Seven engagement options

We meet you where you are.

From a single advisory window to fully managed operations, BTA engagements scale to what your team needs. The Full Service Lifecycle is the default. The other six options layer in when scope or context narrows.

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Featured · default approach

Full Service Lifecycle.

The most common BTA engagement and the model that gives your team the cleanest Day-2 ownership.

Full Service Lifecycle

Architect, deploy, train, hand off.

The default BTA engagement. We design the target environment, deploy in stages, and train your operating team along the way. SIMPLE methodology end to end. Your team owns Day-2 by close.

Best for
  • Net-new architecture work where the team will own operations
  • Modernization with team enablement built in
  • Customers who want one accountable partner from scoping to handoff
Scope a Full Service engagementSee SIMPLE
The other six options

When scope or context narrows.

Each model below maps to a specific reason a customer would step away from the Full Service Lifecycle. Pick the model that fits.

Option 02

Consulting & Advisory

Strategy and senior guidance.

Strategic engagement focused on direction-setting: architecture reviews, technology assessments, roadmap design, and business-aligned IT strategy. Periodic or retainer formats.

Best for
  • Strong internal teams that need senior-level guidance
  • Pre-investment validation before a large rollout
  • Quarterly architecture reviews and roadmap refresh
Option 03

Managed Services

BTA runs it day to day.

Continuous operations under your governance. Monitoring, change management, escalation paths, and SLAs. The right model for teams that want BTA running the system on Day-2.

Best for
  • Teams without Day-2 capacity for the platform
  • Regulated environments needing 24×7 operations
  • Continuous improvement and optimization built in
Option 04

Deployment

Implementation engagements.

Implementation-focused engagement where BTA does the build. Faster than Full Service Lifecycle when the customer team will not own operations afterwards (e.g., handing off to a Managed Services contract).

Best for
  • Implementation-only scope
  • Customers who already have an operating partner for Day-2
  • Quickstart programs delivered against a Cisco Service Brief
Option 05

Optimization

Refresh and refine an existing environment.

Tuning, automation, and refactor work on an environment already in production. Reduces operational drag and prepares the platform for the next wave of growth.

Best for
  • Existing platforms needing performance or efficiency lift
  • Policy debt cleanup and audit preparation
  • Brownfield architecture refresh
Option 06

Enablement

SIMPLE-driven Quickstart programs.

Fast, focused engagements that align tools and strategies with your goals. Quickstart programs deliver a specific outcome on a known timeline through a published Service Brief.

Best for
  • Time-bound initiatives with a defined outcome
  • Cisco Quickstart programs (CSW Starter Pack, ACI Health Check, etc.)
  • Pilot or proof-of-value scope before a full rollout
Option 07

Mentoring

Capability transfer.

Focused mentoring for an existing team adopting a new platform or practice. Pair-programming on production work, custom training modules, and Cisco MINT-aligned curriculum.

Best for
  • Teams adopting a new Cisco platform
  • DevOps/automation capability building
  • Cisco MINT mentored installations
Quick compare

Most common pairing: Advisory vs Managed.

Once the Full Service Lifecycle closes, customers either retain BTA on Advisory or move to Managed Services. Here is how the two compare.

Dimension
Advisory
Managed
  • Engagement model
    Periodic, retainer or block-of-hours
    Continuous, contracted operations
  • Day-2 ownership
    Your team owns operations; BTA on call
    BTA owns operations under your governance
  • Scope
    Architecture reviews, change consulting, training
    Monitoring, alerting, change, lifecycle, reporting
  • SLAs
    Response targets per retainer terms
    Operational SLAs by service tier
  • Best for
    Strong internal team that wants senior-level guidance
    Teams that want BTA running it day to day
Engagement Models · FAQ

Common questions about BTA engagement models.

Direct answers to what most prospective clients want to know on a first call.

  • Which engagement model is right for us?

    Most customers start with the Full Service Lifecycle. It covers architecture through operational handoff and leaves your team running the system on Day-2. The other six options become useful when scope or context narrows: Advisory for guidance only, Managed Services for operations only, Deployment for build-only, Optimization for an existing environment, Enablement for a fixed-scope Quickstart, Mentoring for capability transfer.

  • Can we mix engagement models?

    Yes. Many customers run Full Service Lifecycle on the corporate IT environment, Managed Services on a specific Cisco platform, and Advisory on the AI infrastructure side. The model can vary by region, business unit, or application group.

  • Do all models run on SIMPLE?

    Yes. Every BTA engagement uses the SIMPLE methodology. Cadence and stage depth scale to the engagement, but the framework is the same: Start, Immerse, Map, Prove, Launch, Evolve.

  • What happens after the engagement closes?

    Three options: continue self-operating (your team runs it on Day-2), retain BTA on Ongoing Advisory for periodic reviews, or move to Fully Managed Services. The model can change over time without restarting the engagement.

  • How is pricing structured?

    Project-based and tailored to scope, duration, and deliverables. Pricing is confirmed during scoping, before work begins. Cisco Quickstart programs are ordered through standard Cisco SKUs (GPL or SolutionsPlus).
30 minutes

Schedule a call. We’ll scope it in 30 minutes.

Bring your hardest architecture problem. We’ll tell you what we’d do, what it costs, and how long it takes.

  • 30-minute scoping call
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  • Training in every engagement

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