Aussie poultry business strengthens its paddock-to-plate supply chain

Australian cybersecurity and network services provider Ip.Glass has announced the successful modernisation of Baiada Poultry’s national network infrastructure. The project was delivered in partnership with Fortinet, to enhance operational resilience, security and visibility across the poultry business’s vertically integrated ‘paddock-to-plate’ supply chain.

Baiada Poultry is one of Australia’s largest poultry producers. It operates a 24x7 environment where minutes of downtime can disrupt production, logistics and supply continuity across breeding farms, feed mills, processing plants and distribution facilities. To support its high‑velocity operations and long‑term growth strategy, the business engaged Ip.Glass and Fortinet to design and implement a resilient, secure and scalable network platform.

Wayne Ellison, CIO, Baiada, said, “Baiada Poultry is a seconds and minutes business; continuity of supply is everything to us. We need a partner that can move quickly, understand our operations, and deliver technology that will stand up to harsh operational environments. Ip.Glass has the agility, speed and expertise to help us achieve that.”

The engagement began with a network segmentation and security program designed to isolate critical systems and ensure operational continuity. This foundation let Baiada Poultry undertake a broader network modernisation, including the deployment of Fortinet Secure SD‑WAN, next‑generation firewalls, upgraded switching, and a wireless refresh to support complex IT and operational technology (OT) environments.

Through the adoption of the Fortinet Security Fabric, Baiada Poultry unified its firewall, SD‑WAN, switching and wireless infrastructure under a centrally managed architecture. The implementation of a security operations capability using FortiAnalyzer further improved visibility, letting Baiada Poultry’s IT team shift from reactive issues resolution to proactive monitoring and optimisation. The solution also helps ensure that Baiada Poultry has the ability to segment its network in the event of a cyber incident should there be a compromise, increasing its resilience and helping to avoid any costly downtime.

John Saba, Head of IT Infrastructure, Baiada Poultry, said, “Ip.Glass understands Baiada Poultry’s environment and works with us to recommend the right solutions. Together with Fortinet, Ip.Glass helped us reduce management overheads and pressure on our small team while giving us greater control and visibility across the network to prevent any possible downtime.”

Semyon Taskin, Managing Director, Ip.Glass, said, “The success of the project reflects a deep, collaborative partnership built on operational understanding rather than a transactional approach. Baiada Poultry’s business is complex, fast‑moving and unforgiving of downtime. By spending time onsite and understanding how its operations run, we have been able to design and support a network that delivers resilience today while providing a base for future automation, growth and innovation.”

John Milionis, Director, Channel and Distribution, Australia and New Zealand, Fortinet, said, “Organisations like Baiada Poultry operate in highly time-sensitive environments where resilience, visibility and control are critical to maintaining continuity across complex supply chains. This project highlights the value of strong partner collaboration in delivering integrated networking and cybersecurity outcomes, helping customers simplify operations, strengthen security posture and confidently support ongoing transformation in complex IT and OT environments.”

With major expansion projects underway, including new processing and automated facilities, Baiada Poultry continues to build on its modernised network platform as it explores further enhancements to OT security and visibility.

Image credit: iStock.com/Liudmyla Chuhunova