Lafayette College’s Next-Generation Network Transformation with Aspire

Lafayette College, located in Easton, Pennsylvania, is an undergraduate-only, liberal arts institution with more than 2,700 students. The 340-acre campus overlooks the historic Delaware River and is just 90 minutes from both New York City and Philadelphia. Lafeyette is a residential college, emphasizing the value of students living and learning together, and guarantees campus housing to all enrolled students. Currently, around 93% of students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing.
Lafeyette faced a critical network infrastructure challenge, as its Cisco equipment was approaching end-of-life in 2025. A full network refresh was necessary to enhance scalability, performance, and security. Having built a trusted relationship over 5 years with smaller projects, the college collaborated with Aspire to modernize its IT backbone, improve campus-wide connectivity, and support evolving technological needs across various departments.

Aspire’s Strategic Approach

Over the course of two days on the Lafyette campus, Aspire met with stakeholders in IT, Facilities, Athletics, Business Services and User Services, as well as student representatives to assess the unique needs of each entity and created a customized set of solutions that solved the key problems they were facing.

Focus areas included:

• Strengthening Core Network Infrastructure by building a more robust and adaptable network foundation with greater capacity for growth and improved upstream connectivity
• Enhancing Connectivity for Business Services to improve the reliability and efficiency of connections
• Improving Real-time Network Performance Insights to gain immediate and comprehensive understanding of network behavior and facilitating faster problem identification and resolution
• Optimizing Network Operations through Centralized Management and Automation allowing for streamlined network administration tasks and automated processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort

Solution Implementation Highlights

The Core Layer was upgraded to support 160GB connections to the distribution layer, allowing the campus network to handle traffic more efficiently, reduce downtime, and provide the necessary foundation for a future-proofed network.

At the Distribution Layer, key connections were strengthened to ensure data moves quickly and smoothly between different parts of the network. StackWise Virtual was introduced in both the core and distribution layers to improve resilience and eliminate reliance on spanning-tree and HSRP.

The Access Layer, which connects users’ devices to the network, was significantly improved with faster, 20GB connections, flexible bandwidth options, and new monitoring tools to detect and fix issues before they impact users. Cisco ThousandEyes was integrated for real-time network analytics and Cisco Catalyst Center to manage the network.

Innovative Network Management Tools

With Cisco Catalyst Center and ThousandEyes, Lafayette has immediate visibility into their systems, which allows them to proactively monitor network health and optimize performance across campus.

Cisco Catalyst Center automates network management with tools such as SWIM (Software Image Management), provides Single Pane of Glass telemetry of the network traffic health, streamlines tasks like troubleshooting and onboarding of users and networking devices through Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP). ThousandEyes provides deep insights into network traffic, offering real-time diagnostics that pinpoint bottlenecks and disruptions. Together, these tools create a dynamic, intelligent network that adapts to the college’s needs while ensuring reliable, high-speed connectivity.

With thousands of students, faculty, and staff relying on seamless internet access for learning, research, and administrative operations, having a self-optimizing, easily managed network is crucial. These tools minimize downtime, improve security by enforcing strict access policies, and enhance the user experience with uninterrupted connectivity. Additionally, with the rise of cloud-based applications and hybrid learning models, the ability to monitor and optimize both on-campus and remote network performance ensures that Lafayette remains at the forefront of higher education technology.

Professional Services & Deployment Strategy

Aspire’s Professional Services team worked closely with Lafayette’s IT staff to ensure a seamless transition. Over the course of 18 months, engineers conducted comprehensive low-level design discussions to align the network with University needs. Equipment was staged, tested, and configured at Aspire’s Eatontown, NJ facility before installation.

Based on the roll-out schedule, developed in concert with Lafayette, Aspire installed and tested 350 access layer switches across 150 IDFs on campus, as well as 8 distribution switch pairs and a new core, upgrading the network infrastructure in its entirety.

Lastly, Aspire upgraded and reconfigured the 3 existing edge routers to ensure traffic flows were optimized as traffic traversed the network. The project was managed by Aspire’s PMO, who was responsible to keep the customer engaged, and updated on progress, and keep the project on track from a budget and timing perspective. Knowledge transfer and documentation were provided to Lafayette post-implementation.

Aspire worked side by side with us to accomplish our objectives. They are not just a business partner – they have become a reliable partner and friend. Their team took the time to listen to our needs, ensuring a successful project execution.”

—Peter Hoernle, IT Infrastructure Manager, Lafayette College

Key Solution Outcomes

Lafayette College now benefits from a modernized and high-capacity network core and distribution layers, significantly improving traffic handling and providing foundation for growth. The upgraded access layer with faster and flexible bandwidth options has demonstrably enhanced end-user device connectivity across the campus, leading to a more seamless and responsive experience for students, faculty, and staff.

Comprehensive network health and telemetry are now accessible via a single-pane-of-glass dashboard powered by Cisco Catalyst Center and ThousandEyes, providing real-time analytics and proactive monitoring. This enhanced visibility allows the IT team to identify and resolve potential issues swiftly, minimizing downtime and ensuring optimal network performance for upwards of 10,000 endpoints across campus.

Cisco Catalyst Center provides significant efficiency gains for the network support team by automating network management tasks, including software image management (SWIM) and zero-touch provisioning (ZTP). This simplification of troubleshooting and onboarding has streamlined operations and improved the efficiency of the IT support team, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives.

Forward Looking

Aspire delivered a seamless, forward-thinking network transformation for Lafayette College, ensuring a high-performance, scalable, and secure network that fulfills the evolving needs of students, faculty, and staff, while meeting all deadlines and coming in on budget. The robust network infrastructure positions Lafayette College for future technological advancements, including potential expansions in security, managed services, and collaboration tools, further supported by the ongoing partnership with Aspire.