Stop Buying Configuration. Start Buying Capability.
If you’re a CIO or an Infrastructure Director, you’ve probably seen the two quotes.
One is for a "Standard Deployment" from a big-box partner. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and it promises to have you live in 30 days.
The other is for a Cisco MINT (Mentored Install). It’s a bit more of an investment. It takes a bit more of your team's time.
On paper, the "cheap" option wins every time. But in the real world? The cheap option is the most expensive mistake you’ll ever make.
The "Day 2" Tax
Here is the secret the big partners don't want you to know: They make their real money when you fail.
When your team doesn't understand the new SD-WAN fabric or the ACI policy engine, who do you call when things go wrong? You call that same partner. You pay for "Emergency Support." You pay for "Consultation." You pay for their engineers to do what your engineers should have been trained to do during the install.
This is the "Day 2 Tax." And it’s a budget-killer.
Why MINT is the Ultimate ROI Play
Cisco MINT (Mentored Install Network Training) flips the script. You invest more on Day 1 so you can spend nothing on Day 2.
1. The 40% Operational Dividend
Our data is clear: Organizations that use the MINT model see a 40-50% reduction in support tickets in their first year. When your team builds the system with us, they don't need to open a TAC case for every minor change. They own the knowledge.
2. "Embedded" Training (Value: $20k+)
Standard training courses for 5 engineers cost roughly $15,000, plus another $5k-$10k in lost productivity while they're away.
With MINT, the training is the deployment. Your team learns on your actual production network, with your actual policies. That’s "Zero-Cost" training that actually sticks.
3. Deployment Speed (Without the Rework)
Because MINT uses Cisco-validated designs, we don't waste time "guessing." We’ve seen other partners spend weeks troubleshooting "custom" configs that never should have been built. MINT gets you to "Production Ready" faster because we follow the blueprint.
Real Talk: The Retailer Who Saved $100k
We worked with a national retailer that was quoted $200k for a standard SD-WAN rollout. They chose our MINT engagement for $240k instead. (Read the full case study for details).
Six months later, they needed to add 50 new stores.
- In the Standard Model: They would have paid a partner another $60k to do it.
- In the MINT Model: Their team had learned the automation workflows we taught them. They deployed those 50 stores themselves in three days. Total cost: $0.
That’s a $100k+ swing in ROI just from one expansion.
The Bottom Line
Configuration is a commodity. You can get it anywhere.
Expert-as-a-Service (CSEaaS) is a competitive advantage.
If you want to lower your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and build a team that actually understands the technology you just bought, stop looking at the "cheapest" quote. Look for the one that empowers you.
Learn More About Cisco MINT:
- What is Cisco MINT? - Complete guide to the MINT methodology
- MINT vs Traditional Deployment - See how we're different
- Customer Case Study - $100k savings in Year 1