Replace expensive MPLS links with application-aware SD-WAN that routes traffic intelligently, keeps security built in at every hop, and gives you one management pane across every site. eComms deploys and manages Fortinet SD-WAN for businesses across Australia.
MPLS circuits were built for a world where every application lived in a head-office data centre. That world no longer exists for most Australian businesses. When your staff rely on Microsoft 365, Salesforce, hosted phone systems, and cloud-based contact centre platforms, routing that traffic back through a central office before it reaches the internet makes the application slower and the WAN more expensive. Fortinet SD-WAN changes the routing model: each application goes via the best available path, with security inspecting every packet at every site along the way.
eComms is a Fortinet-certified partner. We design the SD-WAN architecture, deploy FortiGate appliances across your sites, and manage the environment from our Melbourne NOC on an ongoing basis. Your team gets faster application performance and a managed service with a single point of contact.
FortiGate SD-WAN sits at each site and continuously measures the quality of every WAN connection available: broadband, fibre, MPLS, and 4G/5G backup. It monitors latency, packet loss, and jitter in real time and routes each application over the best available path based on those measurements.
A Microsoft Teams video call goes over the lowest-latency link. A nightly backup job goes over the cheapest available connection. If one link fails or degrades below an acceptable threshold, traffic moves to another connection automatically, with no manual intervention and no need for staff at the affected site to do anything. Security policy from the FortiGate applies to all traffic regardless of which link it uses, managed from a single central console across every site.
| MPLS | Fortinet SD-WAN |
|---|---|
| Fixed per-site capacity. Paying for a circuit even when traffic is low. | Dynamic capacity across multiple links. Burst over broadband when needed. |
| Routes all traffic through the hub, even cloud-destined traffic. | Sends cloud traffic direct to cloud, without backhauling through head office. |
| Long lead times for new sites. Weeks to provision a new MPLS circuit. | New sites go live in hours with broadband plus a pre-configured FortiGate. |
| Security typically applied separately at the hub, not at the edge. | Security is built into the FortiGate at every site. No separate security appliance needed. |
| Predictable cost but often higher per-Mbps than broadband alternatives. | Lower per-Mbps cost when broadband is used for non-critical traffic. MPLS can be retained for critical paths. |
Some businesses run both: MPLS for latency-sensitive traffic and SD-WAN to manage failover and cloud routing on top. eComms can design a hybrid model if your environment calls for it.
Thousands of Businesses Across Australia Trust eComms to Keep Them Connected
“The speed difference was noticeable from day one. Our end-of-day reconciliation that used to time out at busy stores now runs without a second thought. And when one site in Brisbane had a carrier issue, eComms had already flagged it before our store manager called.”
National fashion retailer, 34 stores across Australia
Answers to common questions about our managed phone systems, connectivity solutions, carrier network, and ongoing support services.
MPLS is a private, dedicated WAN service where you pay for a fixed-capacity circuit between each location. SD-WAN uses software to intelligently route traffic across multiple connections, including broadband, fibre, and 4G, choosing the best path for each application in real time. SD-WAN is generally cheaper to run, faster to deploy at new sites, and better suited to cloud-heavy traffic. MPLS can be retained alongside SD-WAN for latency-sensitive traffic where a guaranteed private path is required.
Fortinet SD-WAN uses a FortiGate appliance at each site to continuously measure the quality of every available WAN connection: latency, packet loss, jitter, and bandwidth. Based on those measurements, it routes each application over the best available path. A video call goes over the lowest-latency link. A file backup goes over the cheapest connection. If a link fails, traffic shifts automatically in seconds. Security policy from the FortiGate applies to all traffic regardless of which link it uses.
In most cases yes, particularly for sites that currently pay for dedicated MPLS circuits. SD-WAN uses lower-cost broadband connections for the majority of traffic while optionally keeping MPLS for latency-critical paths. The total cost of ownership depends on your site count, existing MPLS contract terms, and how much broadband capacity is available at each location. eComms provides a cost comparison as part of the SD-WAN assessment, modelling your current spend against a proposed SD-WAN design.
Fortinet SD-WAN is built into FortiGate, which is both a WAN router and a next-generation firewall in the same device. For most deployments, the FortiGate running SD-WAN replaces both the existing WAN router and the site firewall. This simplifies the network architecture at each site: one device handles routing, security policy, and application prioritisation. eComms designs the replacement architecture as part of the SD-WAN project and manages the firewall policy alongside the WAN configuration.
Most businesses do not know exactly what their MPLS spend per Mbps works out to when you factor in all sites. eComms runs a WAN assessment that maps your current circuit costs, cloud application performance, and site count against a proposed Fortinet SD-WAN design, so you have a like-for-like cost comparison before making any commitment. No obligation.
Email our team: sales@ecomms.com.au