NTT Global SD WAN & Cybersecurity Solutions

NTT Global SD WAN Solution: Comparisons, Review, Benefits, Use Cases, Pros & Cons

Author: Netify Research Team

If you have questions about NTT 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)

Netify Review

NTT Global is an option for clients looking for global managed SD WAN underlay with dedicated internet access (DIA) because of their global Tier-1 backbone, featuring 139 gateways in 52 cities worldwide. They also offer overlay via their SD WAN and SASE vendor partners, creating a flexible service that can perform across multiple countries whilst issuing competitive prices for their partner-based services. 

However, caution is advised for companies based in Latin America as NTT’s network coverage in this region is more limited than for other service providers. Further, there is a low brand awareness for NTT outside the Asia Pacific region, which may be off-putting to some clients.

About NTT Global

NTT Global is a leading network service provider (NSP) headquartered in Japan, that has relationships with over 1,000 internet service providers (ISPs) worldwide. They offer managed SD WAN and SASE services, managed IT and managed security, offering connectivity to 10 major cloud providers in 50 cities globally. NTT Global have an extensive portfolio of designing, integrating, supporting and managing multivendor enterprise networks. The NTT Global offering consists of over 140 Global data centers with 18 cloud nodes to provide minimal geo latency. NTT Global provides underlay support for more than 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500. They boast an extensive track record of designing, integrating, supporting and managing multivendor enterprise networks.

What is the NTT Global SD WAN Solution?

NTT Global lead their SD WAN offering with their global Tier-1 IP backbone. The backbone connects Europe, Asia, Australia and North and South America, allowing NTT to have control of the routers that make up their autonomous system numbers (ASN). This creates high performance due to the networks direct design. 

NTT SD WAN solutions are globally standardized and can be fully managed or part managed via one of their partners. This is based on Cisco Viptela, Cisco Meraki, Silver Peak, Versa and VeloCloud, and offers 139 network-based SD WAN gateways in 52 cities. Underlay is provided in the form of their Tier-1 backbone, but overlay is offered via their partners. 

Configuration-Based Key Features:

• Network Function Virtualisation (NFV): NTT offer clients a wide range of NFV’s, ideal for enterprises looking to transition from traditional hardware technology (for example, uCPE devices as opposed to their hardware counterpart). 103 NFV’s incorporate cloud and virtualisation technologies to create abstract network functions. 
• Direct Cloud Connect: designed to build a connection between a private network and a public cloud - good for companies looking for a cloud-based or hybrid WAN solution. 

Security-Based Key Features:

• Secure Web Gateway Service: a security feature designed to filter unwanted malware from user initiated internet traffic. It includes: firewall, IPS, web content filtering, real-time monitoring and malware detection reporting services, delivered from the Global SD WAN platform. 
• Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network (SSLVPN): creates an encrypted connection over a less-secure network. 
• IPsec (B2B) Gateways: authenticate and encrypt data packets to provide secure encrypted communication. 

Performance-Based Key Features:

• Application Performance Management: Monitors application performance and availability, ensuring performance issues are dealt with efficiency. 
• Predictive Analytics and Automation: Manages the performance of the network whilst detecting faults.

What is the NTT Global SASE security solution?

NTT Global's managed SASE solution is provided via a partnership with Palo Alto Networks, offering the Prisma Access SASE solution as a managed service. This is combined with NTT's Enhanced Threat Detection service which offers monitoring, threat detection, advanced analytics, proactive threat hunting, incident validation with actionable mitigations and incident notifications and reporting capabilities for client's with Prisma Access platforms. 

NTT also offer managed security services, which have a number of key features:

• Managed Detection and Response (MDR): combines analysis of network traffic with leading endpoint solutions, enhancing threat detection capabilities and decreasing the chances of evasion. 
• Threat Detection Services: NTT offer clients the use of their Security Operation Centers (SOCs), who identify threats and validate them, removing the risk of  false positives.
• Enterprise Security Monitoring: NTT’s SOCs monitor security threats constantly. They provide cloud-based monitoring and response. Clients can choose from either standard tier, or enhanced tier services. Standard tier is suited to companies with more standardised security compliance requirements; and enhanced tier is aimed at corporations with custom security compliance requirements. 
• Security Device Management: leverages NTT’s global threat intelligence capabilities, and provides consistent updates on devices and applications. Endpoint security solutions are configured to protect against internal and external threats. 
• Security Operation Center-as-a-Service: NTT offer their SOCs as a service, which is a fully managed service providing deployment, platform management, detection of cyberthreats, compliance reporting custom use cases, dashboards and incident escalation playbooks. 
• Web Application Firewall-as-a-Service: detects and denies network-based system attacks. Standard Tier includes management of web application firewall (WAF) policies, denial of service (DDoS) for infrastructure, payment card industry data security standard (PCI DSS) reporting, and automated threat notifications; Enhanced Tier includes the use of a security analyst to detect cyberattacks, best practice and regulatory compliance reporting and custom business compliance reporting.
• Vulnerability Management: reduces vulnerability using threat intelligence and exploit tracking, whilst making traditional vulnerability management processes more efficient. This is integrated with Qualy’s SaaS based platform.

How does NTT Global access cloud vendors?

NTT Global have access to various cloud vendors. They are a Microsoft Azure MSP and CSP direct bill (Tier-1) partner, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) advanced consulting partner as well as AWS DirectConnect partner with over 20 PoPs, and they are also a Google Cloud Premier Partner.

Does NTT Global offer WAN acceleration and optimization?

NTT Global is known to have focus on network intelligence in order to optimise networks and ensure application performance expectations are met. Clients are offered intelligent services such as real time monitoring, application performance management, replay functionality, path control, dynamic path selection, application-based load balancing across paths and WAN optimization to improve network performance. 

NTT implement application acceleration via their SD WAN cloud/platform, which allows for higher levels of network availability, performance and greater security. Applications can be accelerated between any location worldwide, including datacenters, branch offices, mobile workers and public/private clouds. Features such as transmission control protocol (TCP) Optimization, caching (storing packets), compression and application specific optimization. NTT call this their Application Acceleration Service and clients can choose how to deploy the service; from NTT’s 75 Local Cloud Centers; using premises-based dedicated appliances; or uCPE options.

How does NTT Global support remote users?

NTT Global supports remote users via the implementation of third party vendor overlays. This allows users to remotely connect to the network via IPsec, Internet VPNs and SSL. NTT’s managed remote access service uses the NTT Enterprise Services Cloud platform or from the customer premises. NTT Global has over 50 local cloud centers worldwide to support load balancing and 100 percent uptime. This provides better end user performance for remote access with the expertise and support of NTT’s Global Operations Center, whilst ensuring full visibility of services via the NTT View customer portal. With the increased demand for remote working, NTT Global provide a “Work from Home” solution. This provides NTTs own LTE-enabled SD WAN router and includes: failover support via LTE as a backup to ADSL, load balancing with business critical apps supported by LTE and LTE as the primary connection, with non-critical data over ADSL.

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

NTT Global do not offer DIY or Co-managed SD WAN as their primary focus is on fully managed services either directly or via a third party service provider partner. NTT Global offer managed services for both SD WAN and security (See, What is the NTT Global SASE Security Solution?). Clients can choose from five different SD WAN vendors. The NTT Global managed services solution leverages their global Tier-1 backbone to provide a hybrid network architecture that optimizes the performance of enterprise applications. NTT Global’s offering is fully managed and optimizes network performance and improves user experience by managing granular application policies and fully leveraging both the SD WAN cloud and platform. NTT’s solution is able to provision. Cloud based applications and services via NTT’s Secure Web Gateway. NTT Global offer a wide variety of managed services, including but not limited to: hybrid infrastructure services, security services, IT services and application services.

What Reporting and Management is available via the NTT Global Portal?

NTT provides management and reporting through a cloud based Secure Web Gateway. The portal can be managed or self managed and provides real time reporting including malware detection. NTT Global Operation Centers support organizations by provisioning advanced predictive analytics, infrastructure monitoring, security and health management via the NTT portal.

What is the NTT Global SLA?

Below is a table displaying the main focus points of the NTT Global Service Level Agreement (SLA).