Notre Dame Partnered with Cisco for Network Upgrade
The University of Notre Dame integrated nearly 1,000 new switches to modernize its campus network infrastructure.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Distance Learning
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The University of Notre Dame has inked a multi-year partnership with Cisco to overhaul its digital infrastructure. This initiative supports the school's growing demands for AI, immersive research, and bandwidth-intensive learning applications.
Why it matters
The upgrade ensures the university can accommodate modern academic needs, including advanced research tools and high-demand digital learning environments. This infrastructure overhaul is designed to support 8,923 undergraduate and 4,206 graduate students.
The university installed 1,000 new switches across its eight colleges and schools. The system is now managed via the Cisco Catalyst Centre for automation.
The players
University of Notre Dame
A private Catholic research university located in South Bend, Indiana, that serves over 13,000 total students.
Cisco
A global technology company that provides networking hardware, software, and telecommunications equipment.
The details
The university deployed Cisco ThousandEyes to monitor network performance and digital experiences for users. By utilizing a multi-gigabit platform with zero-touch deployment, the system maintains consistent configuration across the entire South Bend campus digital footprint.
Timeline
November 26, 1842: University of Notre Dame began operations.
January 15, 1844: Indiana legislature officially chartered the university.
Culture Shift
The university is adopting the Cisco Catalyst Centre to manage its infrastructure, marking a departure from manual campus networking. This transition reflects a broader shift toward software-defined automation in higher education research hubs.
Students and faculty can expect more reliable connectivity and faster data speeds for bandwidth-heavy research and coursework. These technical improvements support a smoother experience for all digital learning tools used across the eight colleges.
The takeaway
Reliable digital infrastructure is now as essential to campus life as physical facilities for modern research universities. Consistent investment in networking ensures that schools can keep pace with the increasing computational demands of AI and data-heavy learning.
Further reading
For more information on the evolution of modern classroom technology, see our Distance Learning section.
Live Poll
Do you believe upgraded campus technology significantly improves the quality of student learning?
