Cisco details higher-ed network deals with Notre Dame, Auburn, Georgetown
Cisco outlined multi-year campus network work with Notre Dame, Auburn and Georgetown, including Wi-Fi 7, Splunk security and ThousandEyes pilots.
The story in focus
Cisco detailed higher-education networking and security partnerships with Notre Dame, Auburn and Georgetown, including a multi-year Notre Dame Athletics network modernization, Splunk-based security operations at Auburn, and a Wi-Fi 7 deployment at Georgetown that Cisco called one of the largest in higher education.
- Cisco and Notre Dame Athletics announced a multi-year partnership to modernize the university's campus-wide network, consolidating infrastructure onto a unified multi-gigabit Cisco platform managed through Catalyst Center.
- Auburn University uses Splunk, a Cisco company, for security analytics and has integrated Cisco XDR to build out its SOC architecture.
- Georgetown University deployed Wi-Fi 7 across its main campus, with Cisco calling it one of the largest such deployments in higher education.
Notre Dame network modernization
Cisco said it and Notre Dame Athletics announced this month a multi-year partnership to modernize the University of Notre Dame's campus-wide network. The South Bend, Indiana, campus relies on nearly 1,000 switches.
Notre Dame consolidated its infrastructure onto a unified Cisco multi-gigabit platform managed through Cisco Catalyst Center, which the company says streamlines device deployment, software updates and configuration templates and uses AI to monitor network health and troubleshoot. Notre Dame is also piloting Cisco ThousandEyes, and Cisco Professional Services provides ongoing support. Notre Dame's John Buysse framed the work as building a foundation for learning, research and campus life rather than replacing hardware.
Auburn security and Georgetown Wi-Fi 7
At Auburn University in Alabama, Splunk, a Cisco company, supports security analytics for a relatively small security operations team. Auburn cybersecurity operations manager Jay James said Splunk helped keep daily workflows running as emerging threats grow, and that adding Cisco XDR supports a broader SOC architecture. He said the team also works with student interns placed on training paths.
Georgetown University launched a network overhaul and Wi-Fi 7 deployment across its main campus in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. CIO Doug Little cited multi-streaming video in large lecture spaces, large shared data sets and readiness for future simulation instruction. Cisco senior vice president Gary DePreta called it one of the largest Wi-Fi 7 deployments in higher education. Little said the campus has more than 6,000 wireless access points and 50,000 active devices.
What did Cisco say about its higher-education deployments?
Cisco described multi-year network work with Notre Dame, Splunk-based security analytics at Auburn and a campus-wide Wi-Fi 7 rollout at Georgetown, which it called one of the largest such deployments in higher education.
Sources & further reading
- Cisco and higher ed: building a foundation for future learning ↗newsroom.cisco.com
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