We couldn’t be more excited about our newfound partnership with Gannon University that’s well underway. With plans to embed Extreme technical certification and training into the academic curriculum of Gannon’s undergraduate and graduate engineering and computing programs, we’re thrilled to support the establishment and outfitting of a regional training center location on the third floor within I-HACK.

Not long ago, we spoke with Mark Jordano, Associate Vice President for Information Technology Services, Gannon University,  at Gannon University’s unveiling of the I-HACK facility on their campus. Watch the video to hear about the mission of the newfound technology program and how changes to I-HACK play a role or check out the brief recap below!

Q: What is the mission of the project Gannon University is working on with Extreme Networks?

A: The University has many goals for educating our students and making them better citizens in the community. We’re putting a great deal of emphasis on industry partnerships which is one of the reasons we’re really excited about this opportunity to partner with Extreme.

The ultimate mission of the project is to educate the next generation of cyber experts, so they’re prepared to protect the assets of the companies they’ll be working for in the future.

Q: What can students, faculty and members of the community expect from a technology perspective in the I-HACK building?

A: We’re really excited about the technology in this building. The first building on campus will have Extreme networking. Not only will we have high-end Extreme network switches, but this will also be our first deployment of Wi-Fi 6 wireless technology.

It’ll be great for our students to learn and work in that environment. We’ll also have lots of technology in the Extreme lab available for students to learn about the specifics of Extreme networking using Extreme switches and access points.  

We’re outfitted with all the latest and greatest equipment from the outset, but it’s the partnership that allows us to make sure that equipment can stay relevant and up to date throughout the entire length of the partnership. One of the things we anticipate, thanks to our industry partners and plans for a potential data center, is multiple fully independent networks in this building. We know the Extreme equipment is going facilitate this very well and we’ll be able to support all those different networks effectively.

Q: What role will I-HACK play in building Gannon’s academic profile?

A: We are a burgeoning field. There aren’t many universities at this point offering cyber security and cyber engineering curriculum. Our intention is to become a leader in this field, and we think the facility, caliber of faculty and strength of partnerships are important.

We want to students to learn what they’re going to need when they graduate, but also have opportunities for working in their field while they’re here. Having industry partners in this building will increase those opportunities. We expect this to be a premier program because of the facility and the quality of the faculty.

As we continue to develop our strong relationship with Gannon University, we look forward to watching the transformation of their campus and city!