service-led rollout across many stores, incident handling at scale, operational consistency and coordinated change management.
Discuss a retail requirement with Netify →Manufacturing
Manufacturers and logistics operators need plant uptime, IT/OT convergence done safely, warehouse and remote-site connectivity and cyber-physical resilience against industrial threat actors. Smart factory visibility is increasingly a board-level requirement.
Fortinet is typically the stronger fit where OT security, segmentation between IT and plant networks, automated protection for industrial protocols and cyber-physical risk reduction are the primary drivers. Meraki is typically stronger for manufacturing organisations that need cloud-managed oversight of distributed sites, smart site visibility with sensors and cameras and rapid scaling of remote warehouses. BT’s managed service layer adds monitored operations, managed resilience, SLA-backed accountability for critical connectivity and support across UK and multinational plants.
Discuss a manufacturing requirement with Netify →Financial Services
Banks, insurers, wealth managers and fintechs need operational resilience, always-on customer-facing applications, audit-ready governance, branch modernisation and security posture that meets FCA, PRA and operational resilience expectations. Customer trust depends on the network not failing.
Fortinet is typically the stronger fit for financial services where security-led architecture, resilience, deep segmentation for regulated data and an integrated networking-security fabric are required. Meraki is typically stronger where smart branch operations, stable networking, lower operational friction and cameras and sensors for branch safety are the deciding factors. BT’s managed service layer adds managed oversight, compliance-aligned reporting, incident handling and service accountability for regulated environments.
Discuss a financial services requirement with Netify →Why BT Business managed services change the decision
Whilst the vendor choice will determine the underlying architecture of your network, understanding how BT’s managed service model can affect it is another decision to make. BT Business overlays a managed service on both Fortinet or Meraki that covers deployment, monitoring, firewall operations, incident handling, circuit lifecycle and SLA-backed accountability across UK and multinational estates.
For most mid-market and enterprise buyers, whether the platform is self-managed, co-managed or fully BT-managed shapes the business case as much as the vendor decision itself – with BT’s management often much more preferable when internal teams cannot reasonably carry platform operations, when multi-site deployment complexity needs service coordination or when regulated environments need a contracted accountability line.
Not sure which service model fits?
Netify helps buyers decide between self-managed, co-managed and fully BT-managed across Fortinet and Meraki estates.
Speak to Netify →A decision framework
Use the matrix below to map your dominant drivers against the platform that typically fits best – keep in mind that the matrix is meant to highlight potential trade-offs, rather than produce a single definitive answer.
| Driver | Fortinet fit | Meraki fit |
|---|---|---|
| Estate scale (100+ sites) | High | High |
| Compliance pressure (regulated data) | High | Medium |
| Internal IT headcount available | Higher need | Lower need |
| OT / industrial environment | High | Lower |
| Branch rollout speed priority | Medium | High |
| Physical-estate visibility (cameras / sensors) | Lower | High |
| Depth of security feature requirement | High | Medium |
| Multi-country / multinational rollout | High | High |
| BT-managed service overlay relevance | High | High |
Choose Fortinet when
Security depth, segmentation, regulatory compliance and integrated networking-security architecture are the primary drivers. Typical fit in regulated environments, IT/OT convergence, or where a dedicated security team can operate the platform.
Choose Meraki when
Operational simplicity, cloud-managed visibility across many sites and rapid deployment are the priorities. Typical fit where IT operates lean, sites number in the hundreds or thousands, and physical estate visibility through cameras and sensors adds commercial value.
Choose BT-managed services when
Internal teams cannot reasonably operate the platform at scale, the estate spans multiple sites or countries, or the business needs SLA-backed accountability and a single point of escalation.
Speak to Netify when
You want an independent expert view before committing, when the vendor answer depends on sector or service-model context, or when you need a costed proposal across Fortinet, Meraki and BT delivery options.
Why Netify
Netify is an SD-WAN and SASE RFP Builder and Marketplace.
We work across vendors and managed service providers without a commission interest in any single outcome, helping teams decide rather than just sell. Our engagements typically start with a short call – tell us the estate, the constraints and the timeline, and we come back with a vendor-fit view and a service-model recommendation.
- Vendor-fit view across Fortinet, Meraki and adjacent platforms
- Sector-aligned buying criteria for Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services
- Managed service model guidance, including BT Business delivery
- Indicative commercials before RFP commitment
- Access to a curated marketplace of vendors and MSPs if you want to go wider
Frequently asked questions
Does BT deliver SASE on both Fortinet and Meraki?
Yes – BT’s managed service layer wraps both Fortinet and Meraki SD-WAN and SASE stacks, with 24/7 monitoring, managed firewall, incident handling and change management.
Is Fortinet or Meraki better for regulated industries?
Fortinet typically fits Healthcare, Financial Services and other regulated sectors where compliance posture and depth of security are the primary drivers. Meraki typically fits Retail and distributed-site estates where rapid rollout, operational simplicity and lean IT headcount are the priorities.
How long does a BT Managed SD-WAN deployment take?
Timelines depend on site count, underlay readiness and Openreach coordination. We come back within two working days with vendor-fit, service-model and indicative commercials before you commit to RFP.
Is Netify commission-driven?
No – vendor-agnostic guidance, no pay-to-play rankings and no single-outcome interest in pushing you toward a specific stack.
Which sectors does Netify cover?
Healthcare, Retail, Manufacturing and Financial Services, with sector-fit vendor guidance for BT Managed SD-WAN and SASE on Fortinet or Meraki.
Speak to Netify about your Fortinet or Meraki requirement
Tell us about your sites, sector and current network. We come back within two working days with a BT-aligned view on Fortinet vs Meraki and indicative service options.
Tell us what you are planning
We use this information only to prepare for your call. We do not share it with BT or any vendor without your permission.