The Challenge: Expansion Paralysis

A national retail brand with 500+ locations was facing a critical deadline. They needed to upgrade their legacy MPLS network to Cisco SD-WAN (Viptela) across all stores within 6 months.

Their existing partner proposed a standard "Black Box" deployment:

• Partner engineers would configure everything remotely.
• The retailer's team would have zero access until "handover."
• Cost: $200,000 for the initial rollout.
• Day 2 Cost: $1,200 per store for any future changes.

The retailer's CIO realized that with 50 new stores planned for Q4, they would bleed budget on "Change Orders" alone.

The Solution: Cisco MINT (Mentored Install)

They switched to Technoxi for a Cisco MINT Engagement (SKU: MINT-SECURITY-TNX).

Unlike the traditional model, our goal was not just to install routers, but to build an internal "NetOps" capability within the retailer's own team.

Phase 1: The "Shadow" Deployment (Weeks 1-4)

Instead of Technoxi engineers doing the work in isolation, we set up a Joint Engineering Lab.

• Technoxi Role: Architecture validation and best-practice templates (CVDs).
• Customer Role: Applying the templates and pushing config to test sites.

Phase 2: Automated Rollout (Weeks 5-12)

We utilized the Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center) automation features. We didn't just write the scripts; we taught the retailer's Level 3 engineers how to write their own Python scripts to interface with the vManage API.

The Results

By the end of the project, the results were undeniable:

1. 100% Internal Ownership

When the rollout was finished, the retailer's team didn't need a "handover document." They had built the network themselves. They knew every policy, every route map, and every security zone because they typed the commands (under our mentorship).

2. $100k+ in Immediate Savings

Three months later, the retailer opened 50 new locations.

• Standard Partner Cost: $60,000 ($1,200 x 50 stores).
• Technoxi MINT Cost: $0.

The internal team, empowered by the scripts and knowledge from the MINT engagement, spun up the new stores in 3 days without outside help. Including the avoided Day 2 support tickets, the total Year 1 savings exceeded $100,000.

3. Deployment Velocity

The project finished 3 weeks ahead of schedule because the internal team could troubleshoot Layer 1/2 issues instantly without opening tickets with a managed service provider.

Conclusion

Cisco MINT isn't just about installation; it's about capability.

"Technoxi didn't just give us a network. They gave us an engineering team." - VP of Infrastructure, Retail Brand

If you are planning a Cisco SD-WAN, ACI, or ISE deployment, don't just buy a config. Contact our MINT team and buy a future-proof capability.

Service Used: Cisco MINT Mentored Install

Want to Learn More?

• What is Cisco MINT? - Complete methodology guide
• The ROI of MINT - Why upfront investment pays off
• Our MINT Services - Explore all capabilities SKU: MINT-SECURITY-TNX