Case Study

BlueCat Networks

Industry:
Network Infrastructure · DNS / DHCP / IPAM (DDI) · NetOps
Regions:
Global
Focus:
Technical Enablement · Product Training · Internal & Partner Education
Services:
Technical Instructional Design · Technical Scriptwriting · Lab Design & Recording · Custom Animation · Long-Term Training Partnership

About

BlueCat Networks

BlueCat Networks is a global leader in Intelligent Network Operations and DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (DDI). The company builds mission-critical network and cloud infrastructure software that helps large enterprises deliver reliable and secure access to applications across hybrid and multicloud environments.Headquartered in Toronto and New York, with additional offices in Europe and Asia - including Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Singapore - BlueCat serves some of the world’s most complex, globally distributed networks. Its DDI management platform has been recognized as a market leader and outperformer in independent industry reports such as the GigaOm Radar for DDI, reflecting its strength in automation, security, and scalability.



In recent years, BlueCat has aggressively expanded its portfolio through strategic acquisitions:

  • Men&Mice / Micetro – A leading DDI orchestration platform providing an overlay for existing DNS and DHCP infrastructures, widely used in mid-market and mixed-vendor environments.
  • Indeni – A network automation and infrastructure assurance platform that automates Day-2 NetOps tasks, proactively detects issues, and provides remediation guidance, now delivered as BlueCat LiveAssurance.


These moves have extended BlueCat’s reach from core DDI into network automation, observability, and predictive assurance, just as global demand for DDI is projected to grow ~17% annually and approach $10B USD by 2032.As BlueCat’s product suite and customer base grew - especially through acquisitions and expanded solution lines - the volume, complexity, and strategic importance of technical training increased dramatically. That is the context in which BlueCat engaged LAAS by Genius as a long - term technical training partner.

Context and Challenges

BlueCat’s solutions sit at the core of enterprise infrastructure—covering DNS, DHCP, IPAM, network automation, observability, and assurance. Training on these products is inherently complex and deeply technical, and it must constantly keep pace with rapid product and feature evolution, the integration of acquired technologies such as Micetro and LiveAssurance, and increasingly sophisticated hybrid and multicloud deployment patterns.


Internally, BlueCat relied on highly skilled subject-matter experts—principal engineers, NetOps leaders, and solution architects—who were already managing product architecture and roadmaps, customer implementation and support, and integration work across platforms and acquisitions. These SMEs simply did not have the bandwidth to also act as full-time scriptwriters, lab designers, and content producers. At the same time, most traditional training vendors expected clients to “hand over” fully baked scripts and detailed walkthroughs. That model broke down quickly at the level of technical depth and nuance BlueCat needed.


Three core challenges emerged. First, vendors with genuine technical depth were extremely difficult to find. BlueCat needed a partner whose team could read and interpret technical documentation, architecture diagrams, KB articles, and even RFC-level concepts; spin up realistic lab environments using BlueCat products; and design training flows that made sense to real NetOps engineers. In other words, they needed engineers on the vendor side, not just designers and animators.

Second, SME time was both precious and constrained. Every additional hour spent on content creation was an hour taken away from customer projects, platform stability and performance, or strategic product work. BlueCat needed a way to keep SMEs in a focused review and validation role rather than asking them to write everything from scratch.


Third, training output needed to match the pace of growth and acquisitions. As BlueCat expanded its product lines and integrated new platforms, training demand became continuous rather than occasional. New features and modules, new integrated workflows across products, and new onboarding needs for customers, partners, and internal hires all had to be addressed. The company needed a partner capable of building and maintaining a living, evolving training library instead of producing disconnected, one-off courses.

Why Selected LAAS by Genius

BlueCat selected LAAS by Genius because we are one of the rare training partners that brings our own technical engineering team directly into the training production process. Rather than relying solely on creatives, our team includes engineers who are comfortable in NetOps environments and who can read, understand, and operationalize complex technical documentation.


This means we can design and record labs ourselves, using BlueCat’s products and environments, based on the technical documents BlueCat shares with us and a limited number of short SME touchpoints. We do not wait for fully polished scripts; instead, we act as a fractional technical training department, owning the heavy lifting from initial concept through to the finished module.


The working model shifted from “Here’s a finished script, please animate it” to “Here are our architecture documents, configuration guides, internal decks, and a bit of SME time - your engineers will design the training scripts and labs end-to-end.” This is what makes the partnership genuinely impressive: LAAS is not just a production house, but a technically fluent training partner that can stand up highly complex training without requiring BlueCat to do all the preparatory work.

Solution Overview

Together, BlueCat and LAAS by Genius implemented a delivery model in which LAAS engineers own the entire training blueprint—from initial script design through lab execution - while BlueCat SMEs remain in focused, high-value review roles.




1. Engineer-Led Script Development

Each module begins with source content provided by BlueCat, such as product and architecture documentation, internal solution and sales engineering decks, release notes, configuration guides, and knowledge base articles. When necessary, we supplement this material with targeted SME interviews to clarify edge cases, nuanced behaviors, and real-world deployment considerations.

From there, our engineers and technical instructional designers digest the technical materials and translate them into clear learning objectives. We then design the training narrative: which concepts to introduce, in what order, at what depth, and how to move logically from fundamentals to advanced operations. Our team writes complete training scripts, including explanations, examples, warnings, and best practices, using the language and context that real NetOps engineers expect.

BlueCat’s SMEs step in to validate technical accuracy, add important field insights or additional scenarios, and formally sign off before production begins. This approach flips the burden: instead of SMEs writing everything, LAAS engineers do the heavy drafting, and BlueCat reviews and refines.


2. Lab Design and Recording

Once scripts are approved, our engineers design and record the labs themselves. Using BlueCat’s software, documentation, and non-production environments, we build lab scenarios that mirror real-world deployments and tasks. We configure environments to demonstrate both ideal “happy paths” and representative misconfigurations or failure modes, so learners see not just how things should work, but also what happens when they do not.

Our team then records step-by-step walkthroughs of key workflows, such as DNS and DHCP changes, IPAM operations, orchestration via Micetro, and assurance workflows using LiveAssurance. Throughout this process, BlueCat provides access to the appropriate environments, sets guardrails and standards for what should or should not be demonstrated, and performs final validation to ensure the labs accurately reflect the desired use of their products. The key differentiator is that the lab design and execution are handled entirely by our team, freeing BlueCat from having to stage, record, and maintain every lab themselves.


3. Technical Animation and High-Fidelity Training Videos

With scripts and lab recordings in place, our technical animation team turns the material into engaging, high-fidelity training modules. We create animated network and DDI topologies that show how components interact across BlueCat products, produce clean, annotated walkthroughs of UI and command-line steps, and develop motion graphics that clarify complex flows such as DNS resolution paths, IP allocation strategies, automation triggers, and health checks.

Because the scripts and labs are engineered by LAAS, the visuals are tightly aligned with the narrative. The result is training that feels purposeful and cohesive rather than pieced together from disparate assets. Learners are guided through a clear storyline that connects conceptual understanding with hands-on practice.


4. Modular, Maintainable Training Library

All content is structured as modular building blocks. Core concepts—such as DDI fundamentals or Intelligent NetOps patterns—are developed as reusable units that can power multiple programs. Product-specific modules focus on platforms like Integrity, Micetro, and LiveAssurance, while scenario-based labs target concrete use cases such as troubleshooting, upgrades, and migrations.

As BlueCat’s portfolio evolves, we can update specific segments without recreating entire courses, rapidly add new modules to cover new acquisitions or feature sets, and assemble tailored learning pathways for different audiences, including internal engineers, partners, and customers. This modular design turns the training ecosystem into a maintainable asset rather than a collection of one-time projects.

Partnership Model and Governance

The engagement between BlueCat and LAAS by Genius is intentionally structured as a long-term production engine, not a sequence of disconnected initiatives. BlueCat works with a dedicated Senior Project Manager at LAAS who coordinates scope, timelines, and priorities across all training work.

Within this framework, LAAS engineers and instructional designers take primary ownership of scripts, labs, and overall training design. BlueCat SMEs are involved through short, focused touchpoints: clarifying discussions, script reviews, lab validations, and final technical sign-off. This arrangement gives BlueCat the equivalent of a plug-and-play technical training department without adding internal headcount and without overloading their experts.

Outcomes and Impact

Although specific metrics are confidential, the impact of this model is clear across several dimensions.

First, internal SMEs have experienced substantial relief. Because LAAS engineers own scriptwriting and lab creation, BlueCat SMEs no longer need to write long-form training scripts, manually record lab walkthroughs, or structure entire courses on their own. Their role has become more strategic and sustainable: they provide expertise, clarify nuances, and validate accuracy rather than carrying the full production burden.


Second, the resulting training matches the technical depth of BlueCat’s products. The modules speak the language of real NetOps professionals, go beyond basic UI clicks to explain architecture and reasoning, and showcase realistic labs instead of superficial demonstrations. This level of rigor is only possible because LAAS brings genuine technical capability to the engagement.


Third, production can scale in step with BlueCat’s growth. As the company continues to integrate acquisitions, expand Intelligent NetOps capabilities, and support more complex customer environments, the training engine can ramp accordingly. New modules can be scoped, engineered, labbed, animated, and released without long ramp-up times or extensive internal resourcing.

Finally, the partnership itself is distinctive. While most vendors wait for clients to hand over completed scripts, LAAS creates those scripts and labs based on technical documentation and focused SME input. BlueCat does not simply have a content vendor; they have a technical engineering and training team on demand.

Summary

By partnering with LAAS by Genius, BlueCat Networks has transformed technical training into a highly engineered, scalable, and sustainable capability. Our engineers read and interpret the technical documentation, design the learning journeys, build and record the labs, and craft the scripts. BlueCat’s SMEs remain focused on their core responsibilities, stepping in primarily to validate and enhance the content.

The outcome is a growing, modular library of deeply technical, visually rich training that can keep pace with BlueCat’s rapid evolution. In a market where very few training providers can truly handle this level of complexity, LAAS stands out as the partner capable of delivering end-to-end, high-end NetOps and DDI training—not just illustrating the technology, but truly understanding it.

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