2016 Presidential DebateAn Inside Look From an IT Perspective

Hosting a Debate Las Vegas Style

• The Inquiry

• The Partnership

• The Application

• The Costs

• The Audience(s)

• The Benefits

The Venues

The Debate Site The Campus

Debate HallPre DebateDebate

Media CenterPre DebateDebatePost Debate

Stand Up BoothsPre DebateDebate Day

The Parking Lot

On Campus Venues

• Access - Debate Day

• 62,756 site visitors

• Typically 22,000

• Availability – Start of Debate

• 3,310 active users at peak

• 1,000 requests per second

• Security – 2 week period

• 21,000 threats blocked

The Campus Website

Security

• Physical Barriers

• Law Enforcement

Presence

• Credentials

Building the Networks

• Four segregated data networks - wired and wireless

› Presidential Commission on Debates

› Media

› Democratic Party

› Republican Party

• Three phone networks

Building the Networks - Data

• It was all about the cables

› Creating

› Running

› Connecting

15 miles of cable

Building the Networks – Wi-Fi

• Except when it was about the Wi-Fi

› Provisioning the new

› Provisioning the old

› Provisioning the ancient

18,000 Wi-Fi accounts provisioned

Peaked at 1,800 simultaneous users

Interference from 750 Mi-Fi hot spots

Supporting the IT Infrastructure

• Monitoring the Network

• Provisioning Services

• Accommodating Unique Needs

• Staffing the IT Help Desk

Weathering the Unexpected

Lessons Learned

• Over Prepare

• Be Agile - FLUID

• Expect Surprises

• Be Prepared for Anything

• Best Solutions Not Always Technical

★ Involve Support Team in Process as Early as Possible

Lessons Learned

https://youtu.be/_yHWEvyPEgcLink to Video

Questions