Case Study: BEW Electrical Distributors achieves always-on secure connectivity and centralized SD‑WAN with Barracuda Networks

BEW Electrical Distributors improves services by combining SD-WAN connectivity with next-generation security

BEW Electrical Distributors, a 20-location wholesaler founded in 1983, relied on a lean IT team and a central ERP at head office. Their previous cost‑focused modem-router VPNs made site-to-site connectivity hard to manage, offered poor network visibility, and lacked advanced security for safe Internet breakouts — prompting a need for scalable SD‑WAN, stronger threat protection, and centralized management.

Working with Altinet, BEW deployed Barracuda CloudGen Firewall F18 appliances at remote sites and an F280 at HQ, all with integrated Secure SD‑WAN, next‑generation firewall features, Advanced Threat Protection and cloud sandboxing, managed via a hosted Firewall Control Center. The co‑managed solution delivered always‑on secure access to the ERP, safe direct Internet breakouts, unprecedented network visibility and simplified VPN and deployment workflows (zero‑touch), plus PCI segmentation, automated failover and easier scaling — reducing operational overhead and improving service reliability.

BEW Electrical Distributors

Matthew Marven

IT Manager