BT Managed SD WAN Solutions

BT SD WAN and Cybersecurity Solution: Comparisons, Review, Benefits, Use Cases, Pros & Cons

Author: Netify Research Team

If you have questions about BT and how their capability is aligned to your needs, email the Netify research team. UK: uk@netify.co.uk North America: northamerica@netify.com

(Please use the UK email for ROW - Rest of the World - questions or inquiries)

Review of BT SD WAN

BT is a good choice for UK SME and mid-market companies, but their global services products are normally bought by large multi-national corporations. Clients can use any combination of connectivity - including but not limited to MPLS, broadband Internet and 4G/5G LTE. Netify would recommend considering BT for underlay with added services from integrators in some instances. 

Global clients can make use of BT's global IP backbone, which offers PoPs in 198 countries worldwide (including China), with strong SD WAN and SASE offerings from Cisco Viptela and Cisco Meraki (other vendors are available). Further security capabilities include SIEM, XDR, managed firewall, managed DDoS and security advisory services, with managed services offerings backed by experience working with government, military and emergency services. 

However, due to BT's large size, their clients often have to deal with unnecessary bureaucracy and process, meaning that reaction times can be slow.  

BT have a strong mobile capability due to their acquisition of mobile phone network provider EE in 2016. They leverage 4G and 5G LTE capabilities with connectivity speeds of up to 10Gbps. 

About BT

BT Business and Public Sector was founded in 1981 as an enterprise division of BT Group (formerly British Telecom). At the time, the division provided fixed-line, mobile, broadband and IT services to businesses and the public sector in the UK and Ireland. Now, BT has enterprise customers in 180 countries globally and is the UK's biggest fixed-voice and broadband provider, offering TV and mobile services. 

BT SD WAN Technology and Solutions

BT offer fully managed SD WAN services (See, What is the BT managed, co-managed and DIY services solution?) based on hardware from their vendor partners (See, Which vendors do BT support?). They have especially strong partnerships with Cisco Viptela and Cisco Meraki, and offer managed cloud security from Zscaler and Cisco Umbrella (See, How does BT access cloud vendors?).

Configuration-Based Key Features:

• BT and Cisco Viptela: BT have a strong partnership with Viptela which is aimed at those with more complex network requirements and allows clients to upgrade existing Cisco routers. The offering includes granular security features (See, What is the BT SASE security solution?) And path selection which is good for data-heavy applications. For more information on Cisco Viptela, see our vendor listing here.  
• BT and Cisco Meraki: BT’s offering using Meraki hardware is a good option for clients looking for a straightforward WiFi, WAN or LAN network service, with the ability to either replace legacy equipment or layer it on top. For more information on Cisco Meraki, see our vendor listing here. 
• BT and Nuage Networks Agile Connect SD-WAN: Ideal for complex, multinational enterprises Nuage Networks network fabric overlayed onto BT WAN enables all workloads to be connected through a single platform. Integrated into BT's global network Agile Connect allow for new locations to be quickly and easily added to the enterprise network.
• Dedicated Internet Access (DIA): Provided via a BTnet leased line which sends and receives large data files and runs bandwidth-hungry applications such as Azure and Office 365. Smaller businesses can use BTnet Express which offers speeds of up to 50Mbps, whilst keeping a fixed price; and for larger businesses BT Internet Connect Global offers internet access services for sites located worldwide. 
• Ethernet virtual private network (VPN): Connects into BT’s global network via a local PoP. Physical connectivity is created using access circuits, which can be either superfast, a generic Ethernet Access; or fiber or copper, which is Ethernet in the first mile. A range of resilience options are also available. Ethernet VPN can support IPv6, multi-cast and non-IP legacy technology. 
• IP VPN: IP Connect is BT’s IP VPN solution, which allows clients to connect sites on a regional, national or global scale using a single IP VPN. It also has the capability to converge video, voice and data applications onto one IP network. 
• Global Internet Backbone: Offers PoPs in 198 locations worldwide, including in China. 

Security-Based Key Features:

• Cyber Security: BT have 3,000 cyber security experts that monitor networks constantly, for businesses as well as government, military and emergency services. 
• BT Cloud Security Architecture: BT Cloud Security helps to prevent data breaches and protects business-critical devices such as servers, desktops and laptops. The service can integrate with existing set-ups and is provided via partnerships with cloud security providers (See, How does BT access cloud vendors?). Currently BT are looking to update this architecture to a full SASE offering.
• BT and Fortinet Secure SD-WAN: The Fortinet next-generation managed firewall, delivered by BT, also enables the use of a built-in secure SD-WAN overlay. This delivers advanced SD-WAN networking whilst also providing enhanced security, built-in SSL inspection and protection at the network edge. For more information on Fortinet, see our vendor listing here.

Performance-Based Key Features:

• Ethernet Virtual Connections (EVCs): Allow users to prioritize traffic by setting classes of service, whilst defining connectivity between sites which could be: hub and spoke; point-to-point; or any-to-any.  
• 4G and 5G LTE from EE: Boast connectivity speeds up to 10Gbps. 
• Network Function Virtualisation (NFV): BT’s NFV service offers security, routing, WAN optimization and performance and has partnerships with two uCPE vendors. 
• Virtual Network Functions (VNFs): Clients can bring their own VNF and deploy it from 33 NFV service nodes or uCPE devices. 

What is the BT SASE security solution?

BT offer a full SASE solution via a partnership with VMware. The solution is fully managed by BT's Network Operations Centres (NOCs) and Security Operations Centres (SOCs) and leverages VMware's global network of PoPs and SD WAN gateways. BT's SASE solution features URL classification and web content filtering, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), malware protection, Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) delivered via VMware Secure Access. 

Clients are also offered a suite of managed cybersecurity products and services designed to protect SD WAN networks, cloud environments and end users:

• Zero Trust Security: BT will design a network architecture with zero trust approach integrated, offering security solutions such as Network Access Control (NAC), Network Segmentation Solutions, Micro Segmentation and Managed PKI Solutions and Public Key Infrastructure. This offers clients a data-centric approach to security.
• Managed Firewall Security: BT offer fully managed firewall solutions which are scalable to fit most business sizes and offer constant monitoring from BT’s global network of 16 Security Operations Centres (SOCs) and real-time scanning of inbound and outbound web traffic. BT Managed Firewalls leverage partnerships with providers such as Cisco, Check Point, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet.
• Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): BT offers Managed Cloud Application Security, a managed CASB solution that offers users visibility into cloud usage. The service offers coverage for a majority of cloud providers, including Office 365, AWS, Salesforce and Azure. BT CASB also offers cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP) to enforce policies which are based on a client’s content rules, real-time traffic analysis and cloud usage analytics (See, How does BT access cloud vendors?).
• Cloud Security Consulting: BT offer consultation services for clients who are looking to migrate to the cloud. The service offers a security strategy and architecture tailored to a client’s business needs, with assessment of cloud implementation against industry standards. 
• Managed Web Application Firewall (WAF): BT’s Managed WAF service is designed to protect against DDoS attacks, zero-day attacks and top 10 security risks using AI-based machine learning engines. This allows clients to deploy and access external and internal web applications with business application protection, bot threat mitigation, DDoS protection, machine learning and Man in the Browser (MitB). 
• Managed Embedded Security Controls: BT allow clients to apply security protocol across their entire network, managed by BT’s SOC. The solution includes anti-virus, IPS, reporting, auditing and alerts and a secure portal for visibility. 
• Direct Denial of Service (DDoS) Protection: BT offer managed cloud-based DDoS protection and mitigation, which is designed to filter Internet traffic and detect malicious requests which trigger the protection system to separate DDoS traffic from safe traffic. The service is subscription-based with a modular design allowing clients to select different levels of protection.
• Threat Detection and Response: BT leverage their global SOC network, with threat intelligence derived from the BT global network. The solution is mapped to MITRE ATT&CK framework, which offers clients a standard response methodology for remediation of incidents. 
• Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM): BT offer a fully managed SIEM service which leverages technology from their partners such as IBM QRadar. The service offers constant monitoring from BT security teams as well as help with configuration and deployment. Reports on system health and threat activity are generated for monitoring, aided by BT's SOC analysts. 
• Cloud SIEM: BT also offer a Security Cloud SIEM service which is powered by their partnership with IBM QRadar. The solution includes collaborative threat intelligence, threat detection and incident response with access to the BT Cloud SIEM dashboard and constant monitoring from BT’s network of SOCs. 
• Managed Azure Sentinel: BT offer installation and management support for Azure Sentinel platforms leveraging their global SOCs. This offers clients analysis of risk and threat landscapes, investigation and threat response and client dashboards that can be customized to suit business needs. 
• Security Threat Intelligence: BT offer threat management which is designed to predict, detect and respond to security threats. The solution is powered by Eagle-i which is BT’s threat platform and it offers clients monitoring, analysis and response for security threats, intelligence-driven threat hunting and insights into vulnerabilities and mediation with quarterly industry sector analysis reports. 
• Cyber Security Platform: BT’s Cyber Security Platform is a managed solution which is aimed at large global enterprises. It allows clients to correlate all security alerts, making them more manageable and helping to detect and mitigate threats.  
• Managed Endpoint Security: BT offer managed endpoint security and protection which leverage an automated hunting engine with the capability to process large numbers of Indicators of Attack (IOA) decisions and can track active adversaries. The solution is constantly monitored and is built on a cloud native architecture. 
• Managed Identity: BT will manage all user’s passwords, allowing appropriate secure access to applications. The solution leverages adaptive MFA, lifecycle management and advanced server access.

How does BT access cloud vendors?

BT offers cloud connectivity to 8 major providers in 74 cities globally. BT has global partner agreements with Microsoft Azure and AWS. The third party cloud providers that BT supports are: Azure, Oracle, IBM, AWS, T-Systems, Salesforce and Equinix. BT offer hybrid, private and public cloud as well as colocation or telehousing in one of their 48 data centers. BT utilizes 22 cloud enabled data centers to provide far reaching cloud coverage and all private clouds can be optionally deployed in a BT or own datacenter to ensure data sovereignty. BT’s partnership with Azure includes: BT Cloud Connect Azure, BT Cloud Connect Azure vWAN and BT Cloud Connect Azure Express Route. BT also offer Cisco One Cloud, Cisco Webex and Cloud Contact Next Generation (CCNG).

Connected Cloud Edge: Utilizing Equinix infrastructure BT has launched a next-generation multi-cloud connectivity solution. With global availability, the BT Connected Cloud Edge solution enables orchestration across cloud services using APIs and automation in a fully managed environment with pre-provisioned connectivity. This solution provides the ability to add functions such as SD-WANs or firewalls. Currently, the solution supports thirteen on-net network locations and 30 global locations, increasing throughout 2022.

Does BT offer WAN acceleration and optimization?

Yes, BT leverages partners such as Cisco or Riverbed to utilize cloud based and software deployed technologies. Using a flexible ‘slow and grow’ model so clients only pay for what they use. BT Connect Intelligence Services can reduce bandwidth by 90%, provide 10x faster response for SaaS applications such as Salesforce and Office 365. BT also offer end user monitoring for office and home workers to provide full visibility of the network underlay and application landscape. BT WAN acceleration and optimization is best applied through the use of Visibility-as-a-service (VaaS) and SaaS Accelerator in conjunction with each other. 

VaaS: Provides a clear view of end user experiences and application performance through a single portal. The VaaS portal centralizes all network infrastructure to improve visibility of user issues, and enable decisions over reducing hardware or license costs, or show the impact network changes are having on the business. 

SaaS Accelerator for Home and Office: A collaborative fully managed solution by BT and Riverbed that can be delivered via cloud, data center or ‘as-a-service’. Accessed through a single dashboard, it is best used alongside VaaS to identify poor performing SaaS applications that can then be optimized for the best end user experience. Leverages a secure and fully compatible software client that is tech and network agnostic so can be applied to SD WAN networks. Reduces bandwidth by up to 99%, improves the global UX of SaaS applications by up to 10x and accelerates businesses applications by 60x. 

How does BT support remote users?

BT offer their own remote access service that supports remote users through BT Cloud Work. The product provides collaboration and connectivity features to teleworkers such as screen/file sharing, HD video meetings and digital white boarding. It can also help ensure data privacy by centralizing IT approved tools and applications amongst the workforce. Business critical voice calling utilizes priority bandwidth usage to ensure optimal performance. The BT Cloud Work’s online portal can be used to monitor network performance and provides 24/7 service reporting. This is offered in three different packages: Basic, Connect and Collaborate. Remote access is also supported via overlay vendors such as Meraki and Viptela through their managed SD WAN services.

What is the BT managed, co-managed and DIY services solution? 

BT have a strong focus on managed SD WAN services. They offer clients their own dedicated management team with a project manager to help to set up and integrate the network. From then on clients have constant access to operations centers which monitor the network with the help of ITIL-accredited global network experts. Each solution is tailored to the individual business, which means that BT can cater for small to very large enterprises and have the ability to match new or pre-existing security policies. Finally, clients can access the BT dashboard which offers historic analytical data and real-time performance statistics for increased network visibility. They offer managed services in bundles from Cisco Viptela, Cisco Meraki and Nuage Networks by Nokia. 

What Reporting and Management is available via the BT Portal?

The BT portal provides end-to-end network visibility via a single dashboard. The fully managed solution supports monitoring and management from a single managed service desk in the UK that is manned 24/7. Reporting on historical events and real time performance is available via the BT portal. The management of application and network priority protocols can also be accessed. The VaaS solution provides a single portal for all network infrastructure to improve end-to-end visibility of user issues. 

What is the BT SLA?*

Installation:

Network Connection:

*BT SLA is the SLA for BTnet dedicated leased line.