Leadership Survey Report

The State of Networking & Security in Higher Education

Insights from 117 CIOs, CISOs, and IT leaders on rising cyber risks, outages, and the shift toward AI-powered networks.

Campus networks are struggling to keep up with rising cyber threats, growing complexity, and chronic understaffing.

Nile’s State of Networking & Security in Higher Education report reveals a widening gap between rising cyber risk and the ability of campus IT teams to respond.

The Reality on Campus Networks Today

of IT teams are understaffed or firefighting

experience monthly outages

are confident in preventing or containing a breach

are yet to meaningfully adopt Zero Trust

This isn’t a set of isolated issues—it’s a structural failure in how campus networks are built and operated.

What's inside the report

  • The top 9 trends reshaping campus networking and security
  • Real-world data on outages, breaches, staffing, and infrastructure challenges
  • Why traditional campus networks can no longer keep up with modern demands
  • Strategic recommendations for modernizing campus networks

What you will learn

Cybersecurity & operational challenges are converging

Frequent outages are impacting campus performance

AI is becoming a force multiplier for IT teams

Zero Trust adoption is slower than expected

Who this report is for

This report is built for CIOs and CTOs in higher education, along with CISOs, security leaders, IT directors, infrastructure heads, and network and security professionals.

Download the Report