“Deploying these AI applications demands wireless networks that perform at levels most campuses cannot currently support, and simultaneously amplifies the very obstacles preventing universities from modernizing their infrastructure,” Cisco writes in “State of Wireless 2026,” which explores how higher education is adapting to today’s AI challenges and opportunities.
Operational complexity, accelerating security threats and persistent talent shortages undermine higher education institutions’ ability to tap the potential of modern wireless networks, the report states: “Universities that confront all three challenges together see dramatically higher returns.”
Georgetown University’s wireless modernization project shows a pathway to resolving these challenges. “Our infrastructure strategy is evolving toward an ‘experience-first’ model that treats the network as a dynamic platform for both research and learning,” says Douglas Little, Georgetown’s CIO.
Georgetown upgraded its wireless network to Wi-Fi 7, which is designed for dense, high-bandwidth environments such as laboratories, dormitories and lecture halls. AI-powered network management tools proactively eliminate jitter and lag before users notice.
DISCOVER: AI for networking is redefining IT operations.
“Our goal is for the network to be an afterthought for our community,” Little adds. “It should just work, allowing students and faculty to focus entirely on teaching and research.”
AI Across Wired Infrastructure
For all of the emphasis on wireless in higher education, wired infrastructure connects access points, networking hardware and locations such as laboratories and data centers. Administration gets more complex every year as more endpoints such as phones, laptops, video cameras and Internet of Things sensors connect to networks.
Adding AI to the network mix makes a tough job harder. “No one really has a good handle on how that usage looks,” DeBacker says. Technology manufacturers such as Extreme Networks are upgrading their product portfolios to adapt to the new realities of AI workloads. Increasingly, machine learning algorithms and sophisticated automation will bring greater visibility to AI-driven network traffic and help deliver real-time adaptations that reduce latency and streamline the user experience.
Looking ahead, DeBacker says, security will be one of greatest networking challenges in the years to come. “With AI technology, we’re going to see more rapid attacks,” he says.
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AI-driven breaches will proliferate much faster than their predecessors, so reacting when the lights flash red on a device or dashboard will be too late. “I would like to see when the box is green going to yellow,” he adds. AI-enhanced threat hunting will help defenders act decisively at that point.
Expert Advice Guides IT Leaders
Experts offer advice to higher education IT leaders for supporting AI on their networks.
For wireless networks:
- Prioritize user experience. “Focus on providing a platform for ‘instant and sustained’ connectivity that can support the next generation of AI and research tools,” Little says.
- Treat the network as foundational. Little notes that modern campus networks run critical health, safety and phone systems. This makes your network the foundation for the university’s entire mission of teaching and research.
- Start with dense environments. Dorms, dining halls and other high-density areas make great pilot testing grounds to ensure your network can handle stadium-level bandwidth demands, Little adds.
- Work together: Little’s team partnered with Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship to make sure network upgrades meet the evolving, real-world needs of faculty and staff.
For wired infrastructure:
- Expect constant change: “We need to be able to adapt to bandwidth and to traffic flows much, much faster than we’ve ever had to do in the past,” DeBacker says.
- Focus on flexibility: The old model of upgrading the network every decade or so is insufficient. DeBacker advises campus IT leaders and network admins to focus on technology that enables proactive, forward-thinking oversight versus the traditional “firefighter” role of fixing problems after they erupt.
- Prepare for AI everywhere: “AI will proliferate out into the network infrastructure edge,” DeBacker says. “It’s not an if, it’s a when.” There’s no substitute for staying abreast of technology changes and having a plan to deal with them, he adds.
- Educate your staff: Make sure people understand AI risks as well as rewards. And remind them that today’s students increasingly prize bandwidth and will ask about your current networking technology.
