Cisco Devices Take Center Stage at Presidential Debates

It was an event that transfixed the nation Monday night: Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump met for a televised debate for the first time. Cisco was literally on top of the action as dozens of Cisco Aironet 3700 and 3800 Access Points were sent to the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.

In all, 42 Aironet 3700 and 3800 Access Points with high-gain antennas were deployed at the debate site. The access points along with Cisco Catalyst Switches (6500, 4500-X, 3850 and 3650), the Cisco 8540 Wireless LAN Controller and Cisco Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX) created the infrastructure for the wireless network needed to make sure that everyone—from the audience to the moderator to the press to the candidates themselves—was connected and on-point.

From design to delivery, the entire network was dispatched in less than nine weeks.

During this time, the Cisco team worked to create a network that could handle the thousands of devices being used at the same time but also the security needed to make sure that the network was safe. The latter was especially important as the Presidential Debate Committee has stringent guidelines when it comes to security. Thanks to Cisco products like Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA), Identity Services Engine (ISE) and Web Security Appliance (WSA) the guidelines were reached and the network remained ironclad.

No matter what your thoughts on who won Monday’s debate, one thing is for certain: the security and the speed of a Cisco-powered wireless network is a winner.

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