We build the solution. Then we train your team to run it.
Mentoring is the second half of every BTA engagement. By the close, the customer team is running, maintaining, and defending the system on their own. The training catalog is the supporting layer; the engagement itself is where the transfer happens.
Three steps. Embedded into every engagement.
Mentoring is not a separate workshop. It runs inside SIMPLE, alongside the architecture and deployment work.
- Step 01
Architect together
Customer operators sit in the room for architecture decisions. Trade-offs are discussed openly. The team understands the why, not just the what.
- Step 02
Deploy paired
BTA architects pair with customer engineers during deployment. Operators run scenarios in monitor-only modes before enforcement. Production work is done together.
- Step 03
Hand off owned
By the close of the engagement, the system has been operated by your team in production. They run, maintain, and explain it without calling us.
What every BTA engagement runs on.
- Training is built into every engagement, not bolted on at the end.
- Operators participate from Day-1, including architecture and design sessions.
- Pair programming on production work, with reversible cutovers.
- Knowledge transfer is a deliverable, with sign-off from the customer team.
- Documentation is built alongside the work, not retrofitted at the close.
“When BTA is done, your team is ready to run it.”
The training catalog backs the engagement.
More than 20 programs covering Cisco Secure Workload, Cisco ACI, DevOps, and ACI mentored installations. Custom modules are tailored to your environment.
CSW · Cisco Secure Workload
Implementation, analytics, operations, partner enablement.
Cisco ACI
Field engineer implementation, advanced essentials, operations & troubleshooting, programmability.
DevOps · Automation
Application dependency mapping, advanced DevOps, modular automation.
Mentored Installation
On-site or remote ACI fabric deployment paired with customer engineers.
Common questions about the mentoring approach.
Direct answers to what most prospective clients want to know on a first call.
What does the mentoring approach actually look like in practice?
Your operators participate in architecture decisions during Map, run scenarios in monitor-only modes during Prove, pair with BTA architects during Launch, and operate the system in production during Evolve. By the time the engagement closes, your team has been running the system on their own for weeks.Does mentoring add to the engagement timeline?
It does not extend the engagement; it shortens the post-engagement adoption phase. Most teams without mentoring spend months learning the system after handoff. With BTA's approach, the operating team is already running it.What if our team does not have time to participate?
Without team participation, knowledge transfer fails and the engagement does not close on SIMPLE's exit criteria. Mentoring requires customer-team time, scoped during Start. If the team cannot commit, BTA proposes Managed Services as the better fit.How does mentoring connect to BTA's training catalog?
BTA runs more than 20 mentoring and training programs covering Cisco Secure Workload, Cisco ACI, DevOps, and ACI mentored installations. Custom training for your environment is also available. See the catalog at /cisco-partnership/mentoring-and-training.What happens if our team needs to come back to BTA later?
Three options after handoff: continue self-operating, retain BTA on Ongoing Advisory for periodic reviews, or move to Fully Managed Services. The model can vary by region or business unit.
Schedule a call. We’ll scope it in 30 minutes.
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- 30-minute scoping call
- 1,000+ projects shipped
- Training in every engagement