Notre Dame’s network refresh shows the AI era starts with paying down technical debt

The University of Notre Dame's network refresh, a multiyear project involving Cisco Systems Inc., demonstrates that the AI era begins with tackling technical debt. In an effort to deliver the bandwidth, consistency, and data that artificial intelligence relies on, Notre Dame replaced 955 switches across approximately 170 buildings within five months, all without disrupting campus operations.

The new Cisco Catalyst 9300X multigigabit switches were managed via Cisco Catalyst Center with zero-touch provisioning, and the deal also included Cisco Professional Services and Cisco ThousandEyes for network visibility. The campus had a diverse range of aging switches, spanning 28 models and more than 100 operating system versions, all from a single vendor.

This lack of standardization created coordination challenges and inconsistent user experiences. The network refresh aimed to standardize the wired campus, providing a consistent experience for users regardless of which building they were in. The increase in bandwidth demand, particularly due to video usage, necessitated a 10-year plan for network expansion.

Notre Dame's goal is to support a 100-gig connection to an end user where needed by 2030. The network refresh also addressed power constraints, as underutilized switches could not be fully populated without exceeding the PoE budget. Standardization through golden images in Catalyst Center improved the team's ability to patch vulnerabilities quickly and maintain a secure network posture.

While AI agents will play a role in future network management, Notre Dame emphasizes the importance of having comprehensive visibility into device health and user experience before investing in AI-powered solutions.