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The NFL Draft brought over 300,000 people together at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO this year—if you were watching from home, you joined over 11 million people on opening day.
RESULTS Technology is proud to be an integral part of the success of the NFL Draft. With our IT solutions, you were able to watch the future of football play out. As Kansas City natives, we know how important football is. Nothing was going to stop us from helping people enjoy the Draft!
Here is the behind-the-scenes technology action that brought the Draft to your TV.
The Story
With its sprawling green lawn and over 80,000 square feet of indoor space, the National WWI Museum and Memorial was chosen as the spot for the 2023 NFL Draft. Although excited, they quickly realized they would need a major IT overhaul to keep their network safe while allowing internet access to the NFL’s IT team.
RESULTS Technology has managed the Museum and Memorial’s IT solutions since 2016 so months before the Draft was scheduled, we got to work. At any given time, the Museum and Memorial has 500–700 devices on its network, so we knew this would be no easy task. Time to throw a hail mary into the ether and get it done!
The Challenge
The sheer size and number of devices that needed to be taken care of would be intimidating. However, add the millions of people counting on our technology to help make the Draft a success and it was time to step up to the plate.
RESULTS Technology had about three months of preparation before the Draft began. Many different parties are involved in making the Draft a success: the NFL, the Museum and Memorial, and streaming and internet services like ESPN, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Google, and more.
A technician from one service could derail the entire system if they weren’t correctly trained and prepared. In addition to human error, an event of this magnitude is sure to draw attention from hackers and bad actors.
Our challenge was simple: spend the next three months preparing for every possible outcome.
The Solution
After months of preparation, we got to work putting everything in place. Excuse the geek speak, but for those interested in the technical stuff, here are some of the bigger projects we completed:
- Setup and managed the NFL’s wireless access and infrastructure
- Upgraded the firewall to accommodate their new Google 5G circuit
- Replaced all older Wireless access points with more capable and robust devices to increase coverage and speeds
- Adjusted network settings to include QoS, VLAN, and throughput for NFL personnel to take full advantage of the Google 5G circuit
The Museum and Memorial needed some infrastructure upgrades so instead of treating this like a one-time event, we took the opportunity to implement a long-term strategy and improve their overall IT solutions. Anytime an NFL participant had a tech question, our technicians were there to help.
Chris Wyche, the Vice President for Facilities, Operations Management, and Technology at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, shared, “In the end, the amount of work [your team] had to do during the draft? Pretty minimal. But it was minimal because of all the preparation and the thought that went into it ahead of time, because of the proactive nature of the team, and the willingness to work with us.”
The Results
Thanks to the very hard work of everyone involved—many people even spent the night at the Museum and Memorial to keep things running—the Draft was a major success. Our constant monitoring prevented any cyberthreats from derailing the event and our technical personnel were on hand to solve any issues that arose.
Because of the dedication of our team, Chris said, “Having the commitment of RESULTS and the onsite presence during a special event like this … was gold. It meant that if something did happen, we were prepared.”
The National WWI Museum and Memorial was a perfect venue for the 2023 NFL Draft. Our team at RESULTS Technology was proud to be part of such an epic event and help make it a success.
Whether you’re a small local business or need help pulling off a major event like the Draft, RESULTS Technology can help. Get in touch and see if we’d be a good fit for your IT solutions. We’ll be there every step of the way to make sure it’s a success.
