This year's NFL season kicked-off at the same place where the previous season ended, returning to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on a Thursday night. And it was powered by a single, converged Cisco network, just as it was seven months ago for Super Bowl LVI. The performance of Cisco's converged network on the world's biggest stage back in February was truly mind-blowing. My blog from the Super Bowl detailed the astronomical amounts of data that were processed that day in February, redefining the standard for what it means to operate efficiently and securely.

The opportunity of converged networks

As I reflect on how our network performed so impressively at the Super Bowl and look ahead toward what's to come during this year's NFL season, I can't help but think about the implications of this type of deployment across other industries and areas of business. If the network can operate at this level at the world's most high-profile sporting event, imagine the possibilities across a variety of other use cases which have less stringent requirements with lower bandwidth demands.

Over the course of my career, the versatility of the Cisco network has never ceased to amaze me with its ability to find solutions amidst an ever-changing environment with varying requirements. With a public sector that is ripe for technological advances and increased network capabilities, the potential applicability of the converged network is endless - whether it is on the scale of an event like the Super Bowl, or a smaller, more localized scale.

Powering resilience, serving communities at every level

Converged networks can help state and local governments better engage, educate, and serve residents in their communities.

They can also help spur economic development, plus:

• Local communities lacking public Wi-Fi can now leverage the capabilities offered by the Cisco network on an as-needed basis, better aligning with their budgets
• Public schools and institutions of higher education can increase learning opportunities for students via a high capacity, low latency, high speed Wi-Fi networks for education
• Local governments and public-facing businesses can increase resilience by providing continuity of operations and services under a reliable converged Cisco network
• Community events, conferences, concerts (Case Study: Live Nation BottleRock Festival), 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitation

  and festivals can all operate more securely and efficiently thanks to the bandwidth/network connectivity facilitated by Cisco network capabilities

• Esports, which continues to grow into one of the most popular sports in the world, can host global competitions such as the 2022 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitation, relying on Cisco Network technology to power game play .

But in my opinion, the scope of impact that Cisco can have in the public sector can extend even beyond these day-to-day connectivity examples.

The potential of converged networks

I envision a reality where the Cisco converged network is there to provide the bandwidth necessary to help communities in crisis; where government entities can securely and reliably communicate with each other across agencies and with residents in danger more effectively during natural disasters to increase emergency response preparedness. In emergency scenarios like these, the ability to rapidly deploy high-speed technology/communication capabilities is not just a luxury for local communities. In the 21st century, it is a necessity. And Cisco can be there to fulfill those technological needs for your community when you need it most.

As I watch the NFL this season, I'll be thinking about how the remarkable Cisco technology that powers the game day experience at venues like SoFi Stadium can be extended into surrounding municipalities to make a difference in improving public sector life. Whether it be a cloud managed network that can be deployed quickly and securely while being managed locally or remotely, or perhaps a much larger and complex network, Cisco has the solutions to meet the needs of communities like yours.

Resources

• For a full look at the options available for your community, check out Cisco's Enterprise Networking solutions.
• Explore how Cisco technology is changing the way fans experience game day
• The Cisco Network: The Superhighway of Super Bowl LVI & SoFi Stadium