University of Maryland Upgrades Wireless Network to Authenticate 80,000 Devices Campuswide Daily

The University of Maryland (UMD) has chosen Hewlett Packard's HPE Aruba Networking Edge Services Platform as its campuswide networking solution. Serving the institution's 1,300-acre campus, the new network includes Wi-Fi 6E wireless access points (APs) and CX wired switches, all powered by AI. The university is expected to save millions of dollars over the new infrastructure's lifespan.

The network will modernize connectivity across the university's entire footprint for the "skyrocketing number of mobile, connected, and IoT devices" used daily — currently numbering 80,000 endpoints, according to a news announcement. It will enable the institution to "secure, centrally manage, and maximize the performance of hundreds of thousands of endpoints, while minimizing costs and IT overhead."

The network infrastructure will include:

Mark Addy, UMD's executive director of systems and networking, said the new infrastructure will improve cybersecurity for the tens of thousands of devices ClearPass authenticates every day, but will also reduce IT overhead.

He said UXI AI monitoring had already identified a problem on the distant agriculture campus, proactively notified IT of it and that it was affecting another building, even though users hadn't yet notified them. This allowed IT to fix both facilities at once, saving them a four-hour round trip.

Other savings will be possible also, Addy said.

"For example, we expect to cut our legacy VLANs by about 90%," he noted. "Among the savings will be refocusing the three full-time engineers who currently administer VLANs manually onto higher-value projects, such as enhancing the at-home network experience for residential students and deploying a more seamless IoT adoption strategy."

For more information on HPE Aruba Networking, real-time updates can be found on the infrastructure's X/Twitter and Facebook pages. Those interested in current technical discussions can visit the Airheads Community.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • Abstract AI circuit board pattern

    New Nonprofit to Work Toward Safer, Truthful AI

    Turing Award-winning AI researcher Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a new nonprofit aimed at developing AI systems that prioritize safety and truthfulness over autonomy.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • chart with ascending bars and two silhouetted figures observing it, set against a light background with blue and purple tones

    Report: Enterprises Embracing Agentic AI

    According to research by SnapLogic, 50% of enterprises are already deploying AI agents, and another 32% plan to do so within the next 12 months..

  • college student working on a laptop, surrounded by icons representing campus support services

    National U Launches Student Support Hub for Non-Traditional Learners

    National University has launched a new student support hub designed to help online and working learners balance career, education, and family responsibilities as they pursue their education. Called "The Nest," the facility is positioned as a "co-learning" center that provides wraparound support services, work and study space, and access to child care.