Axians recently completed a nationwide rollout in Italy to standardize the network infrastructure of 1,700 finance branches, each with its own legacy setup, policies, and technologies. The scale and complexity of the project demanded a new approach.
“With such a huge number of branches, each one different from the next, standardization wasn’t just a goal, it was a necessity,” explains Mattia Ambrosio, Network System Engineer at Axians Italy, who together with his team tackled the challenge with automation at the core.
Based on their DevNet skills, Axians Italy generated a turnkey and homemade tool to answer this demand. Rather than relying on manual configuration and spreadsheets, the team built a full automation pipeline using a Django backend and React frontend. The system integrated directly with Cisco Meraki, Cisco ISE, and EfficientIP, managing everything from IP planning to firewall policies and DHCP reservations.
“We couldn’t risk manual errors or waste time with repetitive tasks,” Ambrosio explained. “The only way to succeed was to design an automation ecosystem that could manage everything—from network design to on-site delivery.”
The impact was immediate. Configuration time dropped from ten hours to just ten minutes per branch. Manual errors were eliminated, and project managers had real-time visibility into progress through a custom dashboard.
“There’s no room for slip-ups. If something goes wrong, it’s traceable and fixable,” said Mattia Ambrosio. “We’ve saved time—and used that time to scale, learn, and improve.”