Choose Fortinet Secure SD-WAN when you want branch firewall security and SD-WAN in one FortiGate box, and HPE Aruba EdgeConnect when the main problem is cloud apps that behave differently from branch to branch. Cisco Meraki MX is the simplest fit for a lean team running many similar stores from one dashboard. None of the three publishes a UK price per site, so the only fair cost comparison is an itemised partner quote built on the same branch design.
Fortinet vs HPE Aruba EdgeConnect for SD-WAN deployments
Fortinet builds SD-WAN into the FortiGate next-generation firewall, so steering, intrusion prevention, web filtering and application control run on one appliance. Its Secure SD-WAN data sheet lists more than 5,000 application signatures, SLA-based path selection, Forward Error Correction and packet duplication for real-time traffic.
EdgeConnect starts from the WAN. HPE's EdgeConnect validated solution guide, dated 30 September 2026, describes Business Intent Overlays: separate application-specific overlays, each with its own QoS, firewall zone and link-bonding policy across MPLS, broadband and 4G. It adds Forward Error Correction, Packet Order Correction and an optional WAN Optimisation pack for compression and deduplication.
Here is how the two compare on the points buyers raise most.
| Question | Fortinet Secure SD-WAN | HPE Aruba EdgeConnect |
|---|---|---|
| Security posture | Full NGFW on the same FortiGate | Firewall zone per overlay, IDS and IPS with the optional Advanced Security licence |
| Remote workers | Secure Private Access through FortiSASE; the SD-WAN Services bundle includes 5 user seats on FortiGate 60G and up, 10 on 100F and up | Not covered by the branch guide, so ask HPE about remote access |
| Securing the cloud | FortiGate VMs and cloud on-ramp | Virtual EdgeConnect on common hypervisors and public clouds |
| SaaS performance | SLA-based steering, FEC, packet duplication | First-Packet iQ, FEC, Packet Order Correction, optional WAN Optimisation |
| Central management | FortiManager, or the free Fabric Overlay Orchestrator | Orchestrator, on-premises or Aruba-hosted |
Our verdict: both repair lossy links. Pick Fortinet if security posture, remote access and an existing FortiGate estate matter most. Pick EdgeConnect if you need fine-grained WAN policy, WAN optimisation over distance, or a hosted orchestrator for a large estate.
Cisco SD-WAN pricing vs Fortinet and HPE, how licensing works
Licensing is where like-for-like quotes go wrong, because each vendor charges for different things.
| Platform | What you pay for | What to check in the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Fortinet Secure SD-WAN | FortiGate hardware, plus an SD-WAN Services bundle per FortiGate | Bundle or add-on SKU, FortiCare included or not, FortiDeploy |
| HPE Aruba EdgeConnect | Appliance plus a 1 to 5 year licence set by WAN-side bandwidth | Bandwidth tier, WAN Optimisation units, Advanced Security |
| Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN | Router plus WAN Essentials or Advantage, by platform class | Term of 36 to 84 months, cloud management and security add-ons |
| Cisco Meraki MX | Appliance plus Enterprise, Advanced Security or Secure SD-WAN Plus | Licence tier, term, renewal date |
Fortinet's Secure SD-WAN ordering guide says SD-WAN can be enabled on all FortiGate models at no additional cost. The paid SD-WAN Services bundle includes FortiCare and FortiGuard, while the cheaper add-on suits FortiGates that already carry a security bundle and leaves FortiCare out.
Cisco's next-generation routing and WAN licensing overview sells Catalyst SD-WAN as WAN Essentials or WAN Advantage, priced by Small, Medium, Large or Extra Large platform class with no bandwidth tiers, on 36 to 84 month terms. Threat Protection, Malware Defense and URL Filtering are add-ons. EdgeConnect takes the opposite approach: licences run from 20 Mbps to unlimited bandwidth tiers, renewable at 1 to 5 years.
EdgeConnect appliances by typical WAN bandwidth
HPE's rated typical bidirectional WAN bandwidth for each EdgeConnect hardware model, in Mbps
View the data
| Category | Typical WAN bandwidth (Mbps) |
|---|---|
| EC-10104 | 500 |
| EC-10106 | 1,000 |
| EC-10108 | 2,000 |
| EC-S-P | 3,000 |
| EC-M-H | 5,000 |
| EC-10150 | 12,000 |
What does a Meraki store deployment cost through a UK partner?
There is no public UK figure to quote. Meraki's licensing pages send buyers to sales, Fortinet's ordering guide says "Refer to Price List" for its branch bundles, and HPE's guide gives licence tiers without prices. Any single "per store" number is one partner's quote for one design.
A typical Meraki store quote has the same building blocks. Ask every partner for separate £ lines covering:
- the MX appliance, and a second one for high availability
- switches and access points, if in scope
- licence tier, term and renewal price
- staging, configuration, installation and cabling
- 4G or 5G backup and the circuits themselves
- any monthly managed service, and VAT treatment
Use the same bill of materials and term for Cisco, Fortinet and HPE, or the totals mean nothing.
Cisco Meraki vs HPE Aruba when SaaS performs differently by branch
This is where the two differ most. Meraki's MX security and SD-WAN licensing page puts the SaaS tools in the top Secure SD-WAN Plus tier: Meraki Insight analytics, Smart SaaS QoE and ThousandEyes internet outage data. Meraki Insight is no longer sold as a separate licence, so a buyer chasing slow cloud apps at certain stores should price SD-WAN Plus, not Enterprise.
EdgeConnect tackles the same problem in the data path. HPE says First-Packet iQ identifies an application on its first packet, so the flow goes straight to the right overlay or internet breakout. Path conditioning then corrects loss and reordering on weaker broadband. In short, Meraki gives you visibility to find the problem, and EdgeConnect gives you more controls to fix it on the wire.
Which is easier to run without engineers at every site?
Meraki is built for that. Cisco's Meraki SD-WAN guide says the MX probes every AutoVPN tunnel each second and picks a path per flow on loss, latency and jitter. With active-active AutoVPN and a custom performance rule, failover takes about 500ms, and under 100ms when a circuit is pulled. Cisco's MX67 and MX68 datasheet sizes those models for branches of up to 50 devices.
Fortinet supports zero-touch rollout through FortiDeploy, which links your order's serial numbers to FortiCloud so each FortiGate fetches its configuration from FortiManager. HPE recommends running Orchestrator as an Aruba-hosted service to cut operational complexity. Plan for two consoles: EdgeConnect is configured in Orchestrator, while Aruba Central manages wireless and switching.
For large enterprise Wi-Fi plus SD-WAN, HPE Aruba suits firms that want enterprise wireless and advanced WAN overlays from one vendor. Meraki suits firms that put one simple dashboard first. On reliability, no vendor publishes a head-to-head result, so test failover on your own circuits and get the times in writing.
How do the UK rules shape the design?
UK GDPR Article 32 asks for security appropriate to the risk, naming encryption, resilience and quick restoration of access after an incident. A branch network carrying card, staff or loyalty data sits inside that duty, whichever vendor you choose.
The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill completed its Lords third reading on 2 November 2026, with amendments listing managed service providers and critical suppliers as regulated persons. It has returned to the Commons and is not yet law. If an MSP will run your SD-WAN, ask how it is preparing.
The threat grows with size. The government's Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 found 43% of UK businesses had a breach or attack in the past 12 months, and cyber crime rose from 17% of micro firms to 48% of large ones.
Cyber crime rises with business size in the UK
Share of UK businesses that experienced cyber crime in the last 12 months, by size
View the data
| Category | % of businesses |
|---|---|
| Micro (1 to 9) | 17 |
| Small (10 to 49) | 24 |
| Medium (50 to 249) | 41 |
| Large (250+) | 48 |
Sources
- Fortinet, Secure SD-WAN data sheet, 2024
- Fortinet, Secure SD-WAN ordering guide, 2026
- HPE Aruba Networking, EdgeConnect SD-WAN solution fundamentals, 2026
- Cisco, Next-generation licensing for routing and WAN, 2025
- Cisco Meraki, MX security and SD-WAN licensing
- Cisco Meraki, Meraki SD-WAN
- Cisco Meraki, Meraki licensing
- Cisco Meraki, MX67 and MX68 datasheet
- DSIT, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026
- UK Parliament, Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill, 2026
- UK Parliament, Lords completes examination of Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, 2026
- legislation.gov.uk, UK GDPR Article 32
