Network Infrastructure for SMEs with 10-200 Employees

The network infrastructure of an SME with 10 to 200 employees must balance simplicity, cost, and security. Poor design results in recurring downtime, lost productivity, and security risks. This guide covers standard SME architecture in 2026: firewall, switches, WiFi, VPN, and backup, with real-world budgets by company size.

Typical SME requirements

• Availability: 99.9% (maximum 8h downtime/year)
• Internet bandwidth: 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps FTTH
• Locations: 1-3 sites on average
• IT team: 0-2 people (often outsourced to an MSP)
• Budget: €15-150k excluding tax in total over 3 years

Architecture for SMEs with 10-30 employees

• 1× FortiGate 60F: €1,290 excluding tax + UTM Bundle €990/3 years
• 1× FortiSwitch-124E: €1,690 excluding tax (24 PoE+ ports)
• 2× FortiAP-231F: 2×€350 = €700 excluding tax
• Synology DS923+ NAS with 4×4TB SATA: €1,890 excluding tax
• Total: ~€6,600 excluding tax + FTTH at €60-100/month

Architecture for SMEs with 30-80 employees

• 1× FortiGate 80F or 100F: €2,890-3,490 excluding tax + UTM Bundle
• 2× FortiSwitch-148F-FPOE (48 PoE+ ports): 2×€3,290 excluding tax
• 4× FortiAP-231F: 4×€350 = €1,400 excluding tax
• Synology RS1221+ NAS: €2,890 excluding tax
• Total: ~€13,000 excluding tax for hardware + licenses

Architecture for SMEs with 80-200 employees

• 2× FortiGate 100F/200F in active-passive HA
• Core: 2× Catalyst 9300-24U in StackWise Virtual or Aruba CX 6300
• Access: 4-8× Catalyst 9300-48U or FortiSwitch-448E
• WiFi: 15-25× FortiAP/Meraki MR/Aruba AP
• AD + file + print server: 1-2 Dell PowerEdge servers
• Backup: Veeam + NAS (3-2-1 rule)
• Total: €80-150k excluding tax over 3 years

Minimum segmentation

• VLAN 10: DATA (business workstations)
• VLAN 20: VOICE (IP telephony)
• VLAN 30: WIFI-GUEST (isolated)
• VLAN 40: PRINT (printers/scanners)
• VLAN 50: CAM (IP cameras)
• VLAN 99: MGMT (network administration)

Essential security controls

• NGFW firewall with IPS/AV/Web Filter enabled
• SSL inspection for outbound HTTPS traffic
• MFA for administrator access (FortiToken, Duo)
• IPsec VPN for remote work (FortiClient, GlobalProtect)
• Daily backups with monthly restore testing
• EDR (Endpoint Detection) on every workstation: CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Windows Defender for Business

WAN connectivity

• Symmetrical 1 Gbps business FTTH (Orange Pro, Free Pro, SFR Biz): €70-180/month
• 4G/5G backup with a mobile router (Teltonika, Cradlepoint)
• Multi-site: native FortiGate SD-WAN (€0 additional licensing)
• Replace legacy MPLS with Internet-based SD-WAN

3-year TCO for an SME with 80 users

• Hardware (FortiGate + switches + AP): ~€25,000 excluding tax
• Licenses (3-year UTM Bundle): ~€10,000 excluding tax
• FTTH over 3 years (€150/month): ~€5,400 excluding tax
• OPTINOC MSP support: ~€18,000 excluding tax
• 3-year total: ~€58,000 excluding tax

Mistakes to avoid

• Purchasing a consumer-grade ISP router (no stateful inspection or IPS)
• Neglecting off-site backups (ransomware will also encrypt the NAS)
• No segmentation (IoT devices on the same VLAN as PCs create a security risk)
• No annual audit (known vulnerabilities remain unpatched)

Order from OPTINOC

Turnkey network infrastructure for SMEs: audit, design, deployment, migration, and support. FortiGate + FortiSwitch + FortiAP bundle. Free quote within 2h.