CBTS launched a new Fortinet-powered managed networking and security service on October 20, targeting mid-market and multi-site organizations looking to modernize IT infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity without expanding internal teams.
The offering is available across North America and is designed for organizations in healthcare, retail, financial services, manufacturing, and other industries with distributed operations.
CBTS combines networking and security in managed service
CBTS Fortinet Managed Services combines firewalls, switching, wireless networking, and software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) into a single managed offering. The service includes assessment, deployment, ongoing management, and hardware refresh through a monthly subscription.
The launch addresses growing pressure on mid-market organizations to manage increasingly complex networks and cybersecurity threats with limited staffing and budgets.
“For most mid-market organizations, hiring their way out of the problem is no longer realistic,” said Chris DeBrunner, CISO at CBTS. “CBTS gives them another option: bring networking and security together on a single platform, operated by certified CBTS engineers 24 hours a day.”
CBTS, a Fortinet Expert-tier partner, will manage the entire technology lifecycle, including migration from existing vendors. Hardware, deployment, management, and refresh costs are consolidated into a recurring subscription, with no upfront capital investment.
The company pointed to an existing deployment for a quick-service restaurant chain operating more than 100 locations, in which it replaced a mixed-vendor infrastructure with a unified Fortinet environment.
Managed network security creates opportunities for MSPs
The announcement reflects a broader shift toward integrated networking and security services as providers look to simplify customer environments and expand recurring revenue opportunities.
As Channel Insider recently reported, GTT has also been expanding its network security portfolio, including the introduction of its AI-native Defense Halo platform. That strategy similarly emphasizes reducing technology sprawl and connecting networking investments with managed security services.
Meanwhile, Cato Networks’ SMB FlexPool launch demonstrated another approach to making managed networking and security services easier for MSPs to package and scale.
For MSPs, MSSPs, and systems integrators, CBTS’s launch highlights both an opportunity and a competitive consideration.
Customers increasingly want providers capable of managing networking and security together rather than coordinating multiple vendors. That creates opportunities to bundle infrastructure modernization, security monitoring, and lifecycle management into recurring contracts.
However, providers pursuing similar offerings will need to differentiate through engineering expertise, migration capabilities, service-level commitments, and customer support rather than technology alone.
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